Post by Cindy on Jul 28, 2015 10:47:28 GMT -5
I loved this part of a commentary about Micah so have to share it with you:
It has always been a great temptation for the true believer to rely on his orthodoxy.
We see it in our own time. In a New Mexico church a young ministerial intern found his marriage hurting. His wife left and returned to her parents’ home. The pastor called the young man in, and rather than offering support and help to repair the broken relationship, demanded his resignation. Unsatisfied by the letter of resignation that was submitted, the pastor rewrote the letter and sent his version out to the congregation over the young man’s signature. He then insisted the intern simply disappear. There would be no farewells or good-bye gatherings.
When the people began to probe and to ask why they had not had a chance to express appreciation for the young man’s ministry, the pastor held an exorcism in the church, banning the devil who was manifesting himself in the “critical spirit” of the people!
Though this pastor’s actions showed a total and calloused disregard for the deep need and the pain of the young couple, he could always justify his action. After all, wasn’t he biblically “right”?
The Pharisees operated on this same principle. Jesus was criticized—not for His miracles of compassion and healing, not for His capacity to touch unresponsive people and bring them into relationship with God—but because He did not wash His hands the way the Pharisees thought was “right,” or because His disciples disregarded a tradition of men (not a word from God) and plucked ears of grain to eat as they walked through a field on the Sabbath. To the Pharisees, being “right” was an excuse to justify any and all comment, however unloving it might be.
We need to remember this tendency of the religious to justify themselves when we look at the Book of Micah. For Micah gave a prophetic warning—not to wayward Israel but to orthodox Judah!
Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary
What do you think the godly way to handle this situation would have been?
It has always been a great temptation for the true believer to rely on his orthodoxy.
We see it in our own time. In a New Mexico church a young ministerial intern found his marriage hurting. His wife left and returned to her parents’ home. The pastor called the young man in, and rather than offering support and help to repair the broken relationship, demanded his resignation. Unsatisfied by the letter of resignation that was submitted, the pastor rewrote the letter and sent his version out to the congregation over the young man’s signature. He then insisted the intern simply disappear. There would be no farewells or good-bye gatherings.
When the people began to probe and to ask why they had not had a chance to express appreciation for the young man’s ministry, the pastor held an exorcism in the church, banning the devil who was manifesting himself in the “critical spirit” of the people!
Though this pastor’s actions showed a total and calloused disregard for the deep need and the pain of the young couple, he could always justify his action. After all, wasn’t he biblically “right”?
The Pharisees operated on this same principle. Jesus was criticized—not for His miracles of compassion and healing, not for His capacity to touch unresponsive people and bring them into relationship with God—but because He did not wash His hands the way the Pharisees thought was “right,” or because His disciples disregarded a tradition of men (not a word from God) and plucked ears of grain to eat as they walked through a field on the Sabbath. To the Pharisees, being “right” was an excuse to justify any and all comment, however unloving it might be.
We need to remember this tendency of the religious to justify themselves when we look at the Book of Micah. For Micah gave a prophetic warning—not to wayward Israel but to orthodox Judah!
Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary
What do you think the godly way to handle this situation would have been?
!!
