Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1939-09-14

-I0lCdu Oh. Wy
we demand human rights, soci.,
justice, and economic security ia w..
rupt judges and bribe-taking o oss
c1als must be put out of Office ans
lords must not squeeze every nanUs
out OF their tenants; loan sb.rt.
must be put out of business. ths
rich must not Cypress the Door Ths
Church must have ministers with
real message and must share in II.
solution of the problems of human
ity. ''''''
No, we did not copy that nara.
graph out of today's newspaper n
Is the message that the prophet Nh.
cab preached more than 2, 500 wear,
ago. And what's more, he not onlv
presented theories, but he knew how
to accomplish his purpose Of real
social justice. 1t is time some Of
those who talk about this subject
got back to the Bible and really
learned how it can be done.
1. Social Injustice (3:1-1N.
The inhumanity Of man toward
man is not something that Just han.
pened. There are fundamental rea.
sons for such conditions, and thew
are the same in our time as in MI.
cabs day. The responsibility rests
squarely on the failure of our ma.
tional and spiritual leaders to per.
form their God-given tasks.
l. Rulers without Judgment OLA,
9-10).
The obligation Of anyone who is
given or who seeks public office Is
to know judgment. This does not
mean only that he is to have a gen.
eral knowledge Of the law and its
technicalities; he is to know Justice
in his very heart, to love it, and to
see that it is always rightly admin.
istered.
The leaders of Israel had woefully
failed, in fact had deliberately de.
parted from the standards of God,
and Micah exposed them in plain,
dramatic, well-spoken words. While
verses 2 and are not to be taken
literally, they do in striking fgura.
tive speech describe just what un-
scrupulous politicians do to an m-
suspecting people.
2. Prophets with False Message
$3.50.
In such a day might one not ex.
pect Gods messengers to have
word Of condemnation for the lead
ers and of comfort for the people?
Not only did they keep quiet about
the sin and corruption which they
saw about them, but they actually
encouraged their prominent and
wealthy church members" in their
sin by saying, "All is we'll" Such
religious leaders have not altogether
persisted from the earth.
Let ministers of God be like MI
cab, who is described in verse 8 as
a man of judgment and justice, be-
cause he was full Of power by the
Spirit Of the Lord"
ii. Social Security (3:11, Il; g.:
$50.
No, that idea was not discovered
by the politicians of the 1905. II
has been in the plan Of God from
the beginning; in fact only in HIM
is there any real national, personal
or social security. Micah Skillfully
mmasked false security and re-
vealed the way Of true security.
l. False Security and Divine Judg'
ment (3:11, 12).
When the heads of a nation Judge
for reward" and its religious leaders
''teach for hire" and its prophels
divine for money" ". I'D, there Is
no use to talk piously about Goa
being with us.
The prophecy of verse IL was tu'
filed three times-by the Chaldeans
in $50 B. c., by Titus in A. D. w.
and under Hadrian in A. D. 100
God always keeps His promises
even if the promise be a promise
Of judgment.
2. True Security and Divine 6leSS
ing (6:6-0.
God is not to be propitiated o'
the offerings of material things as :
sacrifice or by any outward profes
sion Of piety. He looks at the hear'
Verse 8 is a remarkable and beau
tiful epitome Of Gods Requirement
of man, namely. justice, kindness
and humility; but note that this II
the requirement Of the law, AM
one which no man can possibly lui
fill apart from Christ. 1t IS eVi
dent folly for men to quote this verS'
as did the agnostic Thomas huA
ley and others, to justify themselVe'
for not responding to the claims .
the gospel of Christ. Only Chris
can make any man capable OF uu'
justice, constant kindness, ana gen
uine humility. Only thus can w
meet the demands of the law OF uou
Real social justice and securl!
will come only as there is recos
milton Of Jesus Christ as Saviour AN ~.
Lord by the leaders, by the prophe'