God's Just Judgment

Today, there is no shortage of courtroom drama. Whether it’s civil or criminal court or the courtroom of public opinion, there are countless trials happening. In civil and criminal cases, attorneys for one side are bringing arguments in hopes of gaining indictments, judgments, and sentences against the other side. In the court of public opinion, culture warriors are using print, digital and visual media to influence the general population toward one view. In each case, there are plaintiffs and defendants and there are judges - whether it’s appointed, professional judges or the population at-large.

The question becomes - what’s the standard?

A few weeks ago, we began considering Micah’s third sermon - a sermon that he sets up like a courtroom. In this courtroom, he presents the mountains, or the watching world, as the gallery - people who are observing - it’s almost as though they are established as a sort of jury (though Micah would not have had that kind of language).

God brings his argument - acting as the plaintiff.

The people of Israel/Judah are the defendants.

The standard - is God’s law - his expectations for his people - he summarized the law in this way:

Micah 6:8 ESV

He has told you, O man, 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?

Now that the opening arguments are made and God’s expectations are reiterated, Micah comes to the Judge’s decision point and uses a rhetorical argument as the means by which he proclaims the coming judgment.

God’s indictment against His people’s injustice (9-12)

As we consider this indictment, I’d like us to do so by asking a few questions of the text. First of all…

Who is bringing the charge?

Micah 6:9 ESV

The voice of the Lord cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!

Even in this brief statement - there are some significant things to consider.

God himself is bringing the charge - While he is using someone like Micah as his mouthpiece, it is His standard that has been corrupted. It is His name that has been dishonored. Micah acknowledges that it is “sound wisdom to fear [or revere]” God’s name. It is wise to refer to the Maker’s intention for His design. God’s name corresponds with his authority to bring a decision and to bring judgment.

Micah concludes this verse with an interesting phrase - “hear the rod and of him who appointed it.” In essence, hear the discipline, the judgment AND of the person dolling out the judgment. The discipline is not random or haphazard. It’s ordained by God and the rod is His just response.

As the maker/creator of all things, as the perfect God - He alone has the authority to set expectations for His creation.

The indictment raises another question...

Who is being indicted?

Micah communicates in this verse that it is the “city”. - Yahweh “cries or calls to the city”

He’s not referring to the brick and mortar, but to the people of the city - the people of Jerusalem. The city was known as God’s city. It was the capital of the people of Israel in the combined Kingdom and was the capital of the southern Kingdom of Judah when the kingdom was divided. The temple was there. We learned earlier in Micah 1 that this city which should have been reserved for worshipping God alone also contained a “high place” where pagan cultic rituals were practiced.

As we saw a few weeks ago, the world is watching. They know the Israel and Judah are nations devoted to Yahweh - and yet their actions betray his name.

How often can we be included?

How often do we say that we are people of God and yet our actions betray our allegiance to Him?

So with the judge and the guilty identified, we next get to ask the important question...

What are the counts of the indictment?

Micah states:

Micah 6:10–12 ESV

Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed? Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

Here in the ESV, the translators have created rhetorical questions - can I forget any longer?.... shall I acquit?… It’s as though God’s patience has run out. He has put off his judgment long enough.

The Psalmist sings and even rejoices over the coming judgment of God.

Psalm 98:8–9 ESV

Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

We have to recognize the finite nature of our lives. The book of Hebrews reminds us that

Hebrews 9:27 ESV

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

There will be a time of judgment for all of us - just as their was for Israel and Judah. Are you ready?

But what did God have against them? He seems to have a three-fold indictment against His people.

Dishonest gain through dishonest measurements - They were using dishonest means of getting wealthy. In fact God says that they are using “scant measure” or in other translations a “shortened ephah” (NASB). Have you ever noticed that when you go to the store, you’re buying a bag or a can that is the same size as before, but you’re getting less? That is known as “Shrinkflation.” The same can that used to hold 12oz of one beverage, now holds 11.5oz. The laws of our land dictate that manufacturers have to properly label things - so we’re not being overly deceived. The challenge with the people of Israel/Judah is that they were changing the amount in the container and not communicating that clearly. They would put 11.5 ounces in something and tell you you’re getting 12. They were being dishonest. At least the companies in our country have to tell us we’re getting less. God’s people were called to honesty - and yet they were gaining dishonestly. Whether it was a measurement of volume, size, or weight - they were being dishonest about it and some were getting wealthy by it.

So they couldn’t be trusted in their every day dealings, in addition to that, the wealthy were practicing...

Violence - Those with means were using those means to bully the weak and vulnerable. Micah doesn’t communicate here exactly what they were doing - but it seemed they hadn’t learned the lesson from his earlier sermons. Violence still marked the methods of the powerful.

The third count in the indictment was general:

Deceit - Micah 6:12 “.....your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.” - Not only were they being dishonest in their business dealings, but they were being deceitful in their speech. Lying marked their language.

Where are we guilty in similar ways?

Gaining from the pain of others or showing favoritism - giving one person a better deal than another or making life more difficult (needlessly) for one child than we do for another?

Violence - When is it our knee-jerk response to react with violence or fighting rather than grace and patience? One of the big challenges I’ve had with the January 6 riots is that people proclaimed the name of Jesus (displaying signs and wearing clothing bearing His name) and then acted in ways that are completely antithetical to how He would expect us to live. (Or having a bumper sticker about Jesus or Christianity and then driving like the devil or engaging in road rage) I think we also see this on social media when we post things or react to things with inflammatory or even violent language. “Sticks and stones may break our bones” but language can be even more destructive.

