Today’s Scripture Reading (December
28, 2016): Micah 3
I admit that
I have a bit of an infatuation with John of England. Part of my interest in the
King no doubt stems from watching and reading the Legend of Robin Hood. But
historians continue to wrestle with the legacy
of John. The main question is, is he bad because of the story of Robin of
Locksley says he is bad or is there some
credible evidence of John’s evil nature? Many historians claim the latter. And
their evaluation of John starts with the main plot line of the Robin Hood saga;
John really did try to take his
brother’s, King Richard the Lionheart, kingdom away from him while Richard
fought in the Crusade. The defense of John at this point is that Richard was
more concerned with the Crusade than he was about England, but that still does
not justify what John did. Add to that charge
the accusation that he sexually forced himself on the wives and daughters of
his nobles; in a chivalrous age when aristocrats spared their enemies, John
killed his; he ordered the death of twenty-two knights by imprisoning them and
starving them to death; he starved to death the family of a former friend; and
in 1203 he arranged for his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, to be killed; and the
result is that this was one king who did not see a line between right and
wrong. And that defines him evil.
The
expectation that a political leader understands the distinction between right
and wrong would seem to be the starting point for whether or not they deserve
our respect and allegiance. If the leader
does not know the difference between right and wrong, then they should not be
in a position of leadership, regardless of the strengths they might bring with
them. Not knowing the difference between right and wrong disqualifies them from
leadership.
As far as
Micah was concerned, this was the situation in Judah. Micah watched Israel fall, and he lived through the Assyrian assault
on Jerusalem. And according to the prophet, these things could only happen
because their leaders had lost the concept of right and wrong. And without
understanding that, they were incapable of leading the nation. Interestingly,
Micah lived through the reigns of three kings – Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Of those three, two of the kings were known in the Bible as good kings. Only Ahaz stands as a king who did evil in the sight of God. Considering the
words of this passage, we then need to date this prophecy during the reign of
Ahaz, which places it probably just before or at the time of the Fall of
Israel. But the message is clear, the terror that is about to take place in Israel and Judah could have been avoided by leaders who understood the
difference between right and wrong.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Micah 4
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