Words of the Prophets

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The prophets spoke

cried out

screamed

 

as tyrants schemed

and empire flourished

and justice was denied

 

as inequity, inequity,

and the abuse of power became the norm

 

this must stop!

this is what the Lord requires of you

 

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah)

 

The prophets spoke

feeling the pain of the poor

seeing the neglect of the vulnerable

watching as the rich and power

treated the immigrants with disrespect

 

this must stop

 

“Woe to those who devise iniquity, and work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by violence, also houses and seize them. So they oppress… “  (Micah)

 

The prophet spoke

and their words

echoed over empty cities

and broken walls

 

their words were blown aimlessly

through the ruins of palaces and sanctuaries

 

sometimes it is too late

sometimes the people will not listen

the people wanting power

the people comfortable in their affluence

the people blinded by resentment and fear

 

they do not listen

they do not hear

 

and they choose their doom

and it comes

inexorably

 

death

 

sometimes, it seems

things have to die to be born again

sometimes the new

can only be built out of the rubble of the old

 

So in this time

when tyrants are given immunity

criminals are protected

justice is denied

prejudice is promoted

violence is ignored

hate is nurtured

 

the words of the prophets echo

amongst the crumbling edifices of a failing state

and God insists

that God will not be mocked

 

We are reminded that we can cry Lord, Lord

and not do the will of God

That we can claim faith and deny it

 

In the days of the prophets

the very structures that were to promote God’s presence

denied God’s presence

The halls of Justice were the places where justice was denied

The halls of power abused and manipulated

 

In the days of the prophets

God was denied and the people suffered

 

The days of the prophets

are here