Bible Study for Texas for 8_31_72803
Posted: 7/25/03
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Lesson for Aug. 31
Micah 6:1-8
God's case against his people
By Stephen Hatfield
These concluding chapters of Micah (6-7) focus once again on the courtroom. In chapters 1-3, Micah, the lead prosecutor, outlined his accusations against the nations of Israel and Judah, with special emphasis given to the lack of leadership among political officials and religious leaders.
The focal passage for this present lesson (6:1-8) resembles a written deposition or lawsuit.
God has a “case” against his people (6:1). The mountains are commanded to listen to the “indictment of the Lord” against the nations (6:2). Furthermore, God will outline his “dispute” with Israel (6:2). Throughout this scene, God speaks for himself (first person) at times, while at other times, Micah speaks as God's prophet (third person).
A rhetorical question
God asks a question the people would never be able to answer: “My people, what have I done to you?” The fact is clear–he has done nothing wrong. What God had done was to show patience and loving guidance to the nations. A survey of the evidence would clearly show God had consistently given the people chance after chance to make good choices. He is innocent of any harsh treatment or abuse of the people.
Evidences of love
When the people respond with silence to God's question, he answers them with the truth. He not only has done no wrong, but he reminds them of how he loved and guided them in the past.
God led the people out of bondage from Egypt. This journey to freedom and the possession of the promised land was God's plan and God's blessing to his people. The capable leadership of Moses, Aaron and Miriam came from God, not the popular vote of the people. The people of Micah's day had forgotten these items of evidence.
God reminded the people of what he accomplished through the lives of Balak and Balaam. This story (Numbers 22-24) was additional evidence of God's provision for his people. Balak, King of Moab, tried to persuade Balaam the sorcerer, to pronounce a curse upon God's people. Balaam, instead, pronounced a blessing upon the people and predicted their triumph over all their enemies. Who worked within this situation on behalf of the people? God was at work, yet they rejected his love and guidance.
Shittim served as the last campsite east of the Jordan before the people took the city of Jericho and entered the promised land (Joshua 2:1). There the people received last minute instructions from God on how to live. Gilgal was their first campsite after crossing the Jordan River. At this place they renewed their covenant relationship with God (Joshua 5:3-9). In God's way of reasoning, both of these places proved his willingness to protect and to warn the people of potential hazards along the way. But the people of Micah's day had long forgotten Shittim and Gilgal.
What the Lord requires
Micah speaks on behalf of the heavenly court in these verses. The bottom line is this: What does the Lord require? What must one do to please him?
Micah does not condemn sacrifices offered to God. The sacrificial system was God's idea. But sacrifices offered with lip service with no obedience are worthless. The people have misunderstood the purpose of sacrifice. They propose to buy God's favor by offering excessive and lavish offerings.
Their calloused minds lead them to suggest and to offer even the unthinkable–human sacrifice. Though denounced as an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:10), they have long since outgrown their need for God's word in their search for new and better ways.
The heart of the matter
Here stands the watershed verse of the book of Micah. God has made his wishes very clear as to what he desires from his people. The people had asked the wrong questions. Micah ignored their concerns about the best sacrifice and answered the crucial question at hand: What does God want? Three things are desired: (1) To be just, (2) to love kindness and (3) to walk humbly with God.
Be fair
Does one deal fairly in relationships with other people? A person transformed by God will seek to carry out justice in all walks of life. For Micah's day, this meant leaders must cease their swindling ways. They would stop abusing the innocent, and they would uphold the rights of individuals.
In today's world, the church should set the example by caring for those who need help. The church should not leave this task to the government. God's people are to bring the “cup of cold water” in the name of Jesus. When any nation, past or present, allows a system of justice to exploit the poor at the hands of the rich, that nation is treading on dangerous ground.
Be loving
Showing love is one thing. Showing love to those who wrong you is another. The command to love one another crosses all lines of relationships. Love between husband and wife, parent and child, and believer and God all are included here.
The Hebrew word used here is almost untranslatable. This word can mean “love,” “steadfast love” or “to love kindness.” Related to the covenant relationship, these terms describe loyalty even when loyalty is not legally required. If justice does what is right, then steadfast love goes a step further and does what is not explicitly demanded. This love is related to the New Testament concept of “agape” love, the person who loves even when not loved in return. Also see 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
Be humble
As we walk the path of life, we are to surrender our will to God. The root meaning of this term denotes “strength under control.” A related word, “meek,” has caused many to misunderstand this teaching. The Bible says Moses was a meek man. Meekness does not equate with weakness, though the rhyming of these terms has led many to consider them synonyms.
Jesus pronounced a blessing on the humble/meek in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5). When Jesus said these would inherit the earth, their reward was not promised because of weakness. The wild stallion broken by its trainer is not weaker as a result. The horse is just as strong as before, but now the rider has control of the reins. The power is harnessed. In the same way, we are to walk with God in such a way that he has control of every aspect of our lives. God does not seek after what we have, but he seeks after us–our very lives.
The command to “humble yourself” is found time after time in Scripture. In most cases, we are never to ask God to humble us, but we are to take the initial steps in bringing our lives under God's control. Likewise, we are never commanded to “humble someone else.” Each person is to pay attention to his own spiritual walk, not seek to direct the walk of someone else.
A call to remember
These requirements are not new. Micah asserts God “has told you, O man, what is good” (6:8). God had made his requirements clear in times past and his requirements have not changed. They remain the same. The people did not need a new revelation from God. They needed a powerful reminder of what they knew but had forgotten or ignored.
Lessons for today
We all need the strength to face our sin and seek forgiveness from God. What God requires today is no different from what Micah stated long ago in that heavenly courtroom. To sum up in one word what the essence of Christianity has always been and always will be perhaps is best stated in the word “relationship.” Christianity is knowing Jesus. The Christian life is not church attendance, believer's baptism, being good or knowing facts from the Bible. These things are important, no doubt, but they are meaningless when separated from one's love for God.
God has given us his full revelation in the Bible. There is no need to seek anything new. Looking at God's word in fresh ways is one thing. Ignoring God's clear requirements for our lives while looking for some new excuse for our sinfulness is another.
Citizens of Israel/Judah chose to ignore God's will and way. As a result, they experienced God's punishment. Citizens of America choose to ignore God's will and way as well. The consequences of our choices result in heartache, fractured families and dysfunctional congregations. For Judah, the road home was long and hard. What do we expect today?
Thanks be to God for his indescribable love. Micah concludes his case with a reminder that God is faithful to his people: “Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us” (7:18-19).
Exiled families who sat around the dinner table in Babylon often read Scripture before sharing a meal. Imagine one of these families, gathered for the evening meal reading Micah's closing comments. The father, who had been taken as a baby from his home in Jerusalem, had no memory of the land of promise. But he never doubted its existence. Though the present situation was not the best, God's best was right around the corner. Someday they would go home. God is good.
How much better to obey willingly than by compulsion!
Questions for discussion
If God were to ask you what he did to cause you to stray from him, what would you say?
If God gives second chances, can you describe a time when he extended to you his grace and forgiveness? Explain the circumstance.
In light of God showing his people evidences of his love, what evidences can you look back and see in your life that remind you of God's care and concern for you?
In light of Micah 6:8, give examples of how Christians can seek justice in our world today.
How can Christians practice steadfast love?
Explain what the Bible means when it says, “humble yourself.”