As I read last week’s headlines, I was reminded of a passage from the Old Testament prophet Micah. Micah, who was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, had a ministry in southern Judah (Micah 1.1).

According to the list of kings in verse one, we know he was prophesying between 750 and 686 B.C. So, you might wonder what words of the prophet would reflect on the events of 2022?

Let me begin with the headlines I read; In Texas (my home state) I read of a judge who was convicted and sent to prison for accepting bribes. The next article was about a 27-year-old woman who killed her mother and then called 911.

That was followed by a story of two friends who got into an argument about mayonnaise that led to one man using his car in a lethal manner against his friend. Then the wife of many years who shot her husband as he lay sleeping in their bed. The list goes on, but I sited enough examples for you to see the connection.

One does not have to look too far to find stories daily about corruption and family disputes that lead to deadly confrontations. Like many people, I am appalled at the direction society is taking; with the violence and the collapse of good neighbor social norms that I grew up with. Saying all that, let me redirect you to words of Micah 7.2-62.

“The godly person has perished from the land, And there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; Each of them hunts the other with a net. 3 Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, And a great man speaks the desire of his soul; So they weave it together. 4 The best of them is like a briar, The most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, Your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur. 5 Do not trust in a neighbor; Do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom Guard your lips. 6 For son treats father contemptuously, Daughter rises up against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.”

The point of all this is Ecclesiastes 1.9 says “there is no new thing under the sun.” That realization alone could lead to a dim view of the future of life as we know it.

However, Micah the prophet shifted between doom and hope, and rightly so. Although, he wrote some 2,700 years ago he had a hope that we can share. In the next two verses Micah states where his hope lies.

“7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.1”

That last verse is one of my all-time favorites, “though I fall I will rise.” If you find your self a little despondent over the way life is unfolding, remember that God is in charge. And while people have observed the rise of evil in our lifetime, God has from time to time raised His mighty arm and corrected man’s course in history. Therefore, I suggest that we wait upon the God of our salvation and watch expectantly.

If you have a church home, make sure you are there on Sunday. If you do not, then see us.

Dr. L.S. Middleton (Scott) is the senior minister at Craig Christian Church.