Peter Misselbrook's Blog
Jul 24 2019 - Micah 1:1-16; 2:12-13 – Judgment and promise

Micah tells us that he was a prophet "during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah" (1:1). What do we know about these kings? The book of Kings summarises their reigns as follows:

"Jotham … reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years... He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." (2 Kings 15:32-35)

"Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king… He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree." (2 Kings 16:2-4)

We read that king Hezekiah sought to bring the inhabitants of Judah back to the exclusive worship of the Lord their God after the disastrous reign of his father. He even destroyed the high places that were sites for idolatrous worship. Micah ministered during this time of turmoil in the life of Jerusalem and Judah, a time when Jerusalem was under threat from Sennacherib, king of Assyria.

Micah's prophecy begins with the Lord's declaration of judgment upon his rebellious people in the northern kingdom of Israel with its capital in Samaria. God is going to make Samaria "a heap of rubble" (1:6). But God's words of judgment are not confined to the northern kingdom:

Samaria’s plague is incurable; it has spread to Judah.
It has reached the very gate of my people, even to Jerusalem itself.
Tell it not in Gath… (1:9-10) 

The idolatry and Baal worship that had been common in the northern kingdom had spread to the south like an incurable disease. The clouds of judgment were gathering around Jerusalem.

When Saul, the first king of Israel, was defeated in battle by the Philistines and he and his son, Jonathan, died, David lamented over them with the words, "Tell it not in Gath … lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice" (2 Samuel 1:20). David did not want the defeat of God's people to become a cause of rejoicing and mockery amongst their enemies. Now this phrase is used again by Micah. The descent of God's people into idolatry and the threat of their defeat are in danger of becoming the cause of gossip and laughter among the nations. Those who should have been a light to the nations are becoming the butt of their jokes.

But this will not be the end of the story. In the verses we have read from Micah chapter 2, God promises to forgive, restore and to bless his people again. At this time when Sennacherib's army was surrounding Jerusalem, Micah declares:

The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
    they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the LORD at their head.

Their king will break through the siege and lead God's people out into freedom.

The Lord Jesus is the King of kings who has broken the powers of sin and death and has led his people out into freedom. He is the ultimate Saviour in whom all the promises and prophecies of Scripture find their fulfilment. He is the one in whom we gain forgiveness and blessing.

Father God, we acknowledge that we were deserving of your judgment for we also have rebelled against you. We thank you for our precious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have forgiveness and redemption. May your salvation become the source of gossip and wonder amongst all the nations of this world.

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Jul 24 2020 - Mark 6:1-29 – Without honour

Jesus had been teaching and healing in many towns of Galilee. At last he returned to his home town where, on the Sabbath, he taught in the synagogue. The reaction was strange and sad. Those who heard him recognised the power of Jesus' teaching and that it was far more than mere words, it was accompanied by undeniable displays of extraordinary power: “He even does miracles” (Mark 6:2). But this very recognition brought offence; "Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?" (Mark 6:3). They were scandalised by his conduct because they thought that they knew him. He was their local boy, the carpenter; "Who does he think he is, carrying on like this?"

What a sad and sorry story. They, of all people, should have recognised the answer to their own questions, "Where did this man get these things? What’s this wisdom that has been given him?" (6:2). There could only be one answer to this question, had they but eyes to see it.

Jesus' sad response to these people, who thought they knew him, was, "A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home" (6:4). We then read that Jesus "could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith" (6:5). Here we are faced with a great mystery. In what sense was Jesus unable to do any/many miracles in his home town? As we read the gospels, we do not come upon any occasion when Jesus was unable to heal. There is never an occasion when those who are sick come to Jesus for healing and are sent away to endure their sickness. Nevertheless, here we find that Jesus performed few miracles in his home town, presumably because, through lack of faith, few came to him for healing.

As I say, we deal here with mysteries that are beyond our understanding. They were not healed because they lacked faith and failed to ask. We often come to Christ in prayer seeking healing for ourselves or for those we love and the same Lord seems not to answer our prayers. It is pastorally insensitive, even cruel, to suggest that such prayers for healing remain unanswered through lack of faith. Yet it remains true to say that our lack of faith may limit the power of God, for it is Christ's purpose, now as then, to build his kingdom through a faithful people.

We see this illustrated in the verses that follow. Jesus sent out his closest disciples to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and to heal the sick. And they did: “They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (6:12-13). These twelve were not offended by the humble origins of Jesus; they had come to recognise something of who he was and the origin of his power. They had put their faith in him – they had left all they had to follow him. They had joined him in his mission and were beginning, in their own small way, to do the things that he did and to be the means through which his transforming power touched the lives of others.

Lord Jesus, enable me to understand more of your character and to see you for who you truly are. Keep me from that lack of faith that would limit the work of the kingdom both in me and through me. May your power be at work in and through my weakness. Use me to bring something of the life of the kingdom to a dying world.

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Peter Misselbrook