The Courtroom of the Almighty
Notes
Transcript
Page 776, between Jonah and Nahum.
When we think of the book of Micah we likely think of one of two passages.
Either:
Micah 6:8 “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with you God?”
OR
We remember Micah 5, the text that teaches us that from the little town of Bethlehem will come the Ruler… the Christ who will deliver his people.
And those are both nice texts… but we generally think of those completely removed from the context of Micah. It takes a lot of Micah preaching judgment, wrath and repentance before we get to the promise of deliverer. To truly understand the good news that is found in Micah 5 and 7 we must first get through the bad news of Micah first.
So while many people only turn to the prophets for Christmas… we’re going to be looking at Micah in the process of working up to Christmas… but first WRATH.
So while we think of Micah 6:8 as this wonderful text that teaches us what we ought to do…
Micah’s problem with his audience in chapter is that they are not doing these things. They are not doing justice, they are not loving kindness, and they are not walking humbly with God. As nice as that verse is - it’s another one of those verses, that I’m sure someone here has stitched on a pillow or printed on a towel or picture. And for this verse that is mostly fine… but in context, it is an indictment of what they are not doing, rather than a reminder of what they should be doing.
Micah is a book that heavily deals with the sinfulness of Israel, but also with the sinfulness of the nations.
So before we get to the promise of a ruler who will come from Bethlehem to deliver his people - we need to read from Micah why they need to be delivered.
And that’s where Micah begins in Micah 1.
This morning’s text has a lot in it. There are various historical and geographical references. The Bible is a historical book with historical references.
The Facts
The Facts
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
The opening of the book of Micah gives us a lot of information.
The source of the message, the identity of messenger, the date of the message, and recipient and subject of the message.
The source of the message is that it comes from the Lord. Micah is not writing and OP-Ed, or a blog, or an open letter. But rather, he is delivering a message from God. This is the primary role of the Biblical prophets. They are not identified by their telling of future events, but rather by being the mouthpiece of God. Much of Micah’s prophecy focuses on revealing the sinfulness of the people. Though there is telling of future events.
The messenger is Micah.
Micah’s name - means either “who is like the Lord?” and that question is an indictment to a people who have wandered off into idolatry, but also a celebratory exclamation at the end of the letter in 7:18-20.
So the book of Micah begins and ends with the question “Who is like the Lord?”
And in that question… we find our main idea for the book of Micah… “Who is like the Lord?”
However, the background for that question changes from chapter 1 to chapter 7.
In chapter 1, it is who is like the Lord to step off his throne to be a witness against the people - to gather the entire earth’s attention that he might bring judgment. In chapter 7, it’s like the song we began our service with, who is like the Lord our God strong to save, faithful in love?
The text also tells us that Micah is from Moresheth. This is in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. And many of the cities that he mentions in the latter part of this chapter are surrounding cities.
The date is given by means of the kings who are reigning at this time. This is extremely common for Biblical prophesy. As it also gives an indication concerning the wickedness of the people.
Micah is serving as a prophet during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. This is between 750 and 687 BC. This covers about 63 years from the beginning of Jotham’s reign to the end of Hezekiah’s reign.
Jotham and Hezekiah are good kings, but in between their reigns is Ahaz, and he is a terrible king. Though Jotham was a good king, the people continued in Spiritual Decline under his reign. (2 Chronicles 27:2).
Under Hezekiah reform finally came - but too little too late. This also teaches us that Micah’s prophetic ministry is around the same time as Isaiah’s and Hosea’s.
Micah is writing at the same time as Isaiah. So when Isaiah is writing “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Is 7) Around the same time Micah is writing “the ruler shall come from Bethlehem.” (Micah 5:2) And around the same time Hosea is writing “Out of Egypt I called my Son.” (Hosea 11:1)
These three prophetic books, very heavily point us to Christ Jesus and specifically the means of his birth - as Matthew 2 demonstrates when he uses those three texts. However, these prophetic books, while they point us to Christ, also point out the sinfulness of the people concerning who they are writing.
Drawing all of that together… we have an expectation from the dates, and the content of the other writers, to expect that Micah would give us themes of judgment and deliverance.
