Picking cherries
Some of you might be familiar with these lines from today’s scripture passage:
“What does the LORD require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?”
It’s hard not to like this verse attributed to the prophet Micah. It “is one of the most influential and often quoted sayings in prophetic literature.” (Ben Zvi, 1203) I’ve seen it referenced on web sites, bookmarks, and even facemasks. A Jewish leader from the third century, Rabbi Simlai, said of it that “Six hundred and thirteen precepts were communicated to Moses . . . Micah came and reduced them to three.” (Ben Zvi, 1203)
My guess is that most folks aren’t as familiar with this verse: “Therefore I will make you a desolation and your inhabitants an object of hissing, so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” That line comes eight verses after the passage I just referenced, and it points out some interesting but important characteristics of the library of books that comprise the Bible.
One is that they contain good news and bad news, and another is that what is good news for some might be bad news to others.
What good news appears in this passage? I suppose you could say that for those who didn’t have thousands of rams or rivers of oil at the ready, that this is good news. God was not seeking sacrifice at such scale — especially sacrifice of a child! Micah was not conveying something revolutionary here; the law doesn’t suggest any such offering will win God’s favor.
Instead, Micah reminds the people what they should have known all along. The requirements are for them to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly alongside their God.
Sadly, it sounds like that wasn’t always happening. In the verses that follow, God points out the wickedness that plagues their city. Those responsible for measuring the goods brought for sale were using false weights, presumably then underpaying (or overtaxing) farmers and other producers. The wealthy employed violence, deceit, and lies in their dealings. Thus there was a shortage of justice, kindness, and humility, and the consequences would be dire.
As you’ll often find in prophetic books, the list of transgressions is followed by the consequences people will suffer. They will be struck down, hungry, and poor. They will work to produce oil and wine, but it will be handed over to someone else. Eventually, they will be made a “desolation.” Those who witness their fate will hiss, a custom from their context that I would compare to our shaking our heads.
Their example of upholding the values of kings like Omri and Ahab higher than God’s is clearly not one to follow, but it remains a common tendency despite its empty promises. Bible scholar Steed Davidson writes that “The fiction of participating intimately in the lofty world of divinity and monarchal power conscripts the reader’s sympathies to the culture of royalty and power.” (Davidson, 513) But royalty and power don’t trickle down, even to the most devoted followers.
Most of us don’t make it to the lofty world of the most elite. We might align ourselves with one side or another, but we’re far more likely to be used as tools for them to reach their goals than we are to join their ranks. Their power depends in large part on their ability to convince us they are working in our best interest, or at least against the best interest of those they’ve convinced us are our enemies.
Sometimes attempts to demonize those on the “other side” are so successful that they lead to violence. We saw this in 2011, when U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head in an attack that left six others dead. We saw it in 2017 at the “Unite the Right” rally, where dozens of people were injured and a young woman named Heather Heyer was killed. We saw it on January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was attacked, leading to nine fatalities. And we saw it last weekend, when a would-be assassin injured Donald Trump and killed 50-year-old father Corey Comperatore.
Regardless of our loyalties, *all* such acts of political violence are bad news for *everyone*. There is no narrative in which assassinations and the use of assault rifles against other Americans makes our country a better place. You can’t cherry-pick your casualties, as the above examples illustrate. Most of the damage is collateral.
In the days since last weekend’s attack, I’ve even heard speculation that the hand of God was involved in sparing Trump from a deadly shot. I don’t subscribe to that theory, because it implies that God *also* chose to let Corey Comperatore die. And Heather Heyer. And John Kennedy. And Martin Luther King, Jr. And Abraham Lincoln. That theology cuts both ways, and it’s probably better to leave it in its sheath.
You can focus your efforts and prayers on the hope God will intervene in the manner you feel is best, but a lesson we can take from the prophets is that what God is looking for in our lives, communities, and society is evidence of justice, kindness, and humility. And that doesn’t leave space for violence, political or otherwise.
There are certainly important things at stake when it comes to politics and elections, and I think we’ll face challenges in the months ahead to consider that importance while also keeping in mind the motivations of those we permit to influence us. It can be hard to separate what is being said from the feelings it gives us, and the folks who write speeches and advertisements know how to play on those feelings. If we allow ourselves to be influenced enough, they might even lead us to stray from our values, converting neighbors into adversaries and some political leaders into enemies deserving harm.
Champions of political violence should realize now more than ever that nobody is immune from its effects. When you open the door to it, when you rationalize situations in which it is deserved, there will be consequences.
There’s a lot of talk of consequences in today’s scripture passage. That’s not because there were consequences *coming* for the people of Judah, though. Most Bible scholars believe the book of Micah reached its final form *after* the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. (Kessler, 464–465) Instead of a prediction of what was to come, Micah reflects on what has already happened to the Judean people, and attempts to explain why God allowed it — or *caused* it — to happen.
The people who inhabited the Ancient Near East during the time of the Hebrew prophets believed that the gods were behind the major events of their lives. They didn’t understand the science behind things like droughts and floods, so attributed them to divine intervention. Those who believed in multiple gods made sacrifices to the gods they believed would act in their favor with the hope they would protect them from the gods who would do them harm. When bad things happened, they could blame the evil gods.
*Our* spiritual ancestors did not believe in multiple gods, though. As my Hebrew Bible teacher from seminary would say, “the Jews had a monotheism problem.” (O’Brien) They could not attribute the bad things that occurred to one set of gods and the good things that happened to another set. They had only one God, so when bad things happened, they needed to come up with an explanation.
