Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Sometimes when our situation has a bleak outlook we cannot see it changing and we feel trapped in it without any sense of hope.

Even more so when that situation perhaps is one which we have made for ourselves.

We are powerless to change it - sometimes those in judgment over are powerless to change it as “their hands are tied by the law”

Micah’s third message to Israel/Judah is a summary of what has been said before but is summed up as a case before a court.

The court is the court of the LORD and the case is His against His nation and His people.

Micah third message is the culmination of the theme - Who is Like Our God.

He prophesies the judgement coming for their sins, but also proclaims the promise of the Lord for salvation.

The desire is to invoke the people to endure what is to come trusting in the LORD still for “who is like our God to take us from darkness of indictment to light of salvation?!”

God Brings An Indictment

The Case Against Judah

Again the message from Micah starts with listen, and the call to listen to what the LORD is saying.

It isnt Micah’s message it is the LORD’s.

God is calling to the nation to rise up and plead their case.

In this courtroom the witnesses or the jury box rather is the mountains and hills themselves.

God is bringing a case against Israel and He will argue it before them.

Most would argue their case before the city gates and the elders of the city, but the LORD is going to argue His before the mountains and the hills as the corruption of the city and its leaders have not affected the mountains and hills.

Also the mountains and hills have been since they were formed and are adequate witnesses.

God begins asking My people what have I done to you?

How have I wearied (burdened) you?

He invites them to come and testify against Him.

I have brought you up from Egypt.

I have redeemed you from the place of slavery.

I sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam ahead of you.

Not only have i not done evil to you, but rather I have done nothing but good.

I redeemed you and gave you godly leaders.

God then calls for His people to remember.

God brings up the encounter with Balak and Balaam.

King Balak wanted to curse Israel and hired Balaam to do it.

Balaam couldnt curse Israel God wouldnt let Him, three times he tries but each time all he does is pronounce God’s blessing.

Israel is cursed only when they disobey and rebel against God and they curse themselves.

The call to remember is a frequent one - it is found 14 times in the book of Deuteronomy and used frequently for the Jews to teach their children the miraculous deeds and mighty works of the LORD.

It is good and necessary for God’s people to know the past and remember with gratitude what God has done for them.

We don’t live in the past, but we must learn from and remember the past or we will repeat the same mistakes.

Philosopher George Santayana wrote “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.

Because Israel forgot God’s mercies they ignored His commandments and hardened their hearts rebelling against God’s will.

The Response of the People

Do they acknowledge the righteous acts of the LORD?

No the response of the people is not acknowledging the righteous acts of the LORD but complaining that the LORD asks too much.

This response of the people comes from a place of bitterness and resentment.

It has the tone of asking “what do you want from me?”.

Verse 6 “What should I bring before the LORD?

What does God want?

Burnt offerings?

Year-old calves?

Will He be pleased with thousands of rams?

How about with 10,000 streams of oil?

My first born?

My body?

What is God’s price so I can pay it and be done?!

It seems as if the answer to God is that He asks too much of them and that the accusation is nothing satisfies Him.

The charge is that God is unreasonable.

The rebellious heart looks to blame God for their sin because then they dont have to change God does.

God doesnt bargain with sinners and no amount of sacrifice or any sacrifice they brought could cleanse their sin.

God has given the requirements; act justly, love faithfulness and walk humbly with your God.

There it is Micah summed up the whole of the law and the prophets two these three things.

God does not desire to simply know His people through rote ritual but inwardly through their heart.

What the Lord requires is not burdensome, not difficult and was not a mystery; they just chose not to follow His requirement.

God Pronounces Judgment

Nothing Has Changed

The voice of the LORD now calls out to the city.

Pay attention to the rod or punishment and the one who ordained it or brought it.

There are treasures (stored up) of wickedness and the accursed shoprt measure with which to cheat.

God wont excuse wickedness or deception.

The city is full of violence and lies - its totally seeped in deception.

God may bring the rod and ordained the rod brought, but it is one’s own sin that brings their affliction from the rod upon themselves.

It is not because of God’s own neglect or disregard but one’s sin.

It Has Already Begun

As a result of the sin God has struck them severely already.

They sought their sinful desires and used deception to achieve and accomplish their sin.

God would prevent them from enjoying the fruits of their sins.

They will eat without satisfaction, they will always be hungry and never satisfied.

As they acquire they will lose and what they dont lose will be taken.

They will sow for the harvest but not reap.

God says because they observe and follow the policies of the statues of Omri and Ahab they will be made desolate.

Ahab was one of the most wicked kings of Israel.

His wife was Jezebel and his father was wicked also and his name was Omri.

Their statues were idols for the god Baal.

The true prophets of God were murdered under Ahab’s reign.

Because of the rampant idolatry and violence they would be the ridicule and scorn of other nations.

God Promises Salvation

It is not deserved

There is no redeeming amount of people found in the land.

Micah describes the search for someone righteous and faithful to God as one who gleans and gathers but had nothing to eat.

The faithful have vanished from the land.

There is literally no good fruit in the land.

There is no one upright among the people.

All the people wait in ambush to shed blood.

They hunt each other with a net.

The righteous are gone because evil has actually taken them away.

So now only evil men are left.

They are great at committing evil.

Most use their left or right hand but these people were exceptional in using both their hands for evil.

The official and the judge both demand a bribe.

The powerful man communicates his evil desire and they plot it out together.

The best of them all is like a brier - hurts no matter how you approach them.

The most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.

Abraham plead for the righteous of Sodom - but there is no one righteous and no one righteous to plead for the people of Judah.

It comes from no one else

The day of punishment and panic is coming and is now here.