Trust Not a Friend, Guide or Wife Micah 7:5

As Micah continued to grieve over the condition and behavior of the wicked men who surrounded him, he declared “the best of them” to be “as a briar” and “the most upright” of them to be “sharper than a thorn hedge”. Though they thought themselves free of any retribution for their actions, Micah told them “the day” of their “watchmen” and “visitation” was coming. This would “be their perplexity” or “confusion and confounding”. In chapter seven and verse five, Micah shares how the relationships were so divided among the people they could not trust their friends, guides, or even their wives where we read:

Trust not in a friend, put not confidence in a guide:

keep the doors of your mouth from her that lies in your bosom.

The verse begins, “Trust not in a friend, put not confidence in a guide:” Micah continued his lament over the people and their behavior by naming specific ones whom they could not trust, “Trust not” or “do not support, confirm or be faithful” “in a friend” or “companion, fellow, another person or citizen”. He added, “put not confidence” or “security, safety and carefreeness” “in a guide” which refers to a “tame, docile and intimate friend or chief”. Can we imagine being in a place where not even our closest and most intimate friends could be trusted?

The verse continues, “keep the doors of your mouth from her that lies in your bosom.” Micah's further advise was to “keep the doors” or “guard, observe and give heed to the opening, doorway and entrance” “of your mouth”. In other words, be “careful what you say” “from her that lies” or “lays down intimately” “in your bosom” which literally means “hollow, midst or bottom” and refers to their wives. Conditions were so untrustworthy among the people of Samaria and Jerusalem that not even the the closest of intimate relationships could be trusted.

As we think through these words of Micah, what would it be like to live in a society where no one could be trusted? Around every corner and even within the most intimate relationships betrayal lie. How horrible would it be that our lips had to be “guarded” at all times lest we be subject to scandal, false accusation and subterfuge? Perhaps as we ponder this idea we will find ourselves more and more with conditions such as these, and the best we can do is to remember, the LORD Jesus will hear us and can be trusted more than any other human being. Our lesson from Micah's words should be as it was spoken by Jesus and recorded in the gospel of Luke in chapter eighteen and verse one:

men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Next time Micah writes concerning the relationships between sons and fathers, mothers and daughters, daughter in laws and enemies, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ;