The Bible Series Micah
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We look around our world today… we cry out, injustice, injustice, longing for justice to be served… ENTER INTO A COURTROOM WITH ME:
You enter into the courtroom… As you enter you notice several things:
The place is packed wall to wall
You take your seat among the spectators
You notice the prosecutor…
Small town man from Judah lives in the country south of the big city of Jerusalem
Comes from an agriculture background
His name is Micah, he has a reputation for speaking up for the common guy, the poor and lowly
He is a straight shooter, he does not mince words, he is known for his passion
One day he might write a book! Knowing him it will be brief and to the point!
You notice someone you know well sitting in the chair on the defense side
You roll your eyes and sneer to yourself
They finally are getting what is coming to them
Injustice violation of right or of the rights of another; an unjust act: WRONG
Once close to them, you have grown distant and even at odds, one might even say enemies now
You settle into your chair expectant as you see the JUDGE enter
The JUDGE is righteous, just, and does NOT waiver on right and wrong
You notice His eyes… somehow they are fixed on YOU!!!
His gaze seems to pierce each one present
Looking in His eyes you realize He will demand JUSTICE, and looking at the one in the defendant’s chair you cry out for JUSTICE...
Justice: the quality of being just, impartial, or fair; the principle and dealing in right action
In the opening remarks however, your heart sinks…
The evidence is laid out for ALL to see…
Talk thru the Bible (Micah) intense social injustice in Judah. False prophets preached for riches, not for righteousness. Princes thrived on cruelty, violence, and corruption. Priests ministered more for greed than for God. Landlords stole from the poor and evicted widows. Judges lusted after bribes. Businessmen used deceitful scales and weights. Sin had infiltrated every segment of society.
You quickly realize that it is not just the one in the defendant’s chair that is on trial… BUT ALL who are present in the courtroom!!! Micah 1:2-5
Hear, O peoples, all of you; Listen, O earth and all it contains, And let the Lord God be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place. He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt under Him And the valleys will be split, Like wax before the fire, Like water poured down a steep place. All this is for the rebellion of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
The verdict is in… the evidence is clear… the darkness of people’s hearts is displayed Micah 2:1 states:
Woe to those who scheme iniquity, Who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, For it is in the power of their hands.
What do you do when faced with this evidence, this news, the facts… when you consider the consequences!? Romans 6:23 is clear… DEATH!!!!
It was 2020 and we came home from being out. It was in the midst of the “Great Global Toilet Paper Shortage”
Our sweet precious Labrador was sitting at the door, ears folded back, head hung low, tail between her legs with toilet paper still stuck to her lips… all over the floor lay what once was a precious package of toilet paper. GUILTY!!!
We named her Mercie because we knew she would need us to extend it… for some who got some of her puppies… this sin nature passed on from generation to generation! [Show picture of puppies]
The evidence was overwhelming
God calls on creation all the world to testify
Micah in a passion of justice and powerful might conveys God’s message to the people, AND DECLARES what God wants you and I to do!!!… Micah 3:8
On the other hand I am filled with power— With the Spirit of the Lord— And with justice and courage To make known to Jacob his rebellious act, Even to Israel his sin.
Micah Overview
Micah Overview
Micah’s message is briefly to Israel the northern kingdom (Samaria Capitol), but predominantly to Judah (Jerusalem Capital).
God is speaking to the places and peoples of influence, yet in His message through Micah we see that God holds each one accountable!!!
The people have committed Idolatry (rejecting the first 4 commandments of God)
By rejecting the first 4 they now indulge in corruption, violence and entertain sins (rejecting the other 6 commandments of God)
Micah lays out the evidence and shares his burdened heart for the injustice he sees among the people of their sin, their Idolatry…
Punishment
Punishment
He shares with them the impending JUDGMENT coming from Assyria
Interestingly his message also declares the coming JUDGMENT from Babylon… Micah 4:10
Babylon was still under the Assyrian rule… BUT GOD KNOWS!!!
