The Need for Honest Preaching (Micah 2:11)

Micah 2:11

If a man should go about and utter wind and lies,

saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”

he would be the preacher for this people!

     The job of an Old Testament prophet was to communicate to the people the truth of God. Sometimes this came through new divine revelation. They would speak at times like oracles, telling people new things that God told them would come to pass. In other instances, the prophets simply pointed out the lives of the people in the nation as compared to the covenant that people had with the Lord. Like law enforcement, the prophets would show the people where they were breaking God’s laws and remind them of the promised consequences for what they were doing.

     In the passage above, Micah was pointing out a major problem with the people. They were so foolish as to desire only those who would preach things they wanted to hear. Of course, this is a common problem. Paul pointed out the same problem to Timothy (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 when he spoke of people who would turn away from sound doctrine and gather teachers who would say what their “itching ears” wanted to hear.) .And in this common, human weakness is a lesson for us.

     It is tempting to only want to hear people say what we like. It is tempting to only want to hear what we have already accepted and believed. But there are times when we need to hear a preacher of the word of God truly challenge us. There are times when we need to have a well-studied preacher open to us doctrine that is not new, but which we have not yet explored.

     Ask yourself, “Do I only listen when I like what I hear?” Ask, “When is the last time I heard something that challenged me, convicted me, or made me think differently?” It is folly to demand that you only hear what is easy. It is dishonest to listen only to those who promise you ease and safety with no hint of the hardships of this world. We need good, sound, godly teachers. We need men who will open the word faithfully. We need people who know how to comfort and convict, to call us to account and to remind us of grace.