1: Act Justly. Love Mercy. (MICAH 6:1-8)

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Today we start a mini-series in the Old Testament writing called MICAH. Micah was an Old Testament prophet - a man who spoke for God, telling the Hebrew people some things they really didn’t want to hear, but things they NEEDED to hear.

Let me set this up having a fun little stroll down memory lane.

As most of you know, I am the husband of my beautiful bride of 28 years - Tonya.

I am the Dad of a couple of precious boys - Caleb & Joshua.

They are a little older and a little bigger now, ages 16 and 20.

We have played playing hundreds of hours of football in our living room & outside.

There is no telling how many hours of basketball we have played together.

I have coached both my boys in football and the youngest in basketball. Beyond that, my boys hear daily how much I love them and am proud of them. They both still cuddle up beside me and hug me. I told my oldest - who is now taller than me - that it’s gonna be weird when he’s 30 and has kids to come sit in my lap…but we will make it work!

As my oldest grew, a weird thing started to happen. He WANTED me to coach him, but when I tried to coach & correct him, he treated me pretty poorly. He would roll his eyes, turn away from me, huff out loud, and walk away. On the other hand, when another guy would coach him, a guy who hasn’t paid for ONE MEAL in his life; a guy who doesn’t cuddle him at the house; a guy who doesn’t think about him and pray for him consistently…my boy would respond to with this other guy’s comments & corrections with “yes sir” .

SO….the last time my boy asked me to coach the next season, I said, “NOPE. I’m just going to be your Dad.”

Truth is, that HURT me, because NOBODY wants better for my boy than I do. NOBODY has been there from his conception, birth, cooing, crawling, learning to walk, carrying while he sleeps…teaching how to drive, and giving dating advice. NOBODY has been there like his Momma & me.

Good parents provide for their children. Good parents encourage their children. Good parents correct their children. And yet - this might surprise you - children are not always appreciative, taking their parents for granted, and sometimes treating their parents with less respect than a new acquaintance. My guess is…that’s how some of your parents feel right now.

And THAT’S how God felt when when of his prophets named Micah, spoke to God’s children, the Hebrew people.

They had been told to LOVE GOD with every fiber of their being - 1st place in their lives. When they loved God, the supernatural spillover was to…

LOVE PEOPLE, to care for their neighbors like they cared for themselves.

But instead of loving God, they had pushed away from the One who had brought them up and cared for them.

Far from loving Yahweh God with all their heart, mind, & soul - they followed false gods (Micah 1:7; 5:12).

And of course, NOT loving God like we should spills over into

NOT loving people He created as we should. Micah writes that:

They laid in bed thinking about sin they could commit when they woke up (Micah 2:1).

Leaders stole from their own people (Micah 2:2) & businesses cheated people (Micah 6:11).

Even the judges accepted bribes and cheated people out of true justice (Micah 7:3).

The land was full of liars (Micah 6:12) and murderers (Micah 7:2).

And you know what? The same is true today.

When we don’t LOVE GOD like we should, we won’t LOVE PEOPLE like we should.

And if we disobey the God who created people, we will devalue the people God has created.

So…today, I wonder if we would start by humbling ourselves and ASK the GOD of the universe to SPEAK to us - to confront & correct us - to comfort & encourage us.

PRAY

Our theme verse comes from an OT prophet named Micah that declares that God wants His people to...

Micah 6:8 (NIV) …act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Over the next 2 weeks we will talk about what that looks like. But first, let’s discover what...

Micah means “Who is like Yahweh?”* (YaHWeH is the Hebrew term for the small caps Lord in your Bible) So Micah’s name means…who is as incredibly awesome as Yahweh our God!!

* Ralph L. Smith, Micah–Malachi, vol. 32, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1984), 13–14.

And yet, most of people who lived near Micah’s address didn’t act like Yahweh was that awesome. So, the God of universe fires a warning shot across their bow as He calls on Micah to testify against God’s people in this courtroom drama.

Micah 6:1–2 (NIV)

Listen to what the Lord [YaHWeH] says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people; He is lodging a charge against Israel.

Micah 6:3–5 (NIV)

“My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

God brought the people out of slavery from the most powerful Egyptian empire the world knew at the time.

God gave them leaders who cared about them & helped provide for their needs.

Just before crossing into the Promised Land, Balak king of Moab paid the prophet Balaam to CURSE the people, but God told Balaam NOT to CURSE them, but to BLESS them instead (Numbers 22-24)!!!

