How miserable I am!
I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest
who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig
can be found to satisfy my hunger.
I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest
who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig
can be found to satisfy my hunger.
The godly people have all disappeared;
not one honest person is left on the earth.
They are all murderers,
setting traps even for their own brothers.
Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil!
Officials and judges alike demand bribes.
The people with influence get what they want,
and together they scheme to twist justice.
not one honest person is left on the earth.
They are all murderers,
setting traps even for their own brothers.
Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil!
Officials and judges alike demand bribes.
The people with influence get what they want,
and together they scheme to twist justice.
Even the best of them is like a brier;
the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns.
But your judgment day is coming swiftly now.
Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.
the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns.
But your judgment day is coming swiftly now.
Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.
Don’t trust anyone—
not your best friend or even your wife!
not your best friend or even your wife!
For the son despises his father.
The daughter defies her mother.
The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law.
Your enemies are right in your own household!
The daughter defies her mother.
The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law.
Your enemies are right in your own household!
As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
- Micah 7:1-7 NLT
Micah certainly felt like he was alone. He took a stand for God and now feels like no one is following. While that may feel depressing, know that God's backing is superior to any earthly support you find on your own. -- Note on YouVersion.com
That feeling in your gut
Feeling alone is a painful thing. Sometimes it can feel like your life is the butt of a You're so stupid... joke. Kind of like the beginning of this passage: You're so stupid, you can't find anything to eat in the middle of a free buffet. Clearly, Micah came to the conclusion that he was the only one who believed in God & took His words seriously. When your opinion is not the popular opinion, it makes you feel like you've been taking Mugatu's crazy pills.
Et tu, Brute?
The poor guy even started to grow weary of his own family. He questions his best friend & wife--the people closest to him. I tend to bounce a lot of my ideas off my family as a barometer for my eccentricity. We never argue, but I can definitely tell when my thoughts stray from the mainstream. Sometimes I feel lonely. Sometimes I try to agree. Sometimes I simply chalk it up to the process that God is taking me through.
The language of feelings
I love how the NLT presents this passage. It is clearly a piece of poetry, where the poet laments his potentially exaggerated feelings. This section would fit right into the Psalms of David, where he imagines himself sitting at the gates of hell. Was he really knocking on the doors of Sheol? No! Is Micah really the only person who believes in God in the entire universe? I doubt it.
Our sensitive parts tend to run away from us sometimes. We feel like everyone & everything around us is corrupt & self-centered & we are the only generous people around. Know that we are not. Know that you are not the only person who is faithful to God nor are you the only person who feels like they are alone.
Also remember that God desires our honesty. He didn't strike down Micah for being a self-absorbed little cry baby. He didn't blow up David for his pity parties. God was even lenient towards Job during that ordeal. Perhaps these feelings of loneliness were intended to draw us closer to God. Perhaps we are supposed to develop intimacy & trust as we cling to Him & He proves to be faithful.
