Today as in the day of prophet Micah, sin is rebellion against God manifest in self-centeredness and arrogance. Most often the punishment fits the crime. Oppressors are themselves oppressed. Liars are deceived and the violent are assaulted. Micah decries the fact that Samaria will soon fall to the Assyrians because of idolatry. He also sees that Jerusalem will follow the fate of Samaria. There is no escape because the rebellion is too extensive. The proud will be humiliated. Destruction and sadness will reign. The appropriate response is mourning about the past and immediate future.
However, God’s punishment is redemptive. There is hope for the penitent survivors. In the end Micah’s lament of blood and thunder raining down on God’s people turns to restoration, rebuilding and reestablishment of the promise to Abraham and David. Exile will return, temple and walls will be rebuilt and a righteous king will rule forever.
In the darkest times there is always a glimmer of hope. While everything around us may declare that all is lost, we know that God is faithful to His promises because of His divine steadfast love. Our Lord, Immanuel, has promised to never desert us. Recall the last words of the gospel of Matthew, “I am with you always to the end of the age.”