And God moved them from that last encampment called “Shittim” across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land at Gilgal = “to roll”.

Joshua 5:9 (CSB)

The Lord then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal today.

God ultimately brought them to the Promised Land & provided for them the whole way - that’s 40 years of water, meals, clothing, & HIS PRESENCE!!!

You see what God is saying to them? WHO HAS TREATED YOU AS KINDLY AS I HAVE?

Or put another way, “Who is like YaHWeH?”

Before we go much further, I want YOU to consider all that God has done for YOU.

God created you.

Turn to someone and tell him/her, “Remember, there was a time when you WEREN’T!”

Think about that for a second…there was a time that...YOU DID NOT EXIST!!! The world was still spinning and people were still living…without you. God didn’t need you. You weren’t in charge and still aren’t.

But Yahweh decided that HE would FORM inside your mother’s womb. He knit you together & designed you from 2 small cells!

God provides for you. He put people in your life to care for and provide for you. He has healed your wounds and provided your meals. Take a moment and consider HOW MANY SICKNESSES you have been healed up from & HOW MANY MEALS you have eaten THIS YEAR!!!

God paid for you! Line up all your friends and pull out the one who died for you. We often bring up what the Lord Jesus went through, as well we should - beaten, spit on, made fun of, scourged, crucified. And yet, the worst part of it all seems to be the fact that Jesus took on OUR SIN - think about the deepest, darkest, dirtiest thing you’ve ever done, said, or thought…THAT…Jesus paid for THAT!!!

Yahweh God CREATED US, PROVIDES for us, and PAID for us… “Who is like YaHWeH?!!!?”

“Okay, okay” the people are thinking, “so Yahweh HAS cared & provided for us. We’ve messed this up…so how can we make it right? What does Yahweh want us to do?”

Micah 6:6–7 (NIV)

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

What can the people do to pay God back? This is the question they are asking.

Maybe God will forgive us if we bow down. Or we could offer calves a year old, our most valuable animals to sacrifice. Maybe we could just pay God off with a lavish amount of sacrifices - thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil.

OR maybe we should give him our firstborn child as a sacrifice? Some wondered, “Can my child's death pay for my sin?” This is what pagan nations did - grilling their kids in sacrifice to their gods. But, is this what God wants? Of course not!!!

Here’s what God wants.

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Here’s the answer to the question they were answering.

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

I hope to cover the first 2 commands today and the last one next week.

ACT JUSTLY

We are to treat people fairly and with value. Let me show you what this looks like in real life.

Turn to a couple of people around you and say these words, “YOU ARE VALUABLE! And it’s NOT just because you’re good looking. You are made in the image of God!!!!”

Now, I know it’s hard to believe, but some people have actually treated other people poorly because they aren’t as good looking, athletic, intelligent, rich, or as funny as others.

Proverbs 14:31 (NIV) Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Matthew 7:12 (NET) In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.

We want to be treated with VALUE, even if we aren’t don’t have the physical, financial, or intellectual abilities that we have. Therefore, we should treat others with VALUE, regardless of their abilities.

We don’t want to be CHEATED, so…we should never CHEAT others.

Here’s the reality…

BIG TRUTH: HOW we BEHAVE shows WHO we BELIEVE.

When we treat others like garbage it communicates 1 of 2 things:

Either the God we serve doesn’t care about them

We are hypocrites - not living what we say.

God wants our behavior to match what we say we believe - to ACT JUSTLY.

When our behavior doesn’t match what we say we believe, we are HYPOCRITES.

Look what Jesus has to say about HYPOCRITES.

Matthew 23:23 (NIV)

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

They might have been proud of their giving statement at the end of the year, but when it came to justice & mercy to others and their faithfulness to God, they were bankrupt!

They should have given to God WHILE being people of justice, mercy, and humble faithfulness to God every day.

Matthew 23:24-26 (NIV)

You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

While others were fooled by these guys’ spiritual smoke screen, Jesus could see right through it. Their lack of justice & mercy to others and their faithfulness to God revealed their messed-up motives.

They thought they fooled everybody, but Jesus knew their inside intentions.

Think about that for a moment - how many times have we cleaned the OUTSIDE actions that others see, without cleaning the INSIDE intentions?

Jesus wanted them to Act Justly, Love Mercy, nor Walk Humbly with God…but they didn’t.

When we are people who long for God’s JUSTICE, it will be demonstrated when we will treat people fairly. We won’t cheat, lie, steal, or slander.

