Readings for today: Micah 1-4
I recently stood on the tel of Megiddo looking over thirty different layers of history dating back to the Canaanites. The layers tell the story of city after city that was raised and destroyed over centuries. Over that period of time, a mound began to grow as each city was built on top of the next. Eventually the city was abandoned after the Assyrian invasion in 732BC. For hundreds of years, it sat there waiting to be discovered. Grasses and trees and bushes and flowers grew on top of it until a team of archaeologists in the 19th century began to probe it’s depths. Today it remains a treasure trove to those who want to learn more about the different civilizations that came and went at this particular place.
I thought about Megiddo when I read these words from Micah today…“Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.” (Micah 3:12) The judgment of God is harsh and unyielding at times. He simply will not allow evil and idolatry to go unchecked. In my experience, judgment always begins at the house of the Lord. God holds His people to a higher standard. Called and set apart to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, He demands more from us. We are to serve as living examples of what life in God’s Kingdom is all about. This is why it’s so tragic when we fail. When we follow the ways of the world. When we allow injustice and oppression and unrighteousness and idolatry to rule and reign over our lives. When we pursue power and wealth and trample those who might get in our way. God will not be mocked. Though we are His chosen people, He will not spare us. Though He loves Jerusalem and actually made His dwelling place there in the Temple, it did not stop Him from bringing judgment down on that place. Plowing her like a field. Making her a heap of ruins. Her house a wooded height.
This is what happens to Megiddo according to Scripture. It is destroyed along with the rest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel for her idolatry and sin. One of the amazing finds at this particular tel is a water tunnel running under ground protecting the water source of the city. It’s a marvel of ancient engineering that was commissioned by King Ahab. Those who are familiar with Ahab know he presided over a period of relative wealth and political success in Israel. At the same time, he is also known as the most evil king in her history as he led her into all kinds of sin. His reign was marked by deep injustice and brutal oppression and severe drought. He worshipped Baal and forsook the Lord. He was the adversary of Elijah and eventually was killed in battle. However, the seeds of destruction were sown and eventually bore fruit in the reign of his descendants. Assyria swept in from the north and literally wiped the northern kingdom off the map.
Megiddo tells this story and also serves as a warning. We cannot presume upon the grace of God. We cannot ever fall into the trap of feeling entitled to the mercies of God. If we chase after other gods and follow the ways of this world, we can expect His judgment to fall. He will not spare us but will correct us and rebuke us so that we might find our way back to Him. God disciplines those He loves. He loves us so much He is willing to confront us and convict us and turn us over to the consequences of our choices. No matter what happens, He will bring to completion the good work He’s begun in us to make us more like His Son.
Readings for tomorrow: Micah 5-7