I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jonah 1-4 and Micah 1-2.

    Generally when you read or here a lesson based on Jonah, the writer/speaker bases it on just part of the Book of Jonah, perhaps the story of Jonah and the Giant Fish (most commonly titled “Jonah and the Whale”), or perhaps the story of Jonah and the plant. There is nothing wrong with that, but I do not believe I have ever heard or read a lesson on the entire Book. When God called Jonah to prophecy destruction to the city of Nineveh, Jonah went in the opposite direction. Jonah did not want to prophecy destruction to Nineveh because he did not want the people of Nineveh to repent and be saved from destruction. Even after he went and prophesied as God commanded, he was angry because the people repented and were not destroyed. He should have been happy that the people of Nineveh repented of their sins and stopped acting wickedly. God does not desire anyone’s destruction, no matter how evil and vile they have behaved. He desires that they recognize the evil they have done, feel remorse that they have done it, turn from that sin to do good, and be saved. We should desire the same thing, but all too often we get angry when God forgives sinners.

    Micah begins his prophecy by calling out the people of Samaria and Jerusalem for their role in leading the rest of the nation into sin. However, he does not limit his condemnation to the people of those two cities. He calls out other cities in Israel and Judah for playing a role in leading the rest of the nation into sin, or just for the sins they joined in on. God’s judgement will fall harder on those who lead others into sin, but those who follow someone else’s lead will not escape judgement.
    Micah specifically condemns those who cheat and steal from those less powerful than themselves simply because they can. God will judge those who use their wealth and power to unjustly take from others. Harvey Weinstein is a recent example of a man who used his wealth, power, and connections to take sexual advantage of women. There are others who use those attributes to acquire wealth or property which rightly belongs to another. They laugh at those who vow vengeance or seek justice against them. When a society accepts that such men, and women, can behave as they please and leaders consider the ability to do such things their just due, God’s judgement will soon follow. You know that the day of God’s judgement will soon arrive when the people at the bottom are no longer offended that the rich and powerful can do such things and merely seek the power to do it themselves.