Power in the Pulpit | Micah 7:1–20

Introduction: Thank you Leighton for leading us tonight and David for doing the slides. If you have a Bible with you tonight, please turn to Micah 7. If you go to the start of the New Testament, the book of Matthew and start going backwards, you will find it. It’s after Jonah before Nahum. Have you ever known you were about to be in trouble for something? How many of you have had the experience where you didn’t really study for a test and you failed it. And you have to get the paper signed by a parent. And you know that when your parent sees the grade you are toast. And you don’t even have a good reason for why you didn’t study? Or maybe you got in trouble for something, and you know your parent already knows, so you know when you get home, it is not going to be good for you? Well, that is kind of what Micah is describing in tonight’s text. As we talked about last week, Judah has turned from God, and he knows that there are consequences coming for that. But he also knows that God is still a merciful God. The main idea of tonight’s text is that though God is a God of justice, He is also a God of grace. We will see tonight the condition of Judah, the coming consequences and redemption, a prayer and a response, and the joy of coming salvation. For the final time this semester, please stand as we honor the reading of God’s Word.

Exposition: So we start this passage with Micah describing the moral condition of the nation. And we see quickly, Micah does not see it as being very good. Micah says in verse one Micah 7:1 “Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.” Micah describes what it looks like when after fruit has been harvested and everything has been taken. Not only has everything been taken, that which fell off the vine or was passed over that was typically left for the poorest of the poor was also gone. In this situation, no matter how bad one wanted to eat, there would be no way to. Micah is making it clear that the moral condition of the people is not good. He feels as if he is the only one of good moral standing around. How bad is it, he gives examples in the following verses. He says in verse 2 Micah 7:2 “The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.” He says the godly have all died, and no one that is left is upright. They are all after each other with evil intentions. Saying that each person is a murder towards others is a pretty strong rebuke. He goes on in verse 3, Micah 7:3 “Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.” Not only are the people doing evil, they do evil so much they are good at it.

Illustration: One game I really want to be good at, is golf. I enjoy golf and I want to be good at it. But I’m not. I’m terrible. In fact, I’m so bad that I have pretty much quit playing, though I am thinking about trying to start playing again. Part of the reason I am so bad, is that I never really get to practice. I don’t have time to go to the driving range and hit golf balls and practice my putting. I don’t have time to go play a round or two each week. So I just don’t get any better. And we see that with other things in life, to get better, we have to practice. The people of Judah were doing evil so often that they weren’t just doing evil, they were good at doing evil. They were getting practice at it.

Exposition: He goes on to talk about the injustice being done. Things are so bad and corrupt, that the officials that are suppose to uphold the justice system, such as a prince and a judge, they are asking for bribes. The corruption goes all the way to the very top. People are so evil that they aren’t just thinking their most evil thoughts, they have the nerve to say them out loud. You know the things that you think sometime, and you think to yourself, I’m really glad nobody heard me say that, that was really bad. These people are actually saying that out loud. All this is weaved together throughout society.

Verses 1-7

Verse 1

As if there is nothing for a poor person to glean from on a fruit tree.

Verses 2-4

Verse 2

No one godly is left. They all practice destroying each other

Verse 3

They do evil so much they are good at it

Even those who are suppose to uphold the legal system are doing evil

Those that are good utter their evil desires and do it.

Verse 4

Like briers and thorns the corrupt stop true progress.

The role of the watchman.

Verses 5-6

Even those one should be able to trust the most are not trustworthy

Verse 7

Even still Micah knows God will hear him.

Micah clearly feels alone. He feels like things are completely opposite of what they should be. But he also knows the consequences of that are coming, but so is God’s redemption.

Verses 8-13

Verses 8-9

Micah warns his enemies not to be too excited over his downfall. They are getting what they deserve, but God will one day redeem them.

Verse 10

All those that thought Judah’s God had forsaken her would see otherwise.

Verse 11-12

God would not only save Israel, but extend out her location. This is being done by the Church today

Verse 13

There will be judgement for those that remain apart from God’s people.

So, Micah, speaking on behalf of the people of Judah, speaks as somebody that knows their judgement is coming, but also redemption. So what should one say in this kind of situation, well, one should pray. And that’s what they do. And God answers them.

Verses 14-17

Verse 14

A prayer of the people. In repentance they ask God to be their shepherd and to let them dwell in the fertile land of the Jordan that had been lost.

Verses 15-17

God would once again show his power through His people

God would still use them.

Transition: So God’s response to the people is that through them, people will once again see His power and goodness. What does this say about God. The response gives us some idea.

Verses 18-20

Verse 18

God would forgive sin for the sake of his people

He delights in His steadfast love

Verse 19

God will do away with our sin

Plunge into sea

Crush His Head

Verse 20

Through the promise he made to Abraham he would do away with their sins.

Conclusion: So as we close tonight, have you accepted that you are a sinner. Have you accepted that there are things you do wrong. Maybe you have, and you have gotten so burdened down by what you have done wrong that you can’t see forward. But God has made a way for grace. That promised messiah has come. He has paid the price for your sin and cast them into the depths as Micah said He would. Are you ready to believe in that this evening?