Series in Micah - A Day in Court

 

A Day in Court

Micah 6:1-8

“Order in the court”, the preliminaries are about to happen. Imagine standing before God, and He is bringing His case before your eyes, Micah‘s words from God have that kind of bite to them and Micah laid it out to them.

As in our modern court setting you have in a nutshell: opening arguments, and then testimony and evidence is provided, closing arguments, then a verdict. Yahweh is ready to hear the opening statements and their first rebuttal to His first line of questioning. So let’s read the first portion of the text. 

“Listen to what the Lord 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. “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 leads with a formidable but unusual order, “Listen up, Stand up, Plead my case for me.” After a preview of Israel’s statements. He tells them the first charge against them and He calls on them ( the Israelites) to tell the jury the why’s of their insubordinate, incorrigible, defiant attitudes and irreverence to Him. For the witnesses, mountains and the foundations of the earth, can ascertain to the Lord’s power, ability, and wisdom. 

God's case centers around His abilities and requirements towards His creation and their willful disobedience and intractableness. “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.” God listens for an answer to His first charge against Israel. It seems that the defendant has to establish grounds for the plaintiff's two opening questions, “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you?” 

The questions aren’t rhetorical, God wants an answer to their open rebelliousness to His commands and ordinances. What has God done to them to receive their irreverence and their stiff-necked position with idolatry, iniquities, and transgressions? The second question asked the Israelites to give a statement on how God has burdened them.

After hearing their answers, God brings the evidence before them to substantiate his charge in three exhibits. 

Exhibit one:  “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.” God wants them to recall the power, guidance, and provision He gave for and to them in their deliverance from painful slavery, the mighty deliverance through the Red Sea and the food and water, clothes that never wore out, even the personal audience with Him at Mount Sinai. 

Exhibit two: “My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered.” God wanted them to recall the promise and the covenant He had made with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. A promised land, a land filled with milk and honey (plentiful and abundant), and that He personally would go before them to procure the land deal, even against kings, armies, and wayward prophets.

Exhibit 3: “Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.” The journey into the promised land, crossing the Jordan river at flood stage, conquering cities by the fear of God, and by His mighty arm in battle. They possessed the land that was ready to live in and for them to thrive as long as they listened, obeyed His commands, and reverence Him, not out of coercion, but out of a soulful and heartfelt love and unwavering faith.

Application - I have only been to court one time in my life, and not for a criminal offense, and it was intimidating to stand before a judge and give an account for your actions. I cannot imagine having to stand before the angry sovereign God who created all things. The words of the writer of Hebrews stated, “ How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:29-31 NASB1995) and it should send shivers of fear through our heart, spirit, and soul. For much of the world has turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the voice of God and the evidence of His power and grace to mankind. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:18-20) 

And as Solomon wrote of the wisdom of the foolish and of the humble, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap but the blameless will receive a good inheritance. The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are. When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.” (Prov. 28:9-14 NIV)

The believers in Christ will not fear God’s judgment for they will only stand before Christ at the Bema seat judgment to have their works tested by fire, but the unbelievers will face the white throne judgment of a wrathful God, who will expose their sins, deafness, blindness, and hidden and secret iniquities and be thrown into the judgment fire made for Satan and his fallen compadres. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10b-12)

This will bring comfort to some and fear to others, but God is just and righteous, as well as steadfast in love, compassion, and mercy. For we don’t need fear condemnation if we are believers in Christ Jesus. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:1,33-35,38)

Next, God tells them to answer the reason for their actions to their civil and religious affiliations with the world.

God now brings a different line of questioning. He wants the defendant, Israel, to address the establishment of man-driven traditions and practices as an appendix to God’s commands and their horrendous acts of paganism. Let’s read the last portion of the text. “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? 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.”

Exhibit 4: God demands that the plaintiff give an answer to His questions on their religious practices. “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?

Micah had seen the apostasy and adultery of Israel to foreign gods and alliances with the ungodly instead of trusting in God. The hills and high places were filled with asherum (asherah poles) and the altars to Molech and Baals littered the city, towns and villages. This is the basis of God’s demanding an answer from Israel. For they had brought offerings to Him as an obligatory offering not out of reverence, they also brought offerings to the other pagan deities as well. Yet they had no shame nor repentance for their work-minded salvation based on bringing more in order to receive repentance. 

Israel was to account for their irreverent, supercilious, and contemptuous shift from total devotion to God, they had reduced relationship with their God to a works-based offering system, a plenary indulgence for forgiveness and cleansing the soul through material offerings.

Last, God's closing statement, “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.”

God closes with a three part statement, God had shown them what was good, Himself and His righteous acts of steadfast love and fidelity, mercy and patience, and justness. It was these attributes that God wanted the people to see and emulate. God demonstrated His steadfast love through every area of their lives: the physical, the relational, and in His acts of justice. First, God had seen the abuse of the weak, poor, widow, and orphans. The plaintiffs were to answer for their lack of justice and their abuse of power. Second, God demanded an answer for their lack of mercy and patience towards others. For they demanded the law but lacked mercy and grace, to which God had given the latter in abundance to them and required obedience to His commands by loving reverence. Last, acting justly in all areas and transactions in their lives.

Third, God demonstrated humility by His acts of kindness and compassion to His creation. The plaintiffs on the other hand chose to walk in indulgence and gratification, arrogance and pride, irreverence and harlotry.

Application - God's asking all of humanity to do what should be simple and forthright in our minds and actions, but because of the sinful nature and the sin-riddled cultures we have developed and fostered in our lives. We forget or are blind and deaf to the simplicity of obedience to God and the bearing the fruit of the Spirit that lives in us because we abide in Christ. “God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you…“Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD? You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.” Because he is righteous, the LORD has exalted his glorious law…Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?” (Isa. 42:5-6a,18-21,23 NLT)

There is no amount of religious service or the indulgence of offerings that will buy the Lord’s favor or salvation. God isn’t looking for a deal or a contract. He wants us to love him as He loves us! God has shown us what He wants, but we have been blind and deaf to His righteous ways, lessons from His Word, and just to trust and believe, obey and revere Him.  For we are His creation, He is not ours.  God is the only good in this world. As Jesus said to the rich young man, “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’ “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”(Mark 10:17-22)

We are to follow Jesus and the ways and teaching in the Word of God. Literally! And as you just read, the most difficult is seeing and hearing what God really wants from us; turning from the things of this world and following Him, He who is righteous, kind, merciful, and abounding in genuine love. We are to walk in humility, to act justly, and love mercy as we follow and walk in the holy presence of our Savior and Lord. 

Are you able to stand before Him who loves us and will also reveal the real us through the acts of our lives and our reverence to Him who is our all in all?

 As always, I want to end with presenting the gospel in the form of 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