Micah 1

“Because of this, I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like daughters of the desert. For her wounds are incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem.” Micah 1:8-9 (HCSB)

Have you ever been upset over sin? I’m not talking about your personal sin, which you may have suffered rebuke. Have you ever grieved over sin’s presence in the world and its effects on the Church at large?  

I am an artist, but I’m not the stereotypical artist. That is, I’m not an extremely emotional person. It’s not to say that I don’t have feelings. I don’t have incredibly high “highs” or extremely low “lows.”  I’m pretty even-keeled. So, as a young believer, I was perplexed when I read the Bible’s accounts of men like Jeremiah, aka the weeping prophet. I wondered how men could be moved to tears and dramatic expressions of sorrow over other people’s sins. I simply could not relate to that level of emotion. It would upset me that I couldn’t seem to “empathize” at the level of the prophets.  

As I spoke with others, I found that I am not alone. Most of the believers I have asked about this subject admit that they focus very little energy lamenting over sin, personal or corporate. Bottom line: They either think God doesn’t care or that their sin isn’t “sinful enough” to warrant judgment.

As for myself, my attitude toward sin began to change when I decided to take the Bible seriously, and I read it consistently. Everything trustworthy that I know about God, I have learned from His Word. I suppose that is why the Bible says that our knowledge of God’s Word determines our level of faith.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes through the Word of God.” Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

These days, my life is viewed through the lens of Scripture, and experience is weighed on the scale of God’s character, as defined by the Bible. As I read the Bible, He replaces my old thoughts & attitudes with the mind & heart of Messiah. By the power of His Spirit, the Lord enables His children to love what He loves, hate what He hates, and feel as He feels. Consequently, my heart now breaks over my sin and sin in the world.

As we read God’s Word together, I pray that He will balance our knowledge of His Grace toward sinners with an understanding of His impending judgment. I pray that we will all learn to grieve, lament over sin, and intercede on behalf of the lost.