God is clear in delivering His Punishment what His message is… Micah 3:8 “you have sinned”
But through this Judgement God will spare a remnant… ultimately Rescuing them/Restoring them
Promise
Promise
In comparison to its size few other books in the Bible deal with so much FORETELLING… The punishment piece is the FORTHTELLING mixed with FORETELLING… but the remaining two thirds of the book deal with what is to come!
It is Micah who reveals that the Promised Messiah will come through Bethlehem (700 years prior!!!) Micah 5:2
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
Micah declares that God will RESTORE those who have experienced injustice (AND EVEN THOSE WHO DEALT IT OUT!!!)… Micah 4:6-7
“In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will assemble the lame And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. “I will make the lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever.
Micah declares that the Lord Himself will Shepherd and Rule… Bringing with Him PEACE!!! Micah 5:4-5
And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.
The coming Messiah would rule and He would rule with JUSTICE as Everlasting King!!! This message brings about a PLEA FROM THE LORD…
Pardon
Pardon
God through His prophet pleads with the people to understand and see the desire of His heart… Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
This is what God desires… set aside the arrogance of your hearts and “walk” humbly!!!
To these people of INJUSTICE and steeped in IDOLATRY… God says I want you, I want a relationship, I want your obedience
That is seen no clearer than in Micah 7:18
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.
God is pleading with the people to repent… He wants to pardon!
A JUST GOD extending to sinful man… MERCY!
What an amazing heart our God has… and through His prophet Micah He shares His heart for all mankind to see!!!
The Response…
The Response…
I asked what do we do when faced with the evidence… the overwhelming facts of guilt?
Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes (Forgiveness)
John D. Rockefeller built the great Standard Oil empire. Not surprisingly, Rockefeller was a man who demanded high performance from his company executives. One day, one of those executives made a two million dollar mistake.
Word of the man’s enormous error quickly spread throughout the executive offices, and the other men began to make themselves scarce. Afraid of Rockefeller’s reaction, they didn’t even want to cross his path.
One man didn’t have any choice, however, since he had an appointment with the boss. So he straightened his shoulders and tightened his belt and walked into Rockefeller’s office.
As he approached the oil monarch’s desk, Rockefeller looked up from the piece of paper on which he was writing.
“I guess you’ve heard about the two million dollar mistake our friend made,” he said abruptly.
“Yes,” the executive said, expecting Rockefeller to explode.
“Well, I’ve been sitting here listing all of our friend’s good qualities on this sheet of paper, and I’ve discovered that in the past he has made us many more times the amount he lost for us today by his one mistake. His good points far outweigh this one human error. So I think we ought to forgive him, don’t you?”
We come to the scriptures, to a book like Micah and quickly realize… our good points are like filthy rags, Ephesians says our works don’t save us! These people were guilty!!! FORGIVENESS IS NOT BY MERIT BUT GOD’S MERCY!!!!
The people of Judah REPENTED!!!
They listened to the message and REPENTED!!!!
Micah is one of the few prophets whose message was heeded!
King Hezekiah, demanded reform, repentance and Judah saw Revival
While Israel rejected God’s extended hand of mercy and succumbed to Assyria
Judah saw God do a mighty deliverance from the Assyrian empire
Judah repented made a 180…
From Disaster to Deliverance
From Predators to Shepherds
From Darkness to Light
OUR RESPONSE...
OUR RESPONSE...
Initially like the people we may say in our heart, “I don’t like this message of being guilty”
God “delights in His unchanging love” for you and I… extending mercy while we stand in the mess of our sin, guilty!
What JOY His forgiveness brings…
We are going to close with a song, usually sung at Christmas “Joy to the World”.
As you sing it, recognize what we are joyful about…
He came
He will be King
He will reign
He will rule
Oh one day we will see the Lord as Micah declared rule this world bringing peace and justice!!!