CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The one thing the Old Testament prophet Micah is remembered for is saying that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. More than 700 years later, his words became true.
But Micah also had much to say about governments and political leaders who took advantage of their people. Consider his words: “Listen, you rulers of Israel! You are supposed to be concerned about justice, yet you hate what is good and you love what is evil. You skin the people alive and tear the flesh off their bones. You eat my people up. You strip off their skin, break their bones, and chop them up like meat for the pot. The time is coming when you will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer you. He will not listen to your prayers, for you have done evil.”
Consider our rulers of today. If you live in New York or California, more than half of what you earn is taken by the taxman. Even in biblical times, when taxes were paid by a portion of your crops, the government did not take half. Consider the debacle of electric cars, priced far beyond what the typical family can afford to pay. Surely our government leaders know that climate change hinges far more on coal-fired power plants in China or the rich flying on private planes than what type of vehicle you and I drive. Consider COVID: masks don’t work. The research is overwhelming. The shots and boosters aren’t effective and have safety risks that, for a time, we weren’t even allowed to discuss publicly. We were told to shut down the economy for three weeks to flatten the curve. Economic devastation followed. People were fired for refusing to get their shots.
What would Micah have to say to those government leaders of today? He said, “You are building your kingdom on a foundation of injustice. The rulers govern for bribes. One day your city will be plowed into a field. Your capital will be in ruins. Your temple will become a forest.”
Micah tells us that a heavy hand from leaders is a curse, and that God is aware of when government takes advantage of the governed. I am sure many people in power today don’t read Micah. Perhaps they should.
Chris Conley
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