S) "5 All this is for the rebellion of Jacob
And for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the rebellion of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
What is the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?"
Micah 1:5 (NASB)
O) Micah prophesied the destruction of the capital cities of Judah and Israel (Jerusalem and Samaria, respectively). If you read through both books of Kings and/or Chronicles, the guilt that Jeroboam brought upon Israel after initially splitting the kingdom, makes it clear that the ongoing rebellion in Samaria was evil in the sight of the LORD. So, the first four lines of this verse were easily taken in stride when I read them. But then, when Jerusalem is described as "the high place of Judah," that took me aback a little. Then, I was some context about Jerusalem, and it started to make sense. Jerusalem was a city on a hill (see Joshua 15:8). It was long known for it's strong defenses (see 2 Samuel 5:6-9). It was never completely conquered (see Judges 1:21). There are many, many instances in the Bible, of the people showing great pride in their capital city. It's not always negative, but when the pride becomes misplaced, and you combine that with the actual idolatry that was taking place in the city (under certain kings), and you have a city that was praised for it's geography, where people were sacrificing to idols; you have a high place.
A) The real danger, here, is when things start becoming more than things. God blesses His people in many ways, with various manifestations. However, anytime we start to use, or even appreciate, those blessings and things, outside of the context of our Lord, then it's becoming idolatry. For example, owning a house is a huge blessing. In our culture, however, owning a house is also a form of "financial security." That is a very, very dangerous mindset for a Christian, though. If I am considering any things to be a form of security for me (savings account, house, insurance policy, weapons, city), then I am not properly acknowledging the sovereignty of God. I am basically hoping that the thing will protect me, instead of trusting that the LORD will protect me, according to His sovereign will. God may still use some of those things to perform His will, just as He strengthened Jerusalem's walls (see Psalm 51:18), but this is about focus, acknowledgement, priority, and trust in the LORD.
P) Father, thank You for the blessings You have put into my life. Thank You for the things, both tangible and intangible, with which You have surrounded me. Help me, though, to recognize when those very same things, which were intended as blessings, have become snares. I never want an accumulation of stuff to become an altar. I never want elevated status (by the world's definition) to mean I am standing in a high place. If, in Your infinite wisdom and knowledge of me, You know that part of keeping me humble is keeping me from "things," then by any and all means, keep me from those things. Let Your will be done in my life continually, to the glory of Your name alone. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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