The Prophets, Priests & Leaders of God’s people were supposed to be those who spoke out for God. Yet there has always been those who claimed these callings, or took these roles, whose message contradicted or ignored God’s Word. Micah expressed a scathing indictment of all three of them in 3:11.  He said that their “heads give judgment for a bribe; priests teach for a price; prophets practice divination for money.”

But in Micah God accuses the Prophets of leading “my people astray” (3:5).  Their messages, He says, are simply “wind” because they do not focus on His ancient oracles recorded in the Scriptures. God’s standards never change and they must be constantly proclaimed in every generation. I never want to be one of those “uttering wind” only preachers who say what people want to hear in order to keep getting a paycheck.  I’m always wrestling with the tension in the pulpit of wanting people to like me and wanting them to enjoy my messages on the one hand and on the other hand wanting to be faithful to God’s Word. It’s been especially difficult in the current series on these Minor Prophets. I love to hear the congregation laugh and I don’t believe there is anything wrong with that. Yet, I must never forget that the real purpose of Sunday morning is to present God’s Word accurately.

But Micah also indicts the people who listen to preachers. Speaking for God he writes in 2:11, “If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, I will preach to you of wine and strong drink, he would be the preacher for this people!” He said His people have become the kind of people who will only listen to what they want to hear. They only want the “happy hour” message, the “feel good” fix, the “comfort me chorus,” the “heal me headline” rather than the confrontational message of God’s Word.

Worship should be a true “happy hour” not because we escape from God’s message, but because we delight in God’s message.

Chuck

“Because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word.” Jeremiah 6:19