Who is Like YHWH in His Judgement?
Notes
Transcript
Why an Advent series? What is Advent?
Waiting/Longing
No better portion of the Bible for Advent than the Minor Prophets.
So, what I want to do is walk through this text, unpack it as we go along, see what God is saying to the people of Judah & Israel and what he is saying to us today.
Micah 1:1 (CSB)
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Moreshite—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
“The word of the Lord that came to Micah...”
As we will see over the next few weeks, there was a lot of corruption among the prophets. They were speaking on behalf of the Lord but they weren’t speaking the words of the Lord.
“Micah”
“Who is like YHWH?”
Moreshite - from Judah. He’s from the region that he’s going to be prophesying about/against.
We don’t know his background.
“What he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
Give historical context....Remember....the kingdom is split into two halves - northern and southern.
The three kings of Judah mentioned here had reigns that spanned about 60 years.
Probably written in the 700’s BC.
Micah 1:2–16 (ESV)
2 Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards, and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations.
7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste, for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them, and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.
8 For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her wound is incurable, and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.
10 Tell it not in Gath; weep not at all; in Beth-le-aphrah roll yourselves in the dust.
11 Pass on your way, inhabitants of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame; the inhabitants of Zaanan do not come out; the lamentation of Beth-ezel shall take away from you its standing place.
12 For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good, because disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish; it was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you shall give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam.
16 Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair, for the children of your delight; make yourselves as bald as the eagle, for they shall go from you into exile.
God is getting up. YHWH is witness against the whole earth.
YHWH descends from the heavenly and holy temple to tread upon the high places of the earth.
How does wax melt? Fire. Judgment. He is splitting the valleys open. Absolute and complete destruction.
Samaria will be made a heap in the open country…the city of Samaria was renowned for its foundation and walls of defense.
This is not a pretty scene.
You know, there are certain sounds from my childhood that I can still hear in my head and that still haunt me. The sound of my mother stomping up the stairs. I’ve found myself doing the same thing…my kids magically turn into little angels when I get up there.
What is their sin? What has angered God so much that He is going to react like this?
Israel and Judah are guilty of breaking the first commandment. They have given themselves over to idolatry and have forsaken the Lord their God. They have opened the door of their lives and their nation to pagan idolatry.
And they saw nothing wrong with it! This would have been a surprising word from Micah! Especially the inhabitants of Jerusalem! Surely God won’t destroy his city!
And, what is Micah’s reaction/response? Lament.
Now God goes city by city - Gath, Beth-le-aphrah, Shaphir, Zaanan, Beth-ezel, Maroth, Lachish, Moresheth-gath, Achzib, Mareshah…all leading to the gates of Jerusalem.
These cities all lie in the logical paths that would be taken by an invading army on their way toward Jerusalem.
Illustration - This past week, I saw a few minutes of a press conference held by the Secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Two main topics of discussion - Russia and China. China is a world superpower…wanting to become THE world superpower. Both of these men went on to talk about the strength of the US military and how we will continue to build it and pour resources into it so that someone continues to stand in China’s way. We have, I believe (and I think you do, too), the greatest military forces on earth. I believe our military can stand against any enemy or threat any nation has to offer. But, let me say something clearly. China and their 1 million man army…America and all of our technology and skill and might and power…neither can stand before the Lord Almighty.
NOTES
Judgment is not just for the House of Judah/Israel. God begins with the whole earth/every nation. Then he moves to the nations of Judah & Israel. Then he moves to cities. Then to individuals.
Sin is universal. It is the root that runs through all creation/through every human heart.
It’s like Kudzu. Anybody ever deal with that?
Sin arouses the terrifying wrath of God.
I’m not sure that we spend enough time on this. God’s wrath isn’t something we like to talk about/dwell on.
God comes off His throne and to the earth for judgment and terrifying wrath. He promises a conqueror who will destroy the people.
One day, though, he will arise and come to the earth for salvation and to be the object of his own wrath. He will be the Savior who undoes what the conqueror has done.
Idolatry — breaking of the covenant. God’s relationship with His people is based on covenant - not contract. A contract is based on distrust. Right? I’m holding you to your end of the deal because, chances are, you’re likely to go back on it.
A covenant is about the heart. It’s like marriage. It’s a trust relationship…Bruce Waltke - “conceived in love and birthed by faith.”
Idolatry is the great threat to covenant relationship.
God demands full devotion and love.
Is YHWH threatened by idolatry?
What is idolatry? Love and devotion directed toward anyone//anything other than YHWH.
List all of the things in our culture deserving of God’s wrath…but judgement starts with the house of God. Israel’s demise was a forewarning to the nations…judgement is coming.
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
YHWH’s wrath is aroused by His people breaking their covenant with Him by rejecting His rule and embracing idolatry.