Christ: The Treasure of Our HeartsSample

In the horrors of the Civil War, it would have been easy for the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to have capitulated to despair that the dawn of a new day would never come. But even in deep anguish and despondency, he could look beyond the devastation that seemed like "an earthquake [had] rent he hearthstones of a continent." With hope all but extinguished by the strength of hate, the bells of Advent seemed to him to suggest loudly and deeply that "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail…"

The immediate picture was just as gloomy for the ancient prophet Micah. As a prophet of the public square, he passionately addressed the injustice of the political, social, and religious establishment that had been charring the spiritual landscape for many years. Moreover, the Kingdom of Israel was under threat of foreign invasion from the Assyrians. The previous verses give us a glimpse of a bleak picture of total corruption. The faithful had disappeared from the land with no one who was upright (v.2). The powerful were dictating what they wanted and perverting justice (v.3). Even the best of them were no better than a sharp thorn. (v.4) Even a loved one could not be trusted as sons treated their fathers with contempt, and daughters rose against their mothers. Enemies had become those within one’s own household. (v.5-6) It was hard to conceive of a more hopeless scene.

The conjunction, BUT in the Prophets and the Writings usually indicates a drastic shift both in tone and reality. In this case, the solution for Micah is bold, simple, and penetrating. As a prophet of faith and a preacher of truth, he has not been overcome by the apparent hopelessness but articulates a vision of God coming to the aid of the nation. He determines that he will do his part by looking to the Lord and waiting for him as the only one who will bring salvation. The climax of the passage is “My God will hear me!”

The world has often seemed dark during the Advent season, but the prophet’s words still ring “loud and deep”. Our God will hear us!

Prayer:

Almighty God, you are the Lord of heaven and earth and everything in them. You are worthy of the praise of all creation. We live in hope of your kingdom coming to earth in its fullness when the knowledge of you will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. Forgive our sins, provide for our daily needs, and deliver us from the darkness and evil of the present age. During this Advent season, please remind us that hope is alive because all the authority and glory belong to you! Amen!

Ewen Butler, Ph.D. serves as a part-time assistant professor for the Regent University School of Divinity.