The Park Forum

Links for today’s readings:

May 5  Read: Micah 5 Listen: (2:21) Read: Psalm 85 Listen: (1:25)

Scripture Focus: Micah 5.2-5

Reflection: Missing the Kingdom for the Empire

By John Tillman

In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke sought Yoda’s aid to complete his Jedi training and defeat the Empire. Yoda tested Luke with a bizarre performance as a childish, foolish creature. Luke was seeking a great warrior. Yoda replied, “Wars not make one great.”

Yoda was the great leader and master Luke sought. But his greatness was for a time hidden. His strength was reduced by feigned weakness. His wisdom was concealed in foolishness. His greatness was masked by small stature, great age, and social awkwardness. (Luke’s greatness was also concealed from Yoda, but that’s another analogy…)

Assyria was the first empire. An empire’s purpose is to spread its own (alleged) greatness to the ends of the earth (or the galaxy). Empires spread by war, brutality, and violence, but also by oppression, economic corruption, and worship of the emperor.

Micah told Israel that their leaders would be struck down. Micah also described a future ruler from ancient times who would oppose the empire. This ruler would be unexpected and counterintuitive.

He would come from an unimportant city and clan. He would be like a shepherd, not like a king or a commander. His greatness would reach the ends of the earth, but not by violent conquest. This leader’s followers would be “in the midst of many peoples” and “among the nations.” They will not “depend on a man” and would have peace even when armies marched over their borders.

Jesus was and is this unexpected ruler. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day looked for this leader to help them defeat the Roman Empire, but Jesus knew that war would not make him great. At least, not that kind of war. His greatness and his kingdom lay on the path to the cross, through the grave, and beyond.

Jesus’ glory, strength, and wisdom were concealed for a time. To the wise, he seemed foolish. To the strong, he seemed weak. To the powerful, he seemed unimportant. (1 Cor 1.18-25) Yet, this ruler brings down every empire, beginning with the empires of sin and death.

Don’t judge the religious leaders too harshly. We, too, can miss Jesus’ kingdom when looking for Empire-like solutions to our problems. Jesus’ kingdom is the anti-Empire, he is the anti-Emperor, and every aspiring emperor is an anti-Christ. Complete your training by following the way of Jesus. We defeat empires in counterintuitive ways, beginning with the empire in our own hearts.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

May God be merciful to us and bless us,* show us the light of his countenance and come to us. Let your ways be known upon earth,* your saving health among all nations. — Psalm 67:1–2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

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Links for today’s readings:

May 4  Read: Micah 4 Listen: (2:33) Read: Psalms 83-84 Listen: (3:20)

Scripture Focus: Micah 4.1-4

Reflection: Confrontation and Hope

By John Tillman

Today’s passage is one of Micah’s most hope-filled.

Micah and Isaiah were contemporaries, using similar imagery and language. It makes sense that God spoke similar things to prophets speaking in the same time period.

Micah saw his nation slipping down a rebellious path to war and destruction. He saw systematic corruption and oppression of the poor, the idolatry and hypocrisy of false worship, and the misuse and misrepresentation of God’s name.

Both prophets delivered unflinching messages about coming judgments for sin. They warned of war, destruction, death, slavery, and exile. However, every warning of woe held a promise of hope.

Micah and Isaiah both proclaimed that the mountain of the Lord, where the temple stood, would become the highest mountain and Jerusalem would be like the garden of Eden. All peoples and nations would stream up the mountain to worship God.

Micah and Isaiah were also very different. Isaiah was an insider. Micah was an outsider. Isaiah was powerful, frequented the palace, and personally knew and spoke to kings, leaders, and high officials. Micah was from a rural area of Judah with no powerful connections other than the God in whose name he spoke.

Both the kings and the citizens needed to be confronted with the realities of their sins. They also needed to know the hope God had planned for them. Prophets don’t flinch from either confrontation or hope.

