Micah 2:1-2, “More Than Just an Old Memory”

“More Than Just an Old Memory”

(Micah 2:1-2 ESV)

INTRO:

Good Evening, I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day Weekend… I missed you guys and I am happy to see you all here…

We are starting a new series in the book of Micah…

We will be spending 4 weeks in the book of Micah… and tonight marks our first week in the series…

Micah is in the Old Testament - located in the first half of your bible… after the book of Jonah and before the book of Nahum…

INTRO QUESTIONS:

We will be looking at Micah 2:1-2 ESV… but before we dive into the passage… we always ask ourselves two questions when we approach Gods Word:

1.) What is God Teaching us through this passage?

2.) How does God’s Teaching Apply to our lives today?

We examine Gods Word closely and ask ourselves these questions because of

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

PROFITABLE = “Promoting or enhancing well-being… Beneficial… and valuable”

We see this same word “profitable and valuable” used in 1 Timothy 4:8

1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

for while bodily [physical] training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

In other words, God’s Word - the Bible - is valuable, profitable, and beneficial for any and every situation that you will face and encounter in your life…

With this in mind… please follow along with me as I read Micah 2:1-2

Micah 2:1–2 (ESV)

Woe to those who devise wickedness

and work evil on their beds!

When the morning dawns, they perform it,

because it is in the power of their hand.

They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, and take them away;

they oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance.

CONTEXT

Before we unpack Micah 2:1-2… you should know that Micah was a prophet of the Lord… The name Micah means = “Who is like the Lord?” In fact the name Micah is a shortened form of the name Micaiah…

Micah is believed to be the author of the Book of Micah… many scholars believe that that Micah prophesied for approximately 25 years between 750 - 735 BC… All this to say… Micah prophesied and proclaimed the message of the Lord about 2,700 years ago from today…

Micah lived about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem… He was more than likely a someone who lived in the country… yet… the Lord selected Micah to deliver his message to those in power… a message of judgment to the princes and people of Jerusalem…

The Book of Micah could be split into three sections:

The sins of the People

Punishment of God to come

The Promise of Hope for the Faithful After Judgment

Now that we are familiar with the Book of Micah and its context… lets unpack the meaning and application of Micah 2:1-2…

Leading me to point #1.)

1.) Those who plan WICKEDNESS have been WARNED

Look at Micah 2:1

Micah 2:1 (ESV)

Woe to those who devise wickedness

and work evil on their beds!

When the morning dawns, they perform it,

because it is in the power of their hand.

STORY #1:

My mom and dad both worked growing up, so during the summer, my brother and I would be trapped at home when we were younger. For those of you who do not know, I have an older brother who is about 4 years older than me. But when you have siblings and you are trapped inside the house all day long… you begin to run out of things to do. TV and video games can only get you through so much of the day before they become boring… so my brother and I had a brilliant idea that we would fight each other… and it was more like play fighting… not actually throwing punches… but acting like we were in slow motions and fighting… As my brother and I are play fighting… my brother pretends to do the famous flying crane kick (off of the Karate Kid Movie)… and as he brings his leg up, his knee strikes me on the chin… and a tooth flys out of my mouth on the floor… with a look of panic in fear in both my eyes and my brothers eyes… we began to devise a plan as to how we were going to get away with this… for my parents had told us that we were not aloud to fight or even play/pretend fight… why because my brother was 4 years older than me, weighted 85 pounds more than I did, and had at least 6 inches on me at the time… and they knew that if we did… I was probably going to get hurt… when I look back on my life… its crazy how often my parents were right… anyway… my brother and I devise this bullet proof plan…

PLAN:

We were going to tell my parents that I was running through the house, tripped over my own feet, and smacked face first on the floor… yes…

I can even remember telling my parents this elaborate lie… they looked at me and said… so you did not use your hands to catch or brace yourself? Why were you running through the house? You landed directly on your chin?

To this day… I am not sure how I got away with this lie… but I did… but the worst part was I not only did I lied to my parents… I also lied to the dentist… each night as I laid my head on my pillow… I can recall plotting the next layer of the lie to ensure that I would not get caught or in trouble… I meditated… thought deeply about… and was fixated on this lie… You see I was weaving together wickedness and plotting how I would lie to the next person…

The Word “DEVISE” in Micah 2:1 in its original language means = “To Plan Secretly, Usually Something Wicked”…

We see this same Word “Devise” used in Zechariah 8:17

Zechariah 8:17 (ESV)

do not devise (or plan) evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

A life that is not in pursuit of Christ… is a life that is plots and plans wickedness…

QUESTION: Has there ever been a time in your life… when you have planned something secretly with in your own heart that you knew was wrong, bad, or wicked?

Have you ever plotted, planned, mediated, or woven together something that was evil or wicked in your mind or heart?