Deceitfulness - does lying typify our speech?

with God - he knows all things anyway.

with ourselves - are we being truthful to ourselves about who we are - our own shortcomings, the truths about us that we don’t want to admit?

toward others - in our language - are we exaggerating or making something seem different than it really is?

God, in his perfect standard has laid down an indictment for his people. In the next couple of verses, Micah shows us...

God’s just sentence (13-16)

Just as a modern’s judges judgment would have a certain sentence, so too, God’s just judgment seems to have two results - destruction and futility.

Destruction (13)

Micah 6:13 ESV

Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins.

We have talked before that eventually foreign nations would come and invade the people of Israel and Judah. These nations will be destroyed because of their unrepentant sinfulness. In their case, God would use foreign armies.

I think we also have to recognize that unrepentant sin has a destructive role in our lives. As cancerous cells might overwhelm healthy ones, so too, sin destroys our lives from within.

What specific sins do we need to confess to the Lord? Especially the sins named in the indictment (deceit, violence, dishonest gain) - but what else? Maybe now would be a good time to write down what the Spirit may be laying on your heart in order use that as a reminder for later - in order to pray. Maybe now would be a good time to simply close your eyes and bow before the Lord and whisper a prayer of confession - so that the destructive nature of our sin does not destroy us or the lives of those we love around us.

So the first part of their sentence is destruction, the second part of their sentence is...

Futility (14-15)

It’s as though the activities of everyday life that should bring fruit, enjoyment, and flourishing will simply bring futility.

Micah 6:14–16 ESV

You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword. You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine. For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.”

God takes things that would be part of their everyday lives and tells them that they will...

Eat - but not satisfied - In middle school, I had to read the book “The Phantom Tollbooth.” This was a bizarre book that had many fantastic elements. One of the strange elements was “Subtraction Stew” - the more the Milo ate the more hungry he became. For the people of Israel and Judah (and us) God is not teaching them mathematical principles, but the uselessness of life outside of God’s good plan. The satisfaction that should come from a good meal will not be there.

Save - but not keep - It’s generally a good practice to set aside something for a rainy day. In that discipline, do you ever feel like your saving but it’s not growing? Maybe it’s invested and the stock market keeps going down or may it’s for emergencies and there are more “emergencies” than there is money to cover it. Micah tells them their saving will not keep.

Hunt - but no strength to prepare - Those of you who hunt, may know a bit of what this might be like. Imagine shooting a beautiful and large buck only to find that it has enough adrenaline to run a bit out of sight. You track it and finally find it at the bottom of a ravine with no way to bring it home. You’re alone and lack the strength to bring this prize home to process for some tasty meals. All you’re left with is a story and a “what if.”

Plant but no harvest - every act of planting is a bit of an act of faith. Imagine planting fields that produce no edible vegetation.

Oil but not blessing - oil was used as an anointing or blessing element. It was also used as a sort of rejuvenating salve to put on skin. They would put in the oil but receive no benefit, only the oily residue.

Grapes but no enjoyment - Images of vineyards and wine often represented prosperity in the OT. Here, they may have the vines and the grapes, but the prosperity will not follow.

Maybe the writer of Ecclesiastes was being a little prophetic when he penned these words:

Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 NLT

These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

When Godly people allow godlessness in their lives, the result is futility and destruction. While we do have the assurance of eternal life through Jesus Christ, we may still have to reap the consequences of our compromise.

How does this happen? How do God’s people get so far from God’s ways?

gradually - one compromise after another.

Micah concludes this section of his book with comments regarding two kings of Israel - the northern Kingdom. Omri and his son Ahab had been two of the most wicked Kings. They had introduced idolatrous practices in the kingdom. Rather than walking away from their ways - the bought in and joined.

I hope this can be an encouragement for us. Our nation may continually move away from godly values - but we don’t have to follow. As we’ve already seen - there is wisdom in following God’s ways - living lovingly, justly, and humbly.

Galatians 6:9 ESV

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Closing Thoughts

God called his people into his divine court, reminding them that the world is watching. He reminded them of his expectations for them - justice, loving kindness, humble communion, and then laid out his indictment and his just sentence. In all of this, I think God through Micah is encouraging us to take our sin seriously.

If you’re a follower of Christ - your salvation, my salvation - should make a difference in how we live. The attributes that mark the watching world should not mark the people of God. Where our conduct and our convictions are out of alignment, we need to repent and return to God’s ways. We might have eternal hope, but sin’s cancerous effects can reap devastating results in our lives this side of eternity.

But, there is hope.

Jesus took on our just judgment - received the destruction that we deserved and took the futility of our purposeless toil and brought meaning.

John 10:10 ESV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

If you’re not yet a follower of Christ, recognize that Jesus takes your sin seriously. So much so that He gave his life to redeem you from the eternal consequences of your sin. Will you repent and trust him for your eternity?

Maybe you have already trusted him, but you’ve not yet gone public with your faith - maybe now is the time to declare that you are his through baptism!

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all take our sin seriously - so should we. May our lives be marked by the flourishing that Jesus has purchased for us!

Let’s pray.

Memory verse:

Micah 6:9 “The voice of the Lord cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!”

Benediction:

2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Discussion Questions:

Why is it important to recognize that God is the one who is bringing the indictment?

What were the actions that marked God’s people?

Where do we struggle with those same actions/habits/attributes?

Where have you seen sin reap devastating results in your life or in other’s lives?

How does the gospel give us hope?

References:

Prior, David. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Joel, Micah & Habakkuk. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1998.

Um, Stephen. Micah for You. The Good Book Company, 2018.

Waltke, Bruce K. “Micah.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 822–833. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/micah/

https://bibleproject.com/explore/category/how-to-read-biblical-poetry/

ESV Study Bible