We need prophets from different perspectives, like Isaiah and Micah. Those close to the powerful must hold them to account. Those close to the oppressed must speak from their perspective. Too often, those in halls of power are corrupted by that power rather than confronting its sins. And too often those speaking for the oppressed forget that the oppressed also need repentance. And everyone needs hope.

Where has God placed you? Are you a powerful insider or an oppressed outsider? Most of us are somewhere in between. No matter where you are, you must both confront and inspire. 

We need both truthful confrontation and hopeful exhortation to overcome the gravity of sin pulling us down. Only then can we “stream” upward to the city of God and seek him in its temple. (Micah 4.1)

The gospel is good news about bad news. The bad news is the destiny sin has earned us. The good news is the destiny Jesus won for us. The gospel dies without truth and hope. Share both.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

God looks down from heaven upon us all, to see if there is any who is wise, if there is one who seeks after God. — Psalm 53.2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

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Links for today’s readings:

May 1 Read: Micah 1 Listen: (2:46)  Read: Psalm 79 Listen: (1:50)
May 2 Read: Micah 2 Listen: (2:11) Read: Psalm 80 Listen: (1:58)
May 3 Read: Micah 3 Listen: (1:51) Read: Psalms 81-82 Listen: (2:36)

Scripture Focus: Micah 1.1-2, 8-9

1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 
2 Hear, you peoples, all of you, 
listen, earth and all who live in it, 
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, 
the Lord from his holy temple. 

8 Because of this I will weep and wail; 
I will go about barefoot and naked. 
I will howl like a jackal 
and moan like an owl. 
9 For Samaria’s plague is incurable; 
it has spread to Judah. 
It has reached the very gate of my people, 
even to Jerusalem itself.

Reflection: Everyone

By John Tillman

In the 1994 film, The Professional, Gary Oldman delivered a one-word line that became legendary. Oldman’s character tells a man near him, “Bring me everyone.” The henchman replies with a questioning tone, “Everyone?” Oldman explodes, screaming, “EVERYONE!”

Screaming the line was intended as a joke to make the director laugh. But the director, Luc Besson, used the screamed version in the film. To this day, fans will shout “EVERYONE” to Oldman when they see him.

Micah, the prophet, had dire warnings from the Lord. If you asked him who they were for, he might reply, “EVERYONE!” They are for Samaria, Judah, and all the peoples of the earth. Micah starts with Samaria, but in the course of his message, he will leave no one out. 

Like the lines in a film script, we read the prophets’ words but must imagine their inflections and voices. When we read condemnatory passages, we might imagine shouts like Gary Oldman’s “Everyone!” And we might be right. When we read other passages, we might hear sarcasm, bitter irony, or an insulting sneer.

Prophets say angry, critical words and do strange and offensive things, like Isaiah and Micah walking around naked. (Isaiah 20.2-4; Micah 1.8) Today, we call people like that angry extremists.  Many people dismiss such critics as “hateful” or “deranged.” This would sound familiar to biblical prophets. John the Baptizer was called demon-possessed. Jesus was called a drunkard. (Luke 7.33-35) Elijah was called a “troubler of Israel.” (1 Kings 18.7) This doesn’t, however, mean every kook is a prophet.

Angry prophets, like the God they speak for, are driven by love, not hate. Anger against corruption is not hatred of country; it is love for country. Anger against oppressors is love for the oppressed. Anger against false gods is love for the true God. We see this in Micah’s mourning. He weeps. He wails. He denies himself clothing to take on shame. These are acts of love. The Holy Spirit has gifted some to be prophets. But some prophetic responsibilities are for “everyone.” Yes, everyone.

Don’t be ashamed to weep and wail at injustice, harm, and oppression. Don’t be ashamed of making others uncomfortable so long as you are telling the truth.

Don’t be ashamed of making good trouble. Don’t be ashamed to call everyone to repentance. Don’t be ashamed to tell everyone about God’s love.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. — Psalm 96.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

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