Sermon Tone Analysis

Thanos is Coming

Arabelle wasn’t on the Marvel train when the movies first came out, but she has caught the bug this year.

She’s been watching through the movies chronologically and, this week, we got to watch “Infinity War” together.

This picture is primarily to drive my nerd friends crazy.

For those who haven’t seen it, no spoilers but… Thanos is coming.

He is a quite-nearly all-powerful god-like being who is coming to Earth to gather the final infinity stones which will allow him to destroy half the people in the Universe.

Most of the movie is preparation, trying to prevent Thanos from coming, trying to spread the news about what Thanos wants, and trying to prevent Thanos from getting what he wants.

So, we are in the book of Micah.

Pastor John gave us an awesome intro last week.

Here’s how I imagine it.

Thanos is coming.

God is like Thanos.

Better find out what He wants.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

(is it the end-all of wisdom?

No

Idolatry and Injustice

To recap: what is God so upset about?

Idolatry

(we read this last week):

The “high places” are places of idolatry.

Where they are worshiping other gods… or worshiping YHWH inappropriately.

Seeking to control or manipulate God.

That’s idolatry.

Micah is writing at the same time, or shortly after, Hosea.

God is upset that His bride, Israel, His people are chasing after other gods.

Like an unfaithful wife.

We recognize that sin in our own lives, our heart is constantly setting up idols.

This breaks God’s heart and fills him with jealous anger.

Injustice

and they are not practicing justice and righteousness.

This is an oblique reference to a famous sin of one of Israel’s former kings - Ahab and his wife Jezebel.

Ahab desires a garden from his neighbor, Naboth and offers him a price.

Naboth refuses - because God didn’t set up Israel as a capitalist society (which is weird to our modern ears).

It isn’t a scarcity based economy, it is a gift-based society.

The economy of God is not based on scarcity, but on abundance.

If God wants there to be more digital art, he just makes it.

Unlike us, if God wants there to be more land, more food, more planets, more stars, more universe… he just makes it.

God gave the land, he appointed it family by family, he even set a reset plan in place every 50 years so debts could be forgiven - the year of Jubilee.

It is wrong and illegal to sell their land, their inheritance from God.

So Naboth refuses.

Ahaz complains to Jezebel, Jezebel insides other local leaders to gather and two false witnesses to accuse Naboth at dinner of some crime worthy of execution.

Naboth is executed.

Ahab gets his land.

This is what “bear false witness” is about in the 10 commandments.

Using what God made and gave for good to manipulate and oppress and take advantage.

and God is FURIOUS about it.

Imagine if you made each of your kids something special, just for them.

And one steals or tricks all the other kids out of their gifts and then sells them in the street.

(Sounds like an Arabelle move)

No! I made that for Dylan, just for him.

If you need more, just ask me.

If it is good for you, I’ll give it to you.

I’ll make it for you.

Love God, Love Others

So, God is angry at their idolatry and angry at their injustice.

What’s the bumper sticker version of this?

They have failed to love God.

They have failed to love others.

With all of that knowledge… Thanos (I mean YHWH) is coming.

Here is the coming of the Lord, picture this for a second.

Assyria is coming to completely destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel and sack the Southern Kingdom.

Babylon is coming later to actually fully conquer the Southern Kingdom and take them away into captivity.

Who is going to survive?

Micah 2:12 (ESV)

I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men.

Micah 4:6–7 (ESV)

In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted;

and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore.

Micah 5:7–8 (ESV)

Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.

The word “remnant” keeps showing up here in Micah.

What is a remnant?

It is the few left over after MOST have been destroyed.

Those who are left.

(residue, remainder).

It’s… not many.

So God’s not talking about half of the people.

He is talking about a few.

It doesn’t sound like Thanos’ half… it sounds worse than that.

And this God is willing to destroy MOST of his people in order to teach a lesson to just a few.

That is terrifying and, again, I don’t like it.

I want God to save everyone.

But this idea of “remnant” shows up again and again in Scripture.

God saves a remnant, just a few.

And that continues, by the way.

Wide is the road that leads to destruction.

Narrow is the path leads to life and few find it.

What Does He Want?

So this terrifying being is coming, He is angry, He is coming to destroy, to judge, to punish.

What does He want??? What can we do???

I’ll do anything to appease the great and mighty YHWH.

Justice and Righteousness

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this.

Remember this from Amos?

Another contemporary prophet, Isaiah, so often quoted by Jesus.

What is the measure of Christian maturity, of success?

If it sounds repetitive… that’s because it is.

It’s because it is what God says over and over and over again!