The Twelve: God has spoken!
The Book of Micah
This series is titled “The 12: God Has Spoken” And you know what - we should listen.
When God speaks, we should listen.
• At Fellowship Baptist Church, we will always emphasize the priority of God’s Word.
We need to be a people who are striving to have
A high view of God,
Understand the sufficiency of His Word,
Growing in the hope of His gospel, and
Experiencing the joy of His church.
And to that end, we look at the book of Micah.
The Overall Message of Micah: Justice and Mercy
• Justice - something that we all want.
We scream for justice. It’s sort of built in.
• Mercy - something we all need
The problem with justice is that we don’t really want it. If we truly got justice - we’d be in a world of trouble.
In the midst of a situation that seemed hopeless, Micah trusted in God.
Micah 7:7 - But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
• Our only hope is in the Lord
Usually, when we read the Bible, especially when we’re reading prophecy, we want to apply it to other people. We read about judgment on others and sort of sigh in relief (whew! I’m ok!). But this misses what we should see.
• We need to take Micah personally.
Only through repentance and trusting in Him can we escape God’s judgment.
Five major stops along the journey through Micah:
1. Undivided Attention
This is the point here - He’s not just some guy - some crazy person spouting crazy talk. This is a message from the Lord, the God of Israel and you should listen!
• The Lord is Coming!!
The intensity continues
• The fall of Samaria
Samaria will fall.
• The Spread of Samaria’s Sin
The sin of Samaria has spread to Judah.
Micah was very effective. 100 years later - He was still being talked about - (Jeremiah 26:18)
He didn’t just come in, preach, and they repented. He prophesied during the reign of three different kings. He preached for at least 16 years. More likely - it was a couple of extra years here and there and closer to 20 years.
Have you ever prayed for anyone for 20 years? 10 years? 2?
Have you mourned for a lost relative or friend for years?
Galatians 6:9 – And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
2. Deo Volente
Deo Volente - God willing - If God Wills
James 4:13-17 – Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
They were making all these plans to get rich and take advantage of others. They had forgotten that God has plans too - and HIS will come to be! They had their own thing going on. Thinking they were Protected by God. Not like those in the Northern kingdom.
His list of sins starts with “covet” - this is them breaking the 10th Commandment.
The advertising industry is built around this desire in all of us. It’s purpose is to create a desire in you for something you don’t have.
This Calvin and Hobbes Cartoon explains it so well
This was their attitude - they had a lot - they wanted more.
• We are a generation of people never at peace with what we have, always seeking more.
The list of sins goes on - even though it doesn’t need to.
We make a mistake when we think that we can have one relationship with God and it won’t be reflected in all of our other relationships.
Matthew 25:31-46 – I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.... when did we do this?...as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
3. Justice Has Departed! (3:1-4:5)
We all want to see justice done.
If someone does wrong, we want to see them punished.
If someone does well, we want to see them rewarded.
Our entire system of government is designed to have checks and balances. BUT - What if they all three worked together to oppress the citizens? The leaders in Jerusalem were all working together to oppress the people.
• The key word in Chapter 3 is “Justice” - it has departed from Judah
Micah leveled a charge against the leaders of Judah
Not that they couldn’t do their job. Or that they weren’t doing it.
It was far worse - they were twisting their job.
so while • Justice has departed - Justice is coming.
The prophets in Micah’s day were speaking - but they were saying the opposite of truth
They proclaimed peace when there was none and prosperity when the city was about to fall.
What did Jesus say about this kind of thing?
Matthew 18:6 – but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
That’s not just a passing comment - it’s a proclamation. And an intense one.
James Boice - it’s better to remain silent than to speak words that lead someone astray spiritually.
In Chapter 4 - we see hope coming
In Christ - all of this has come!!!
Ephesians 2:14 – For he himself is our peace,
The bottom line here is that it all begins with God
4:2 – “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”
• He teaches us His ways - we walk in His paths
Everything else flows from that.