Further, when we love God’s MERCY, we will extend mercy…like it’s been extended to us.

LOVE MERCY

This Hebrew word here translated mercy is hesed, and it’s sort of like a diamond, with many glittering edges and angles - a cluster of concepts that brilliantly reflect characteristics of God—

mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, loyalty, & faithfulness.

To LIVE OUT hesed means we make the first move to show others mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, loyalty, & faithfulness….LIKE GOD HAS DONE FOR US!!!!

Do you have a story of a time that you NEEDED God’s hesed?

- God’s mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, loyalty, & faithfulness - to be shown through his people? I have experienced this many times, but none so unforgettable as the hesed Tonya showed to me before we were married.

When Tonya and I started dating we had many deep conversations. We shared our future hopes and communicated our desire to follow Jesus and obey Him in every area, including sexual purity. We both communicated that we were still virgins, waiting on intimacy that God intends only marriage.

But I wasn’t totally truthful with her. One night, I knew I needed to be...

Tonya picked up my red eyed, tear dripping, snotty nosed face and said these words, “I love you. I forgive you. And I want to marry you.”

I didn’t deserve her love, mercy, grace, kindness, faithfulness…but she gave it to me anyway!!!!

I LOVE mercy!!!! God has shown me mercy at the cross and through many people…including my wife.

And when WE show mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, loyalty, & faithfulness it shows others WHO our God really is BECAUSE...

HOW we BEHAVE shows WHO we BELIEVE.

We can all TALK a good game, but is that what others SEE from our lives?

Are we people who, when confronted with the reality that we haven’t been acting justly, LISTEN to God’s correction to change our behavior to start treating others with VALUE and FAIRNESS?

Are we people who, when confronted with the reality that we haven’t been loving mercy, LISTEN to God’s correction by seeking His MERCY and then extending that same MERCY to OTHERS?

Just before the ministry of Jesus, John the Baptist was preparing the people for His arrival. John didn’t sugar-coat his message, and while many appreciated and responded to his message, others didn’t want to hear it.

Luke 3:8–9 (NET)

Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John warned those who said, “We’re good with God because our parents, grandparents, or distant relatives are”.

God has NO GRANDCHILDREN. You’re either his child…OR you’re NOT. And GOD’S CHILDREN - those who actually belong to Him - will produce fruit that proves genuine repentance. Those who do NOT produce good fruit - those who are NOT His - will be cut down and thrown into the fire. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to realize…that ain’t good!

What does “fruit” that proves repentance LOOK LIKE?

John answered that question like this:

Luke 3:10–14 (NET)

[So] the crowds were asking him, “What then should we do?” John answered them, “The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none [MERCY], and the person who has food must do likewise.”

[v12-14] Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He told them, “Collect no more than you are required to.” [JUSTICE] Then some soldiers also asked him, “And as for us—what should we do?” He told them, “Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation [JUSTICE], and be content with your pay.” [MERCY = Grateful for God’s provision]

Genuine repentance and trust in God impacts how we treat others. Or, as we have said several times today...

HOW we BEHAVE shows WHO we BELIEVE.

FEET2FAITH

Appreciate & Applaud God’s Justice & Mercy. Start every day by thanking God for His Justice & Mercy in your life! God has treated you with VALUE! And although He could have destroyed us, He has show us MERCY through the Lord Jesus’s death on the cross! Our sins are forgiven because of God’s Justice & Mercy!

How many of you BELIEVE that?

Does your BEHAVIOR back up what you say you BELIEVE? If not, today is the day to REPENT - ask God to forgive you, make covenant with Him, and make your Church Family a priority!

Show God’s Justice & Mercy to others. Look for opportunities to treat others with value & fairness. Extend mercy to those in physical or spiritual need. This week might be the opportunity to impact others for eternity!

ACT JUSTLY & LOVE MERCY - It’s one thing to TALK it, but another thing to WALK it, as...

The late Corrie ten Boom recalled in her book The Hiding Place a meeting with a Nazi guard after WW2 - a Nazi guard from the Ravensbruck concentration camp, where her sister, Betsie, had died and she herself had been subjected to horrible indignities. She writes:

It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there—the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face.

He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,” he said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!”

His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached...the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.

I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.

As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. [Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Chosen Books, 1971), p. 215.]

May we bask in the Justice and Mercy of our Great God and SHOW what we SAY be believe, because...

HOW we BEHAVE shows WHO we BELIEVE.

If you need help, we’re right here.

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