Saved by God’s Grace in Christ Jesus - Micah 6-7

“Hear now what the Lord says: ‘Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a complaint against His people, and He will contend with Israel. O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. For I brought you up from the land of Egypt. I redeemed you from the house of bondage. And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, that you may know the righteousness of the Lord.” Micah 6:1-5

Micah pleads the Lord’s case before the mountains and hills. Mountains and hills tower over people and symbolize the arrogant attitude of people who think they are too great to need the God who created them. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Micah had faith in the power of God’s Word, so He spoke.

Israel’s crimes against God were done in public, so His indictments against them are proclaimed publicly. “Sin begets a controversy between God and man.” In Micah 6:3, He asks Israel, “O my people, what have I done to you?” [Matthew Henry Commentary]

In Micah 6:4-5, God reviews Israel’s case. He brought them out of bondage. He sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before them. Moses was God’s prophet (Deuteronomy 34:10). Aaron was God’s prophet (Exodus 7:1). Miriam was God’s prophetess (Exodus 15:20). Praise God for providing anointed teachers and leaders! The Lord also restrained the greedy-for-pay-prophet Balaam from placing a curse on Israel (Numbers 23:8).

What kind of settlement was the Lord seeking from Israel?

“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with 1,000’s of rams, 10,000 rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:6-8

The Mosaic animal sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s better sacrifice described in Hebrews 10:1. They did not need to offer their firstborn for their sin because God had a plan to do that for them. He wanted them to behave justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.

“The Lord’s voice cries to the city—wisdom shall see Your Name. Hear the rod! Who has appointed it? Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the short measure that is an abomination? Shall I count pure those with the wicked scales, and with the bag of deceitful weights? For her rich men are full of violence, her inhabitants have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.” Micah 6:9-12

They did not walk justly with God. They grew rich via violent methods. They developed devious deceptions for the sake of stockpiling temporary treasures. They were un-Christlike.

“Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you by making you desolate because of your sins. You shall eat, but not be satisfied. Hunger shall be in your midst. You may carry some away but shall not save them; and what you do rescue I will give over to the sword. You shall sow, but not reap. You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil, and make sweet wine, but not drink wine. For the statutes of Omri are kept. All the works of Ahab’s house are done. And you walk in their counsels that I may make you a desolation and your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people.” Micah 6:13-16

The penalties for their crimes included illness, dissatisfaction, emptiness, a sword (justice) pursuing them, and insults. They are not anointed with oil and drink no sweet wine. Anointing oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Wine is symbolic of the atoning blood of Christ. While deceiving others, they deceived themselves out of the best of God’s treasures, namely, Himself.

What were the statues of Omri? What were the works of Ahab? 1 Kings 16:25-30 says, “Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him. ...And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.” 1 Kings 21:25-26 says, “There was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. ...And he did very abominably in following idols...” These two kings of Israel did evil and expected those under them to do the same.

“Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, like those who glean vintage grapes. There is no cluster to eat of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood. Every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands—the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire. So they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier. The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchman and your punishment comes. Now shall be their perplexity.” Micah 7:1-4

Micah embodies the Lord’s feelings. He wanted to find good fruit, but there was none. Was anyone faithful? Was anyone upright? No. They tried to fill the God-shaped hole in their hearts with material things. They were willing to kill to fill it. On top of wages, government workers wanted gifts and bribes. As thorns tear open skin, these leaders inflicted physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pain on people. “The day of your watchmen comes” refers to a coming invasion. Thus, the divided house of Israel was about to fall.

“Do not trust in a friend. Do not put your confidence in a companion. Guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. Therefore I will look to the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” Micah 7:5-7

What happens when people break covenant with God? The answer is that their relationships breakdown with one another. Apart from God, our best deeds still stem from selfish motives. What did idolatry do for Isreal? It made them reliable. Reliable in what way? You could count on everyone to betray you. Thus, Micah looked to the Lord. The Lord would not betray him.

“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light. I will see His righteousness. Then she who is my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, ‘Where is the Lord your God?’ My eyes will see her. Now, she will be trampled down like mud in the streets.” Micah 7:8-10

From Israel’s outwards circumstances it looked like the Lord had completely abandoned them, but no, He was disciplining them because He loved them and wanted to bring back to Himself. Micah urges His people’s enemies not to rejoice over them. Even in darkness, God is lighting up among them. God is doing what is right for Israel. God will help Israel to rise again. Those who previously mocked Israel for her humbled estate will eventually be trampled like mud.

Are you being mistreated? James 1:4 advises, “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Go deeper with God!

In Revelation 12:10, Satan is called the accuser of brothers. He accuses them before God day and night. In Zechariah 3:1-4, the Lord showed Zechariah a vision of “Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord.” Satan was standing at his right hand to oppose him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” Joshua was clothed with filthy garments. The Lord said, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” The devil delights in magnifying all that is wrong about us. God rebukes the devil and casts him away from us.

In Job 1:11, Satan said to God in regards to Job, “Stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” In Job 1:12, the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay a hand on his person.” The Lord did not hurt Job, the devil did. Job 1:22 says, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” The devil falsely accused Job. He said that Job would deny God if afflicted, but Job did not deny God. God’s grace was sufficient to keep Job’s faith in Him strong.

In Luke 22:31-32, Satan wanted to sift Peter. Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Jesus told Peter, “When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brothers.” That’s what Job did. In Job 42:8-10, after Job’s trial ended, he prayed for his friends. I am so glad that Jesus prays for us. James 5:11 says, “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

“Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your heritage, who dwell solitarily in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in days of old.” Micah 7:14

Micah asks the Lord to shepherd His people. They are His portion in the world. They were now a desolate people in captivity. They felt lonely and afraid like sheep in a woodland where wild beasts lurk. Micah asked God to feed them in Bashan and Gilead (green pastures) once again.

“As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders. The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might. They shall put their hand over their mouth. Their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent. They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God and shall fear because of You.” Micah 7:15-17

Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Micah prayed that God would feed them in the pastures of Bashan and Gilead. God promised to do that and more. Their deliverance from Babylon would be wonderful like unto their deliverance out of Egypt. Miracles would happen!

Those who previously insulted them would shut their mouths. They would stop their ears. Good news about Israel was unwelcome news to them. God would bring them down to the dust like a snake crawling on its belly. The fear of God would enter them.

“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” Micah 7:18-20

Who forgives sins like our God?

God’s grace makes Christianity distinct from all other religions. While other faiths have concepts of divine favor or mercy, Christians believe salvation is based on the merits of Christ. It’s God's action (through Jesus) that saves us from the penalties of sin, not our human effort or merit. Salvation is not earned. It is a gift of God. While many religions focus on doing good deeds, rituals, or following laws to achieve liberation or favor, Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17 declares, “For from His [Christ’s] fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He resurrected from the dead to demonstrate His power over death. He is alive today and relates with people via His Word (the Bible) and via His Holy Spirit.

Micah 7:19 says that God casts all our sins into the depths of the sea. In Hebrews 10:17, the Lord says. “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Praise God! Saved by God’s grace in Christ Jesus! Amen.