Thus the reasoning you find in the prophetic books like Micah. You won’t find blame for Judah’s suffering placed on Babylonian political or military leaders, though their armies acted with brutality and cruelty in their conquests. Instead, the people held up a mirror to their own behaviors and used them to explain why they had fallen out of God’s favor. Bible scholar Rainer Kessler writes that “Micah’s analysis of the social and political situation and his criticism of the rich and powerful [included] exploitation of the poor by means of debt, fraud in business affairs, corruption, and misuse of power [which] continued in the Persian period when the book was completed and finalized; the social evils were indeed ongoing.” (Kessler, 467)
Before the Babylonians invaded, “the tenants, indentured servants, or debt slaves that farmed the family estates and villas were expected to supply a significant portion of their produce to the palace and to be able to survive on what was left over.” (Yee, 493) The work of the poor was used to maintain the lifestyle of the wealthy.
When the Babylonians took over, some who were formerly in power lost their influence. Now their resources were used to benefit another empire. God was using the Babylonians to punish Judah for their past unjust society.
Like other prophetic books, though, Micah does not include only the unjust behaviors of the people and nations and the consequences that befall them as a result. Yes, there is doom, but that eventually leads to hope. (Kessler, 462)
Since empires were seen as forces acting in accordance with God’s will, the hope of the people often pointed toward a newer, more friendly ruler taking over. As Davidson writes, “the literature advocates fighting empire with empire and does so through voices positioned as historically engaged messengers of the divine will.” (Davidson, 508) People accustomed to living under the rule of others knew no other way of being, so the best outcome they could envision involved opening “the space for the restored nation to occupy a leadership role in the world to prevent injustice.” (Davidson, 519)
Thankfully, *we* know we can achieve a better world *without* the right emperor being in place. We *do* know that, right? I guess we can be forgiven when it’s a challenge, especially when we’re awash in news coverage of the upcoming election.
Is it possible, though, that like our spiritual ancestors, we might sometimes attribute too much of our situation to specific politicians and other figureheads rather than to systemic injustice in society? Might we as individuals have more influence than we think, especially when we act collectively in pursuit of a greater good than simply having the party we favor in power? I don’t know what your experience has been, but I’ve found that having candidates I like elected to office doesn’t guarantee the societal changes I’d like to see.
Am I suggesting we not be involved in politics? Of course not. Budgets and policies can be used to move the needle when it comes to poverty, equal rights, climate change, and a variety of other issues. And unlike our spiritual ancestors, in our political system we have a voice in decision-making. So let’s do the work to which we feel drawn. Register people to vote. Learn more about platforms. Donate to candidates you support. Tell your elected officials what you think.
At the same time, be aware of how much election coverage is healthy. If you find yourself overcome with anger or despair, turn off the radio or TV or phone. Take a step away so you can put things in perspective. Chat with a like-minded friend if that’s what you need. Don’t let yourself be drawn into feelings so intense they change who you want to be.
Do we have higher hopes than enlisting empire to bring about what we want? How do we adopt a kin-dom state of being amidst hostility and partisanship and the threat of political violence? We are kind to our neighbors, regardless of the signs in their yard. We show love to our family members, even if some of their views are out of line with our own. We de-escalate conversations that turn contentious, realizing people typically don’t change their minds in such contexts. We listen to others with humility, considering their viewpoints. And when we do take actions in the pursuit of justice, we do so nonviolently, refusing to abandon the most fundamental values of following Jesus.
On that topic, we should also carefully evaluate the way in which religious language is used during this election season, and call out the inconsistencies we witness. When a candidate makes a claim about being a Christian, do their actions and platforms back it up? Do they cherry-pick certain issues they deem Biblical, or do they honestly seem interested in the whole of being a person of faith? Do they champion wealth and worldly power, or do they demonstrate humility? Do they defend widows, orphans, and other marginalized people? What does justice look like to them?
The people of Judah were faulted for aligning themselves with the kingdoms of Ahab and Omri rather than God’s. We don’t need to make the same mistake, because we know there’s a better kin-dom out there. It offers hope without consequences, and its requirements don’t involve compromising our most important values. As we sojourn together through the coming months, let’s remember that and take comfort.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Works Referenced
Ben Zvi, Ehud. “Micah.” In The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Bridgeman, Valeria. “Womanist Approaches to the Prophets.” In The Oxford Handbook of The Prophets, edited by Carolyn J. Sharp. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Castillo, Amaris. “Trump shooting fuels reflection for journalists who covered Gabby Giffords shooting.” Poynter. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2024/gabby-giffords-trump-shooting-reflection/
Davidson, Steed Vernyl. “Postcolonial Readings of the Prophets.” In The Oxford Handbook of The Prophets, edited by Carolyn J. Sharp. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Davis, Stacy. “War Violence in Hosea, Amos, and Nahum.” In The Cambridge Companion to The Hebrew Bible and Ethics, edited by C.L. Crouch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
“January 6 United States Capitol attack.” Wikipedia. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack
Kessler, Rainer. “Micah.” In The Oxford Handbook of The Minor Prophets, edited by Julia M. O’Brien. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
O’Brien, Julia M. “The Prophets and Social Justice: Amos and Micah.” Class lecture, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. July 8–12, 2024.
Paquette, Danielle. “Hundreds gather to honor Corey Comperatore, killed in Trump rally shooting.” The Washington Post, July 18, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/18/corey-comperatore-victim-trump-assassination-attempt-vigil/
Simundson, Daniel J. “Micah.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume V. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
“Unite the Right rally.” Wikipedia. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally
Yee, Gale A. “Materialist Analysis of the Prophets.” In The Oxford Handbook of The Prophets, edited by Carolyn J. Sharp. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