This points us so clearly to the next point:
4. Christ is Our Hope
In Matthew 2 - it’s Micah that the chief priests quoted. This whole section is about the coming of the Messiah.
There’s a transition from judgment to restoration.
4:10 – the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies
4:11-13 - again: judgment and hope
It is following these judgment passages we see the ultimate hope (Christ)
• We can’t see this and not think of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
5. God’s Call to the People
Chapter 6 is God’s Indictment on them. They could have been a blessing to others, but they weren’t. They had forgotten God and all he had done for them.
They were going through the motions, but God had stopped being an active part of their lives.
It didn’t make a difference to them anymore.
• Does any of this sound familiar? Could any of this apply to us today?
Micah 6:13-16 – paints this picture of a process and God’s judgment against it.
the NIV and the NRSV say Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.
God is not necessarily doing all of this at once.We can certainly see a shift in our own country. And it doesn’t take a lot of effort to see it. But all hope is not lost yet.
• As long as the return of Christ and final judgment isn’t here yet - There is the possibility of repentance
So what do we do?
Micah 6:8 – He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
There’s nothing new here. Nothing groundbreaking. No new ritual to do. No new prayer to pray.
1. Act justly
Over the long haul. In spite of it seeming to make no difference.
Every time. All the time. For a long time.
How long? Longer still.
2. Love mercy
This is not merely acting mercifully. It’s loving mercy consistently - all the time. Over the long haul.
We look for it in others and love it. We study what God’s mercy is (centrality of Christ?)
Luke 18:9-14 contrasts attitudes
Not - God, I thank you that I am not like other men. (like this tax collector)
But - God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And showing that mercy to others (this is acting justly)
3. Walk humbly (with God)
Humility and pride are polar opposites.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble
• How can a sinner be anything but humble?
It really doesn’t make sense to be prideful.
This is why consistently focusing on the gospel is so critical to our daily spiritual lives.
It reminds us of who we are (sinful, deserving God’s wrath), Who did all the work (Christ),
Who deserves all the glory (God).
Micah ends beautifully and points so magnificently to Christ.
6. Who is Like God?
Micah’s name means “who is like Yahweh?”
• It’s a rhetorical question - there is no one like the God of Israel!
Exodus 15:11-13, 17 – “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Psalm 71:19 – Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens.You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
We’ve seen this in other places, but here in Micah - it’s a little different. It’s more Christ-focused.
• The emphasis is is on God’s mercy.
Forgiveness is, in Micah’s beautiful conclusion - the most beautiful characteristic of our awesome God.
In Israel - they were seeing the breakdown of morality, leadership, and the family.
And that was part of God’s judgment on them.
• NO ONE but God can deliver Israel.
He is The Good Shepherd
• NO ONE but God can truly care for His people.
No one can love you more or better than Jesus.
God’s greatest characteristic – forgiveness.
Micah 7:18-20
This is the culmination of it all.
• NO ONE but God can forgive our sin.
Reflection Questions
• Does God have your Undivided Attention?
How are you being intentional to keep each day focused on God so that the big picture of your life is focused on Him. How are you staying focused on Him?
• Are you really seeking God’s will for your life?
Or are you just zooming through life on your own path, not really thinking about how God would use the unique gifts and talents and abilities that HE has blessed you with. How you can be serving Him through His church.
• Have you trusted in Christ?
Do you really understand that He is your only hope? Now - don’t just answer “yes” and move on to the next question. Really - how do you know? How do you know that you’re saved? What are you basing it on?
Being a Christian is being a disciple. And a disciple is a learner. Are you continually learning more about Christ? About the Gospel? About this God who you say has saved you?
Maybe a better way to put this:
• How are you growing in Christ?
Because if you’re not growing. If you can’t identify any specific ways you’re growing and learning.
You need to question your salvation.
• Have you ever truly been overwhelmed at God’s forgiveness of you?
If not, I would suggest that you need to learn to meditate on the Gospel more. Daily.
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