Micah pt6

In Micah 5 we looked at all the idols that have entered into the land. How God was sending a shepherd to guide His people AWAY from idols and back to Him. How those idols will be swept away and the land will be renewed as God’s people return to Him wholeheartedly.

But if you remember earlier in the book, there were 2 kinds of sin that were occurring in the land- idolatry was one of them, but the other one was how people- especially people in power- were abusing others. In some cases, they were even calling on the priests to bless their actions. Preaching sermons that made them comfortable in their abuse of other people.

God has not forgotten about that. And He has a call to repentance for those people as well.

And in the middle of all of that calling and reasoning, is one of the most cited verses of scripture regarding how we approach God in worship.

Because we cannot separate how we treat others from our worship of the One of created them.

So turn with my to Micah 6, and let’s look at who God calls us to be as His followers.

Remember what the Lord has done- v1-5

God starts with a recounting of all He has done for the people of Israel.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

he himself provides the answer by reminding them of what he has done for them. Far from “burdening” them, he has expressed his providential care for them at many times, in different ways, and through different leaders and mediators. He refers to these expressions as his “righteous acts”

He delivered them from Egypt

He rescued them from slavery

He sent them good leaders who pointed the people to Him

He defended them in exile

Why does God name off all these things?

Because God knows how to treat His people.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

Essentially the Lord is saying, “I have not weighted you down; instead, I have brought you up out of slavery into settlement in the promised land.” The whole exodus event is often cited in the Old Testament as the supreme demonstration of the Great King’s grace, love, power, and care for his people. Therefore they should respond with grateful love, faith, faithfulness, and obedience to the stipulations of their Suzerain’s covenant with them

We need to remember that when God calls us to treat other people in a certain way, it is in keeping with His character and how He has treated us.

Consider the 2 commands cited by Jesus as the Greatest and Second Greatest Commandments:

Love God with every part of your being

Love your neighbor as yourself

Jesus says we do these 2 things and we keep all of the Law. We are righteous.

Why is this so hard?

Several reasons

the Fall means we are all encountering sinners rather than saints- and sinners are going to sin against us and people we love

the Fall also means we are sinners and our default is to respond to sin with sin- get even, make them suffer, crush my enemies

Loving people as ourselves is not natural. It is supernatural. And it is not something we can do out of our own efforts. It requires a transformation of our hearts and minds (Romans 12:2)

God gives His people these examples, so that when He indicts them, they will have a righteous example to compare their actions to.

So at the end of the chapter (and yes we are skipping ahead and coming back to the middle) God starts calling out how their way with other people has been sinful, in comparison to His righteous example.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (2) Further Charges and the Sentence (6:9–16)

The form is also a divine covenant lawsuit, containing the further charges (see 6:1–8) of dishonest business practices, lying, and acts of violence

Acknowledge what you have become- v9-16

they have cheated other people for the sake of their own gain- v11

they have practiced and celebrated violence- v12a

they have lied to one another- v 12b

Whereas God brought them life and freedom, they have practiced enslavement and brought death on the weakest among them (remember the widows and orphans cast out of their own homes?)

As a result, God is pronouncing judgment on them.

v14-15

They are going to be consumed by their own appetites and falsehoods.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (2) Further Charges and the Sentence (6:9–16)

In vv. 14–15 several “futility curses” will be fulfilled against them, frustrating their efforts. First, they will eat but not be satisfied (or full); their stomachs will still be empty. Because of war, locust plagues, blights, and/or famine, they will not have enough to eat; so they will still be hungry. Second, they will store up food (and perhaps other things) for the future, but they will save nothing because what little they do manage to save will be destroyed by enemies

I struggle with two things simultaneously.

I sometimes do not think my sin is as serious as God says it is.

I far too often think God is slow in judging the sins of others.

That’s because I am too easily convinced of my own righteousness. And rarely convinced of the sincerity of someone else’s repentance.

That’s a problem.

Sin is serious and repentance should be celebrated. Because someone breaking through to freedom is a BIG deal!

And it is a big deal because the consequences of sin are so brutal. What God is pronouncing on these folks is ugly. Because their sins are ugly.

God says rather than looking like Him, they look like Ahab- who perverted the worship of God for his own ends and led the people to idolatry. And they look like people who worship other people- statues of Omri represent one of the former kings of Samaria- not someone to be followed or emulated.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (2) Further Charges and the Sentence (6:9–16)

Kings Omri and Ahab did more evil than all the kings who preceded them (

They have chosen the wrong “gods.” And the real God is promising to hold them accountable for their sins.

And the question so many of us may be asking is “What then does God expect?”

Go back up to verses 6-8.

Return to who the Lord has called you to be- v6-8

In between reminding them who He is and reminding them who they have not been, God tells the people what He wants from them.

What is SO wild is that we will spend days, weeks, years, lifetimes agonizing over “what is the calling for my life” seeking some noble purpose or calling, but miss God’s ultimate expectation of us.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

A. R. Fausset: “Without love, holiness of heart, and righteousness of life, flowing from faith in Christ, all our church-goings, forms of prayer, and almsgivings profit us nothing.” J. P. Lewis adds: “Worship and morality cannot be divorced from each other. They are two sides of the same coin.”25 C. L. Feinberg provides this summary: “The piety that God approves consists of three elements: a strict adherence to that which is equitable in all dealings with our fellowmen; a heart determined to do them good; and diligent care to live in close and intimate fellowship with God.” And T. E. McComiskey maintains: “The standards of this verse are for those who are members of the covenantal community and delineate the areas of ethical response that God wants to see in those who share the covenantal obligations. These standards have not been abrogated for Christians, for the New Testament affirms their continuing validity. We are still called to the exercise of true religion, to kindness, and to humility (

All our callings and purposes can ultimately be tied to this verse in Micah 6:8.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

And Boadt observes, “The rabbis who commented on this verse in the early centuries of the Christian era called it a one-line summary of the whole Law.”

Do justice- be honest, forthright, stand for the oppressed, do not allow dishonesty and lies to win the day

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

Boice points out, “To act justly is most important, for it does not mean merely to talk about justice or to get other people to act justly. It means to do the just thing yourself.”

Love kindness- mercy, supporting the weak, uplifting the downtrodden, being present for those who no one else sees

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

Second, they must “love mercy.” The Hebrew for “mercy” is ḥesed, which essentially and primarily means “faithful covenant love.

Walk humbly with God- WITH God- not wandering off to other gods or religions- pursuing holiness and obedience

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

So “walk humbly” would be better rendered “walk carefully (with your God),” which ultimately means “be careful to live the way your God wants you to.”

God loves that way of life more than the most profound insincere, fake, showboating act of worship. God is not impressed with or accepting of our worship, when every other aspect of our lives is dedicated to worshiping ourselves.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

They think ritual alone is a solution when in reality it is part of the problem. No mere ceremony is ever sufficient. “False worshipers think God’s favor, like theirs, can be bought” or earned. They “offer the Lord everything but what he asks for: their loving and obedient hearts.” “Offerings … are no substitute for obedience to God’s will

And that temptation is so strong in our culture today. The “show” of worship in spaces and by people who do not fear or follow God but seek to manipulate Him for their own ends is a stench in the nostrils of God. Whitewashed tombs. Full of dead things.

God will not be mocked.

How do we practice verse 8?

We serve who God puts in front of us (carrying cash to serve the poor)

We seek to practice radical kindness (how can we speak life into someone else with a word or action)

We submit to God rather than trying to manipulate Him (question of the morning- What do I need to be today to best serve you? Please help me to do that)