Commend or Condemn
And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? (Micah 3.1)
Memorial Day... Fourth of July... Veterans Day... As a pastor, I struggle with how to incorporate national holidays into the church calendar - particularly worship. We do not gather to lift up America (except in prayer) but to lift up Jesus! But I also recognize the validity of being thankful for our freedoms and for those who fought to give us those freedoms.
Leaving aside the church perspective, there is a proliferation of high-profile individuals kneeling during the national anthem or turning their backs on the flag. This is a hot button in today's cultural wars. I personally don't understand people who seem ungrateful for the rights and freedoms and prosperity that they enjoy as Americans.
My inner conflict only grows as I considered how far we as a nation have drifted from God. Do I commend America for her freedoms, or do I condemn her for her failures?
Micah didn't seem to bother himself with those thoughts. In chapter 3, he was brutally honest about the failures of the rulers and prophets of Judah. Micah loved his country and his people too much to let them drift down a path of ungodliness. So, he rebuked both politicians and preachers who failed to seek justice, who did what was popular instead of what was right, who lined their own pockets at the expense of those they were elected to serve, and who led the people astray.
How can we - with love - "declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin"? (Micah 3.8)
Lord, I thank you for America - for our history of freedom and progress and prosperity. But I also realize that we as a nation have drifted far from you. May your love, your justice, and your holiness be restored to our land. Amen.