Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week when Morgan Proudfoot was with us, he said something that prompted and helpful discussion among the elders - not because it was controversial or unbiblical, but I think it promoted discussion because it was a true but often overlooked fact in our relationship with God.

Morgan David that God’s mercy has a limit.

There is a time when Gods mercy will end and His judgment will step in.

We often like to think of God as being a God of love - and He is - but He is also a God of holiness and justice.

At some point in time, God will judge.

Today, we’re beginning a new series studying the book of Micah.

If you have your Bibles, let me encourage you to open to this little book.

Introducing Micah

In the original canon, the major prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel each had their own scroll, but the scribes used to keep all of the minor prophets (like Micah) on one scroll.

Micah, himself, is from a town about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem (Longman, 450).

He served in the second half of the 8th century BC during the reigns of three different southern kings - Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Mic.

1:1) - just prior to the fall of the northern kingdom.

While Micah lived in the south and seemed to focus much of his message toward Jerusalem, the northern Kingdom was not immune from his messages.

In many ways he predicts the fall of the northern Kingdom (Mic.

1:2-7) and the latter fall of the southern kingdom at the hand of the Babylonians (Mic.

5:10).

Overall, the book of Micah can generally be divided into three different sections or sermons - each beginning with the word “hear” (1:2; 3:1; 6:1).

The ESV Study Bible outlines the book in this way.

Judgment on Israel/Samaria and Judah/Jerusalem (1:2-2:13)

The Present Injustice and the Future Prospect of Just Rule in Jerusalem (3:1-5:15)

The Lord’s Indictment and Restoration of His People (6:1-7:20)

(ESVSB, 1694-1695)

There is one other thing that I’d like to point out in the book before we dive in.

It is a difficult book.

God, speaking through Micah, says some harsh things, but it is not without glimpses of hope.

There is a lot of correction, but there is also hope for restoration and even hope for a future righteous king.

As we study this book, you may notice times when it seems like the gloom and judgment is all there is - and yet there are contrasts with hope, restoration, and God’s faithfulness to His covenant and His people - in spite of their/our rebellion.

God may bring judgment to us for our rebellion, but He will also remain faithful to His promises.

Today, as we consider the book of Micah, we’re going to consider it in light of justice - the standard, our corruption, God’s expectation and His demonstration of justice.

Over the next several weeks we will look more closely at the details of Micah using smaller sections than what Micah might have preached.

First of all, Micah helps us to see that…

The standard of justice is God.

Micah’s name means “Who is like Yahweh?” (Longman, 450).

Implicit in even the name of the book and its prophet is the incomparable nature of God.

The name asks a rhetorical question that has only one response -

Who is like Yahweh? - no one.

But not only is God seen as the ultimate standard based on the name of the book and its prophet, but this very same question is asked at the end of the book.

Consider how the book closes...

God demonstrates perfect justice by His character - He is forgiving and compassionate.

He is faithful to His promises and demonstrates steadfast love to His people.

There is none like God.

He is the ultimate standard.

The book of Micah not only seems to show that God is the standard of justice, but it lays out an indictment against Samaria and Judah because of their corruption of justice - which in many ways could be seen as...

Our corruption of justice

In the three sections or sermons of the book, Micah warns the people of coming judgment.

He calls them to pay attention and to hear how God will bring justice to their injustice.

Micah’s charges against God’s people addresses several forms of injustice:

As with many of the prophets, we don’t get to know exactly what was going on, but we can see clearly the nature of some of their actions.

They were scheming wicked actions and then acting wickedly - unjustly.

They were taking advantage of the disadvantaged and seizing opportunities to oppress the weak and vulnerable.

It wasn’t just the people who were acting unjustly, but it was the leaders too...

these leaders were feasting on the people by taking advantage of them.

He continues...

The very people who should have been upholding justice were the ones who were corrupting it.

Their lives had become so distorted and corrupted that they could no longer see right from wrong.

Because this sinfulness was so deeply engrained in the fabric of their society - it seemed like there was systemic corruption and wickedness.

I’m thankful that we generally live in a society where there is justice and the leaders generally adhere to the same standards that we do.

But imagine, where would we go if our leaders, our nation was filled with corruption?

Vodie Baucham book Faultlines - move to Africa - corrupt policing, bribery, no recourse for people who are taken advantage of.

That seems to be a bit like the picture Micah is painting of the leaders.

But what about in our lives personally, individually?

Are we guilty of the same kind of injustices?

We can be quick to cry “injustice” when something happens to us, but then slow to repent when we do that same thing to others.

For example (and this is a very minor example) - how often do I get impatient when I have to wait an unusual amount of time in line and then expect my family to just be okay with it when I run late without notifying them?

I expect them to give me grace, but demand precision from others.

We could think through circumstances like that with athletic teams, grades in school, the work place, and home.

We want grace and mercy for us, but often demand justice from others.

Because God is the perfect standard for justice, no matter what we do, we will fall short; we will corrupt His standard.

But what’s more than just acting unjustly, the leaders and the people...

Refused to hear the truth.

It’s as though they plugged their ears.

They weren’t even trying to be just.

They used their power for their gain and control rather than for the flourishing of the nation.

They refused to hear that God might bring judgment.

They refused to hear of the pending destruction.

They chose to hear only what would make them feel good.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy about this same kind of behavior - stating that there will come a time when people will only want to hear select things...

Often times the thing that we don’t want to hear is the very thing that we need to hear.

God’s prophets in the Old Testament were called to declare a pending judgment.

They also called people back to a right and biblical way of living.

That is the essence of sound teaching.

That’s the essence of what it means for us to submit ourselves to God’s word and align ourselves with His will.

We need to be prepared to hear the hard truths from God.

While our society might want to label biblical values as old fashioned and out of date, we must remember that if God is the author of life, and if He has given us His word as a guide, then we are expected to yield to Him, to His ways, to His standards and not force His word to adjust to the changing values of the our ever-changing world.

While sometime’s the prophet’s words are hard to hear, they are necessary.

In fact, the Word of God doesn’t only tell people what they are doing wrong, it also communicates what we should be doing.

Here in the book of Micah, it reveals...

God’s expectation of justice from us

God expects the opposite of what He’s getting.

Both today and back in Micah’s day, people seem to be asking similar questions about living and about some form of justification.

In Micah 6:6-7 the people essentially ask, “Is it the size of our offering or even the sacrifice of our children that would make God happy?”

Micah answers these questions with this familiar and simple response:

There are times when we want to assume that God will only use us if we do seemingly big things for him - start a ministry, go overseas to be a missionary, become a pastor, or serve as a deacon or elder, or become known for some big act of generosity.

I think all of those things are fine, but the things that God expects from us are not the big things only - but the little things, the consistent things.

To do justice - to take action and be decisive in a fair and equitable way - whether or not you get favor from it.

To love kindness or mercy - Sometimes we can think that it is a burden to be kind, to be merciful.

Kindness and mercy is not a religious obligation, but a relational privilege.

It’s not a guilt trip, but a generosity of the heart.

It’s helping the helpless, giving a hand up to the weary.

It’s spending time with the lonely.

These two actions (justice and loving mercy) are possible because of the third expectation that God has for us...