And finally from verse 1, we learn of the recipient and subject of the message:
Micah is writing concerning what he has seen in both Samaria and Jerusalem.
For a bit of background, following the reign of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel splits in two around 930BC. Rehoboam, Solomon’s wicked son, becomes king. He loses 10 tribes - they go and follow Jeroboam, who was one of Solomon’s high ranking officials. Jeroboam, who is also wicked, becomes the King of the Northern Kingdom, which is known as Israel. Leaving the tribes of Benjamin and Judah to the Southern Kingdom, which would be named Judah, with Rehoboam.
However, Micah here references the capitol cities of both of those nations. Samaria is the capitol city of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. Jerusalem is the capitol city of the Southern Kingdom Jerusalem.
The wickedness, or faithfulness of the kings in Old Testament Israel are often an indicator of the spiritual health of the people. Two specific indicators of whether kings were righteous or wicked were:
If they followed in the footsteps of their fathers.
What they did with the high places.
The high places were spots of pagan idolatry.
Meaning how the kings responded to false worship and idolatry in the nation - was an indicator of the health of the nation.
Wicked rulers are often God’s way of judging a wicked people.
The Judge
The Judge
In verses 2-4, the reader is given the description of the coming of the Lord. This description carries through verse 4.
2 Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 3 For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4 And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.
In verse 2, Micah begins his address. He calls the people to attention and opens by describing the Lord. He even invites the earth to watch. As we consider the illustration of the courtroom. The earth is at this point, invited to be the public audience gathering in the courtroom to watch how the case plays out.
The judge is coming out of his chambers… And he is summoning Israel and Judah to come defend themselves. And in chapter 6 this illustration is brought back in as they are called to rise. But in the book of Micah God is the witness, the plaintiff and the judge. And I guess that makes Micah kind of like the prophetic stenographer. Though where the stenographer writes what is being spoken in the court room - Micah is the man through which God is speaking.
So Micah summons them to attention and tells them that Lord, the Judge of the Earth, is coming.
God is coming to be a witness against you, the Lord from his Holy Temple. That should scare them.
When people are sworn in on the Bible, or when someone says “As God is my witness” it may become routine, or just something that many do - but it should scare them. If you have a high and healthy view of God - statements and actions of that sort should not be taken lightly. Moreover, this statement that God is in his position of judgment in his holy temple should terrify the audience. And that is the appropriate response to the King entering into his position of divine judgment.
God will tread upon the high places of the earth. This isn’t a picture of God skipping through the fields. This is a declaration of God coming to destroy this places of false worship. These high places will crumble underneath the Lord’s feet. And this statement there in verse 5 gives us an indication of the indictment that will be related to their false worship.
Mountains melt like wax under him… if you remember back to this summer we saw the same language in Psalm 97. When God comes in judgment the mountains melt like wax and fire is all around him. This picture is the same in both that Psalm and this text. God’s glory, God’s holiness and righteousness are the reasons for why God comes in wrath as a witness and a judge to bring charge against these people.
The picture that Micah is painting is that the Judge is coming and the creation will melt like a tealight candle hit with a flamethrower.
The book starts off with this terrifying picture of the majesty of God. However, this demonstrate of God as a wrathful judge, is also a reason for why he is worthy and deserving of worship.
Now we should be careful not to read this text and these accusations in Micah as if we are better off. The Lord brings indictment in this text upon Judah and Israel because they have broken covenant with him.
However, when we look at what they are being condemned of we will find that we fair no better. The main charge that is being brought against them at this point, is idolatry.
We may think that we might be in the clear because we do not have hand made idols in our homes. However, Calvin was correct when he said “The human heart is a factory of idols.” Whether we find a statute of a false god to worship, or whether we create one in our hearts - we are all guilty of idolatry at some point.
Any instance in which we worship something other than God. Any instance in which we give something the affections that only our Divine Creator deserves we find ourselves guilty of idolatry.
The Charge
The Charge
In verse 5, we see who the accusations are against, then we see what the Lord will do in verses 6-7. So verse 5 gives us the charge, and then verses 6-7 gives us the sentence.
