The warning of the prophet Micah: a view from Ukraine
The Ukrainian authorities are aimed at the destruction of the UOC. Lawyer R. Amsterdam wrote a letter to V. Zelensky with a warning about responsibility. But there are worse warnings.
In the 8th century BC, the prophet Micah lived in Judea. "The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem." (Micah 1:1) – this is how his book, included in the Bible, begins. As is known, after King Solomon, the united Kingdom of Israel was divided into Judah, which included the tribe of Judah and half the tribe of Benjamin, and Israel, later known as Samaria, which was formed by the remaining ten and a half tribes. Israel quickly fell away from true worship, influenced by foreign conquests and interethnic marriages with foreigners. Judah held on a little longer, but it too periodically fell away from the One True God and turned to idolatry. This happened during the reign of King Ahaz. The Second Book of Chronicles briefly describes these events: "Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. Instead, he followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast idols for the Baals. He burned incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree" (2 Chronicles 28:1-4).
This is how the biblical narrator describes Ahaz's apostasy from the true God and true worship. Today's Ukrainian rulers have not only turned away from God but have also begun to antagonize Christ and His Church. The Lord told His disciples: "They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or Me" (John 16:2-3). These words seem to be directly addressed to the Christians living in Ukraine today. Ukrainian authorities and radicals are expelling UOC believers from their churches. Some priests and laypeople in poor health are being held in prison under such terrible conditions that it can be seen as a slow form of murder. On the other hand, Russian soldiers are killing our soldiers and civilians directly, launching missiles at our cities and destroying our temples. And all this is done in the name of some incomprehensible god. In Ukraine, it’s some vague national deity that doesn't allow "slaves into paradise" and is sometimes depicted holding a Javelin. In Russia, it’s the idol of the "Russian world", to which blood sacrifices are offered. But all this is far from the Gospel and from what the Saviour taught His disciples.
And during this time of Ahaz's apostasy, Micah prophesied and said: "Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. All this is because of Jacob’s transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob’s transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah’s high place? Is it not Jerusalem?" (Micah 1:2-5).
Today in Ukraine, it is common to blame Russia for everything. The idea is that if Russia hadn't attacked us, everything would be fine. But listen to what the Prophet Micah says: "What is Jacob’s transgression? What is Judah’s high place? (i.e. idol shrines) in Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?" Is it not the Ukrainian authorities who decided to destroy the Church of Christ? Is it not the rulers in Kyiv who began to persecute the servants of God in their own country? And why did they dare to do this? Because they believed in their own strength and power, because they considered themselves omnipotent and mighty, because they decided they could do whatever they wanted in Ukraine without facing any consequences.
But here is what the prophet Micah says to such arrogant rulers: "Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes; they rob them of their inheritance." (Micah 2:1-2). They have forcibly taken over a thousand churches, and sometimes they even take away the homes of priests, throwing them out on the streets along with their wives and small children. "You drive the women of My people from their pleasant homes; you take away My blessing from their children forever" (Micah 2:9).
And for all this lawlessness, the guilty will face punishment: "Therefore, the LORD says: ‘I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.’" (Micah 2:3)
The Ukrainian rulers, in the face of war, could have united the entire Ukrainian people, calling for the unity of all citizens regardless of their language or the church they go to. But instead, they chose to seek out internal enemies and declared 6 million UOC believers as such. They unleashed the media and bloggers, who poured so much slander on the Church of God that many of our citizens fell victim to this propaganda and began to turn against the Church. In doing so, the rulers themselves became enemies of God and made a significant part of the Ukrainian people the same. Listen to what the prophet says: "Lately, My people have risen up as an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle" (Micah 2:8).
And here are some very precise and terrifying words of the prophet Micah about wicked rulers: "You who hate good and love evil; who strip the skin from My people and the flesh from their bones; who eat My people’s flesh, strip off their skin, break their bones in pieces, chop them up like meat for the pot, like flesh for the kettle" (Micah 3:2-3). Was this written now, or in the 8th century before Christ?
"Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us!'" (Micah 3:11). We all witness the disgraceful trials being conducted against our imprisoned brothers – journalists, bishops and priests of God. Some are judged simply for reporting the news and telling the truth, while others are kept behind bars for their sermons and the absurd accusations related to “aggressive NATO”. Meanwhile, those in the OCU who have put on priestly garments and called themselves 'pastors' not only cover up all this lawlessness but also urge that the Church of God be dealt with as quickly as possible. And all of this is justified in the name of Patriarch Bartholomew, as if he knows better than the Bible what is pleasing to God and what is not. But the Lord's judgment is inexorable: “Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets” (Micah 3:12).
What has Christ done to you?! What has the Church of God done to you?! Hasn’t the UOC supported Ukraine’s independence since 1991? Is there a single church document that calls for the loss of state sovereignty or territorial integrity? Didn’t the UOC maintain its eparchies in occupied Crimea and the LNR/DNR when all Ukrainian state bodies and officials had left? Wasn’t this a factor in the unity and indivisibility of Ukraine? So why have you come to hate the Church? “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer Me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam” (Micah 6:3-4). You say that Ukraine was in bondage for over 300 years and finally gained freedom in 1991. So why, instead of giving thanks to God, have you begun to persecute His Church? Why haven’t you done the little that God asks of you: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
Why, instead of living piously and righteously in your land, have you begun to commit lawlessness and reached the point of rising against God? Why have you allowed corruption, deceit and injustice to flourish? Why have you divided the people into first and second classes? Why have you sown discord and hatred among people for believing as they see fit? Why have you started doing exactly what the prophet Micah describes: “The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets. Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire – they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. Now is the time of your confusion” (Micah 7:2-4).
All this wickedness and lawlessness cannot go unpunished. Here are the terrifying words the prophet Micah conveys from the Lord: “Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. You will store up but save nothing, because what you save I will give to the sword. You will plant but not harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil, you will crush grapes but not drink the wine” (Micah 6:13-15). How accurately this describes our situation! It's as if it's written about us! We’ve heard it so many times from abroad and from our own economists: Ukraine had everything necessary for prosperity – fertile lands, a favourable climate, access to the sea, factories, universities, science, and most importantly, intelligent and hardworking people. So why has Ukraine become the poorest country in Europe, and now also devastated by war? Is it not because of our own sins? Because we trample not only God's commandments but also the human rights that we ourselves wrote and enshrined in the Constitution? And now our rulers are about to commit the ultimate crime – to destroy Christ's Church, “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:23). What will become of Ukraine after this?!
The words of the prophet Micah did not remain just words. Judea faced great calamity. In the Book of Chronicles, after describing the wickedness of King Ahaz, it says: “So the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. In one day, Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors. Zichri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah, the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. The men of Israel took captive from their fellow Israelites who were from Judah 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria” (2 Chronicles 28:5-8).
But there is always hope! Let us remember how the people of Nineveh repented after the preaching of Jonah, how they turned away from their sins and wickedness, and how God had mercy on them and did not bring upon them the disasters Jonah had foretold. It is still not too late to turn away the wrath of God. I very much want to believe that there is still time for repentance...
The prophet Micah also has words for all the servants of God who are determined to remain faithful to Christ and His Church. Do not despair, do not fear! We must endure all the trials with which God allows for us. The most important thing is not to turn away from God, not to abandon the Church! “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned against Him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until He pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see His righteousness. Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, ‘Where is the Lord your God?’” (Micah 7:7-10).
