Some wisdom from Micah

at various times over the months Ben and I have sparred and agreed about word of faith and other veils for the prosperity gospel.

Ben raised the question - "How do word of faith preachers account for the beattitudes?"- encouraging me to seek some biblical perspectiev. I was reading Micah this morning and it really throws some light on the issue.

Firstly, Micah is a prophet, a covenant enforcement mediator, so sometimes when he preaches, he preaches God's right anger against injustice. We get the feeling that some don't like his negative words:

6"Don't preach," say the preachers.

    "Don't preach such stuff.

    Nothing bad will happen to us.

    7Talk like this to the family of Jacob?

    Does GOD lose his temper?

    Is this the way he acts?

    Isn't he on the side of good people?

    Doesn't he help those who help themselves?"

To which Micah replies :

"What do you mean, "good people'!

    You're the enemy of my people!

    You rob unsuspecting people

    out for an evening stroll.

    You take their coats off their backs

    like soldiers who plunder the defenseless.

And then, the clincher:

11If someone showed up with a good smile and glib tongue

    and told lies from morning to night--

    "I'll preach sermons that will tell you

    how you can get anything you want from God:

    More money, the best wines . . . you name it'--

    you'd hire him on the spot as your preacher!

Read on to chapter 6 and 7 for what god will do after his discipline has been shown. You can''t shortcut your way to harvest and seasons of much and richness, through your best life now or spekaing words of faith into your life. - sometimes the only way is through a cold hard winter, where you are refined, threshed and purified, strengthened in your resolve to follow God. See 4:7 and 4:13, then 7:8 to the end. I'm down, but not out ...

M