Shut Up!

Micah 2:6-7

As much as we hear the word "tolerance" today, you would think that EVERYTHING would be permissible. That is not the case. Those who cry for "tolerance" are among the most intolerant in society. First, what they call tolerance is not the actual definition of the word. They demand acceptance and approval in the name of tolerance. Then, they decry, demean, and try to destroy those who disagree with their position. Often, it is those who hold a Biblical worldview who receive the brunt of their fury.

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“Do not prattle,” you say to those who prophesy. So they shall not prophesy to you; They shall not return insult for insult. You who are named the house of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good To him who walks uprightly?

Micah 2:6-7

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One mistake we often make as Christians in the 21st century is to think that what we are experiencing is new. While it may be a new era for us, it is not a new era for those who follow God. The world has always hated the message of God. They have always attacked verbally and physically the followers of God. At the time that Micah was proclaiming this message from God, the people of Judah were telling the prophets to "Shut up!"

No one likes to hear that their behavior is wrong. We will do or say something and excuse it, but then we dislike the very same behavior in other people. When we are told that our actions are wrong, we have a few choices. We can ignore the admonition, we can get angry at the messenger, or we can change the behavior. In the case of Micah, the people got mad at the messenger.

God then asks the people some questions. Because false prophets were supporting those who were stealing land, God asked if His spirit was restricted or hindered. Are the things that the people are doing and saying His ways? Does not God bless those who do uprightly or righteously? Though the people were claiming that God approved of their behavior, they would not see His blessings. Today, many so-called preachers make a lot of claims about what God has said, but their claims do not align with the Bible. They proclaim God's blessings while never calling people to repentance for their sinful actions. God will not bless that. He has not changed who He is.

We need to be careful what we claim God has said. It does not matter how noble the cause, if God did not say something, we should not claim that He did. Several months ago, there was a Sunday school lesson put out by a prominent group. The lesson misused some scripture to push their social justice point of view. There were plenty of scriptures they could have used, but the writer misapplied a particular passage to push his agenda. As Pastor of the church, I had to get up and address this. I was not happy because the writer should have known better. We should never blame God for saying something that He has not said because it is what we want to hear.

Father, You are holy and righteous. You have given us Your perfect Word. I pray that we would not accuse You of saying things You have not said. I pray that we do not misapply scripture to push our own agendas. May with honor You with our words and our actions.