In the early 1990s the World Bank interviewed people living in poverty.[1] They asked over 60,000 poor people from 60 countries a basic question: What is poverty? Some of us might answer that question by describing poverty as simply the lack of financial resources. The absence of certain possessions. But when the poor described poverty, they described it also as the presence of something. The presence of shame, powerlessness and fear.
- From West Africa: “When I don’t have any [food to bring my family], I borrow, mainly from neighbors and friends. I feel ashamed standing before my children when I have nothing to help feed the family.”
- From East Africa: “When one is poor, she has no say in public, she feels inferior.”
- From Central Africa: “[The poor have] a feeling of powerlessness and an inability to make themselves heard.”
- From Eastern Europe: “For a poor person everything is terrible—illness, humiliation, shame. We are cripples; we are afraid of everything.”
The poor describe poverty as being shamed, voiceless, and afraid.
There were similar feelings among the poor in ancient Israel. A prophet named Micah describes this graphic scene: 3 And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—2 you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones, 3 who eat the flesh of my people (Micah 3:1-3 ESV). Micah uses vivid symbolism to describe the way the powerful were treating the poor. Instead of administering justice (v. 1) the powerful brutalized the poor. The poor were no longer even people. They were objects to be used for the pleasure of the powerful. As a result, Micah says in 4:4, the poor were filled with fear. Not only did the poor in ancient Israel lack material things. They were shamed, voiceless and afraid.
But God had a dream of changing all of that. Listen to God’s dream for the deprived: 4 It shall come to pass in the latter days…3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; 4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid… (Micah 4:1, 3-4 ESV). Let’s walk backward through this dream.
“and no one shall make them afraid” (Micah 4:4b ESV) Right now there’s a group of people who are afraid. It’s the poor. But God’s dream is that one day they will no longer be afraid.
How will God end their fear? “…they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4a ESV). That phrase may be meaningless to us today. But it was meaningful in Micah’s day. It’s a phrase found in several places in the Bible.
- When the author of Kings summarizes prosperous reign of King Solomon, he uses this phrase: “And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (1 Ki. 4:25 ESV)
- When the king of Assyria threatens Jerusalem, he tells the people, “Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree.” (2 Ki. 18:31 ESV)
- A heavenly being shows Zechariah the prophet a vision of the future. And about that future God says, “In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Zech. 3:10 ESV)
The fig tree and the grape vine were among the most common sources of food and income in the ancient world. They were often planted together, with the grape vine growing on the branches of the fig tree. Thus, if you had a fig tree and a grape vine, you had the basic resources for living. And thus you would no longer have to fear.
During the 1928 presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee ran ads on behalf of Herbert Hoover. To portray the prosperity which a Republican president would bring, they promised that a vote for Hoover would result in “a chicken in every pot” and “a car in every backyard.”[2] A fig tree and a grape vine was the Old Testament’s way of saying the same thing.
God’s dream for the deprived, according to Micah, was to bring about a future where everyone has enough. Where no one has to be afraid of where the next meal is coming from, how they are going to pay the bills, or who might be coming after the very little they have.
This grabbing and stealing is alluded to by Micah in the next phrase: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Mic. 4:3b). The warfare Micah envisions probably has to do with people taking the possessions of others. This is why some are afraid. They are afraid because other people are fighting to take the very little they have. But God dreams of a future where these conflicts disappear. There’s no longer intense longing for what others have and a willingness to do whatever it takes to grab it. Instead, there is contentment. Everyone has what he/she needs. Everyone is content with what he/she has. Each person has a fig tree and a grape vine.
At a recent TED Conference it was reported that the number of people around the world living on $1.25/day has been declining.[3] That’s pretty good news. But the sad news is that there are still $1.4 billion around the world living on $1.25/day. God’s dreaming of the day when that number is zero. When...they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree.
There are about 10,000 homeless persons in Memphis/Shelby County. One-third of those are women and children. God’s dreaming of the day when that number is zero. When...they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree.
According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Memphis has more unemployed people than any city or town in TN. Nearly 30,000 people are unemployed in Memphis. God’s dreaming of the day when that number is zero. When...they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree.
This is one of the texts Jesus has in mind in Matt. 8—the central text for our current series. In that chapter Jesus shares God’s dream of a time when “many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Matt. 8:11 ESV) God dreams of a time when people of every tongue and tribe find resources at the table of God. This is the very same dream Micah writes about in Micah 4.
And we at Highland are committed to working towards that dream. We at Highland are dedicated to making that dream a reality. Our April 28 Outreach Contribution is one of the ways this this is happening. Not only does that contribution fund our ministries to the nations, as we’ve seen over the last two Sundays. But it fully funds our ministries to the need:
Macon Hall Elementary is filled with children from poor families. We work in that school to benefit those students.
LaRose Elementary is also filled with children from needy homes. We work in that school to benefit those students.
Lifeline is a crisis ministry aimed at helping people in the community with needs.
Member Services is a crisis ministry aimed at helping people in this congregation with needs.
Agape/FIT serves orphans, homeless women and children and many others in the community living in poverty.
Tennessee Children’s Home, Paragould Children’s Home, Sunnybrook Children’s Home, and Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch provide for children who have no resources.
And HopeWorks provides job training and life training for the unemployed.
These ministries, which are funded through our April 28 Outreach Contribution, help bring about God’s dream for the deprived.
We’ve asked Ron Wade to join us today to show us how this is happening through HopeWorks. Ron is the executive director of HopeWorks. Let’s watch this video and then listen to Ron.
VIDEO + Ron Wade and guest.
God dreams of the day when they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree. Thus, we’re asking you to contribute $151,000 next Sunday. That’s about 4.5X what we give on an average Sunday. Thus it will require sacrifice. But it’s a sacrifice worth making.
I want to urge not only to pray about next Sunday’s contribution. But spend time each day this week praying for our ministries to the needy. They are listed on the back of your Link. And let’s close by praying together for them…
[1] (Adapted from Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts (Moody Publishers, 2012), 49-51 )
[2] (http://www.hoover.archives.gov/info/faq.html#chicken )