5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
First he mentions Jacob, this is the language that he uses to represent the Northern Kingdom, with Samaria as it’s capital city. Then Judah for the Southern Kingdom - and Judah being the capital city.
The outcome of Samaria is what the Lord mentions in verse 6. Samaria will be leveled. A heap will be all that is left.
Their idols will be destroyed.
Utter desolation.
Micah sees the beginning of these events come to pass in his own lifetime when Assyria captured Samaria. This means that Micah has written this portion prior to 722BC. So Micah is pointing forward to this event, but we look back to see how God judged these people for their sinfulness.
That is a punishment for their idolatry. When God came and leveled the nation - he destroyed their idols. They faced a political takeover and were deported to Assyria.
In God’s judgment, if he is removing the things that are causing them to look to him, rather than the what they are worshipping instead of him. It is for their good. Consider that in all areas of suffering, or hardship. If it results in a removal of idols, or it causes you to look to God for deliverance, for dependance. If whatever hardship if your life causes you to in utter desperation look to God saying “I have nothing left, all I have is you. Save me.” Then you’re better off than when you had everything.
Micah’s Plea
Micah’s Plea
8 For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches. 9 For her wound is incurable, and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.
Micah takes no joy in pronouncing judgment here. He weeps for the people. You might wonder why he speaks of shedding his clothing, and howling like an animal… these are all attitudes of mourning.
The idolatry that had abounded in Samaria, did not stay in Samaria.
What happens in Samaria did not stay in Samaria. And that is the truth of sin… Sin spreads, like a wound -if un-treated it festers and it grows. However, this wound in this text, is not referring to sin, but rather about judgment from God. It is a wound inflicted by God against the people for their sin that has spread.
And this wound has spread from Samaria to the people of Judah. Judah will face judgment as Samaria does. Assyria who overtook Samaria, would attack Jerusalem in 701 BC.
Micah describes it as incurable.
Man cannot cure this wound.Man cannot endure this wound.
And unless the great physician comes to heal that wound, it will lead to your eternal punishment.
JESUS is the great physician. The God who wounds in wrath concerning the sins of man, is the same God to took on flesh so that he could bear that wrath for us. Jesus was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities… and by his wounds… by his bearing of the wrath of God for us we are healed.
Micah preaches of God’s wrath, not because he wants to see the people be laid to waste, but he also does not delight it in. He is mourning.
Because he understands the devastation of the wrath of God.
God is glorified in his judgment of sinners. There is nothing wrong with God’s wrath or God’s righteous judgment.
Application
Repent of your own sin
When we read texts like this, and we see reasons for why the wrath of God has come - we should look to see where there is sin in us.
Have we created idols?
Have we abandoned the Lord and turned to our own
Lament over sin and judgment
When we see a people suffering because of their sinful ways
Do no gloat.
But rather lament.
Take the disposition of a prophet and proclaim the wrath of God.
Warn others that the wages of their sin is death.
You earn death for your lustful glances, your white lies, secret sinful thoughts of someone else’s spouse, your subtle slander, corrosive yet careful gossip… an any way we fail to love our neighbor… that earns us God’s judgment. Same as teh various ways that we fail to love God and treat him as anything other than King.
You are not good enough - even on your best days God demands perfect obedience and holiness.
The Judge is coming. When Jesus returns he will return to judge the living and the dead.
When the judge comes and each person finds themselves in the courtroom of the almighty… what will be your defense? If it is that you tried you best. You will be found guilty. If it is that you didn’t know you will be found guilty.
The only defense to which you will stand in this court is Jesus.
I started off by mentioning that Micah 6:8, while an encouragement for how we ought to live life is an indictment against a sinful people… but I also mentioned Micah 5:2. And we will look at it more in a few weeks. But Micah promises the people that there will be a Ruler, who will come from Bethlehem and deliver his people.
The reason for why they need a ruler to come from Bethlehem, and why that Ruler - Jesus - must be perfect, must be God - is because we are not good enough. I already mentioned that Jesus is the great physician who will take away our sins, and he has taken the penalty for us.
Come to Jesus. Come to the Holy Judge, confess your sins, place your faith in him, be forgiven of those sins.
Conclusion:
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
There’s no other God like that.
