Listen

The Lord proclaims concerning the prophets, those who lead my people astray, those who chew with their teeth and then proclaim “Peace!” but stir up war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths: Therefore, it will become night for you, without vision, only darkness without divination! The sun will set on the prophets; the day will be dark upon them. Those seeing visions will be ashamed, and the diviners disgraced; they will all cover their upper lips, for there will be no answer from God.

Micah 3:5-7

Think

My dog sits and waits for me to throw her ball. Like every annoying human I make the motion of throwing the ball only to hide it behind my back. She races off looking. I reveal it, and she races back to find that I’ve hidden it again. Luckily, she seems to enjoy this game, nipping my hand when she tires of it.

Thankfully a playful nip on the hand is not harmful. There is however a growing sense that lots of people speaking for God are playing a tricky game. They’re doing so with deception in mind. They want to twist words and ideas so God seems to favor what they favor. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that it isn’t a new thing. Okay, maybe that isn’t good news, but we are reminded God is paying attention. The prophet Micah delivers a strong message to those who lead others astray in God’s name. It isn’t pretty. Shame and disgrace follow, but we also bear a responsibility of learning the scriptures and finding trusted teachers to help us grow in wisdom, lest we be led astray.

Brian Foreman

Pray

Who do I trust, God? How do I know who is honest? Help me be wise in who I listen to, always comparing those words to what I see lived in the life of Jesus. Amen.

Go

You are the light of your community.

You are the salt of the neighborhood.

You carry God’s truth to the places you go.

Be confident that imitating Christ is your call, even imperfectly.

Be bold in lifting others up in a world that seeks to put them down.

Remember your brothers and sisters, and pray for them this day.

Amen.