Are you pursuing Christ… or plotting and planning things that are evil and wicked…

You may be thinking… Tanner… I am truly not that bad… or at least I do not view my self as “Wicked”… sure, I know I am not perfect, that I have made mistakes, that I am a sinner, but I would not go as far as to say that I am wicked…

But the Word “Wickedness” in Micah 2:1 actually means = “Morally offensive, unpleasant, distasteful, and disagreeable behavior” …

In other words… wickedness describes someone who partakes in behavior and actions that are offensive, unpleasant, distasteful, and disagreeable with God…

I do not know about you… but I know that I am guilty of looking reserving the term “wicked” for people who commit the “wicked sins”…

I often think that wicked people commit terrible actions…

I reserve the term wickedness for those who are locked up and in prison… because those individuals are truly wicked… they are the ones who really are evil…

I think of Adolf Hitler… a man responsible for executing thousands of Jewish lives…

That man is truly wicked… But wickedness is not based off of how we perceive actions or sin… The weight of wickedness is measured by and determined by our savior… And each and everyone of us have wickedness written and woven in our hearts…

Matthew 15:10–11 (ESV)

And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

Skip down to verse 18… it says…

Matthew 15:18–20 (ESV)

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

All this to say… Wickedness is already in your heart… fabricated in your DNA…

The question is… do you recognize and see your sin as wicked? Do you take your sin and the condition of your heart seriously?

Here is a good test to see if you take your sin seriously… and whether or not you view your sin as wicked… Does your life reflect a life that is truly grateful and thankful for Jesus Christ and the Sacrifice he made on the Cross for your sin? Or are you left unmoved… unchanged…

Point #1.) was “Those who plan WICKEDNESS have been WARNED”…

Friends… we all have planned evil and wicked behavior… this passage serves a warning for those who continue down that path… for the Lord is a good and righteous judge…

POINT #2.) Those who C0OVET are setting themselves up for a CATASTROPHE

Micah 2:2 (ESV)

They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, and take them away;

they oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance.

It is important that you guys know that this verse is talking about people who were being oppressed and being treated harshly by their authorities… You see those who were in charge and overseeing the land were taking advantage of others… they were seizing property, houses, and the inheritances of others for their own personal gain…

In other words… people in power were punishing and taking advantage of others who were not in positions of power… the poor…

I am pretty sure that none of us have experienced a governing authority knocking on your day and saying… hey… your house, land, car, and all that belongs to you is now mine… best of luck… I do not believe that any of us have experienced that kind of oppression… if you have… my goodness so sorry…

So it may be easy to think… how does this verse then apply to me today?

I want you to notice the beginning of verse 2… it says, “They COVET”…

COVET = “To feel or have desire for; to want strongly”

It was out of their strong desire for what someone else had that lead them to oppressing others…

Look… you may be saying to yourself now… Tanner… I would never oppressor, harm, or take advantage of someone else… I am here to tell you… that God’s Word clearly shows that if you COVET after something long enough… you will do anything you can to obtain it… even if it is at the expense of another…

STORY #2:

I have COVETED after many of things in my life… I have chased after and strongly desired many things in my life… especially above or in place of Christ…

I can look back on my life and see seasons where I was chasing hard after sports, a relationship, being obedient, money, and even my physical appearance through working out… I can even COVET and desire strongly an image that I follow Christ… and make you believe it… yet… My heart could be far from Christ and COVETING other things…

I bring this up because a heart that COVETS is a heart that does not have room for CHRIST…

When you COVET after something or someone… that becomes the center of heart… and it grows and pushes everything else out of the way…

EXAMPLE:

I often COVET pleasing others and receiving their approval… I wanna be liked and viewed in the best light possible at all times… No matter what it may cost… no matter what CATASTROPHE may await…

In fact, my wife and I have been married for 5 years now… but three years into our marriage… I began to take on a lot… I was serving here at GRACE IND. YOUTH with the HS Students, I had a Bible Study that I was running, I ran 2 Workouts in the evening at my house, I assisted with coaching a soccer team, and I even was serving on Sunday mornings in the Kids Ministry…

I wish I could say that all of those things were honestly for bringing honor and glory to Christ… But 3 years into my marriage my wife looks at me and says, hey I think we need to go to counseling… I look at her and say, hey, I mean I will go, but I am not sure what you want me to say. Neither one of us were in a terrible “sin”, we were not yelling at each other, but my wife knew that something was off. I remember thinking… I am a wonderful and great husband… what could I possible gain from this…

Turns out I had been COVETING and desiring strongly the approval and validation of others… over chasing after and seeking after the approval of my savior… leaving me in with a CATASTROPHE of a mess that I made…

I know you guys are not married just yet… just blink… and it will happen…

but… some of you guys are COVETING after something that is causing you to be blind to Christ… and if you continue on that path… it will only lead to CATASTROPHE…

Because when you COVET after something… its like you build a heart that is build on cards… when you do not get that thing you covet… the cards collapse…

But when you build your heart on CHRIST… your foundation is concrete… unable to swayed by your emotions, feelings, or the next shiny thing that wants to captivate your heart…

COVETING other things besides CHRIST can be CAPTIVATING… but it will only end in CATASTROPHE…

QUESTION: What is it you COVET? What is it you DESIRE STRONGLY? Have you chased after and COVETED something to the point that it hurt someone else? Has it left you in a state of CATASTROPHE?

Psalm 91:14–16 (ESV)

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

I hope your Heart Covets the LORD…

I hope your Heart holds fast to loving the LORD…

So… is the Book of Micah More Than Just an Old Memory?

What did God Teach us through the Passage:

1.) Those who plan WICKEDNESS have been WARNED

POINT #2.) Those who COVET are setting themselves up for a CATASTROPHE