Series in Micah - A Rebellious Walk

 

A Rebellious Walk

Micah 2:4-5

Just as in the Garden, the consequence for rebellion today is costly. It altered relationships, residence, and your ensuing future. But with rebellion comes a hardening of mind and of the soul. In the past, the chosen people, the assembly of God’s people rebelled and “reaped what they had sown”, they had “to sleep in the bed that they had made”, God gave them “their just desert.” For God has established his grace, mercy and compassion, and He Is just and righteous in His purpose and plans. He expects us to abide by His commandments and laws, for in them we have life. Just as the Israelites live by a conditional covenant (Lev. 26; Deut. 28), we live by His grace by faith, and when we rebel against Him we too will reap what we have sown.

Now the prophet Micah was one of the prophets that required to deliver the Word of God to a people who repudiated and rejected the truth of God for a lie, and their sown seeds of sorrow and regret became a lamentation, for God vacated the land and it was disposed for a time to another, the enemy. So let’s read the first portion of the text, “In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you: “We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us. He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.”

The people of the divided kingdoms of Israel’s waywardness and insubordination to the commandments and to God himself by their harlotry with foreign gods and their evil practices, and it all columnated in them to abandon the truth for a lie. Now God used other people to discipline them, to ravish their lands, homes, and families, and enslave them. In despair, the people would later lament their plight by listening to the jesting by their enemies. For their inheritance was confiscated by God and given over to the betrayers.

Application - In many situations, people blame the consequences of their actions on someone else. They don’t sense that the ramifications of their actions were accumulated by their rebellion, and this against God. We live in a country where most people claim to be the victims, and yet reviewing their past actions reveals the seed that they had sown had grown into the plant they had nurtured and tended with their selfishness, bitterness, and resentment. They have watered it with a mixture of doubt, fear, and anxiety. They fertilized it with self-aggrandizement, pride, and lusts for this world. And the plant has flourished in the brightness of bitterness and hatred, adorning fruit of the sinful nature, sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” And as the apostle Paul warned, “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-22)

Just like the prophets of the old testament spoke to the Israelites then and today, the writers of the new testament also speak to us. Paul warned us in the book of Galatians about the consequences of our behavior and actions. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Gal. 6:7-8)

Let us be wise in the seeds we sow in our behavior and endeavors, for what we plant we will be. For we too will hear the hoots, jeers, and jests of those to whom God may use in disciplining us for provoking His anger and wrath. For I believe a day is near, when God will pull His protection and blessing from this country that is reaping apostasy and depravity from the seeds that they have sown. And many will cry we’re ruined, and will blame someone else for our betrayal of Him but ourselves. 

Last, the people saw their landmarks parceled off and dispersed to others, and they had no say in the matter, for they were now taken into captivity. Their once allotted divine inheritance by God was now in the hands of their enemies. So let’s read the last portion of the text, “Others will set your boundaries then, and the Lord’s people will have no say in how the land is divided”

Israel was reaping what they had sown, their desire to do as the world did, no matter the depth of sin’s debauchery dearly cost them. Their condescension to obeying God’s commands and laws flew in the face of God. God wouldn’t or couldn’t endorse or patronize their actions. He is a holy God, and they had provoked Him by degrading, provoking, and debasing His name before the nations with their actions. God wasn’t rejecting them as His people but he was disciplining them for their rebellious and reprobate behavior. And in the disciplining, He took away what they cherished, their exclusive possession of the land, “Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.” (Num. 33:53). Rebellion and harlotry had led them to the blatant disregard for the obligations to the Mosaic covenant, and now the curse that God said would apply to them happened. 

Now the land was rended from them and divided amongst the nations, even to the point of being so desolate that only the beasts of the night dwelt there. “I will make the land desolate; and your foes who dwell upon it will be desolate. I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins.” (Leviticus 26:32-33)

Application - Here is an interesting item to study, how many times has a country’s borders been widened or shrunken because of the acts of the people? For borders are in our daily news today. Wars are being fought over the established borders or the new obtained ones. Then there are those who wish to absolve all borders and unite in a global community. 

And not least of all is the fight for the nationality of a border. For in God's economy, He established borders by giving people certain lands to take dominion over and to prosper, and He was quite explicit about retaining established borders. “Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations.” “When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone’s land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property.” “You must not encroach on your neighbor’s property, which will have been defined in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Prov. 22:28 NLT; Deut. 19:14 NET; Deut. 27:17 NET)

It is possible that when some borders are in disputes that God may well be the instigator and motivator because of the sins of a nation against Him as was the case with Israel or the restoration of its previous borders. And if it is God who is behind the border crisis, then people don’t have much say. For whatever God wills and purposes happens. "The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble" "The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations" "I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish my purpose'"(Prov. 16:4; Ps. 33:11; Isa. 46:9-11)

The main thought behind this lesson is the consequences of our actions will be as God said,  “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Gal. 6:7-8) So what kind of people will we be, will we continue to sow to the flesh or to the Spirit? The conclusive fruit will be evident.

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com