Micah 6
Who has the better case verse 1- 2
Hear you now what the LORD says
Arise – contend you before the mountains
and let the hills hear your voice
Hear you – O mountains- the LORD’S controversy
and you strong foundations of the earth
FOR the LORD has a controversy with HIS people
and HE will plead with Israel
LORD wants an answer verse 3
O MY people
What have I done to you?
Wherein have I wearied you?
Testify against ME
LORD presents HIS history with Israel verse 4- 5
FOR I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and redeemed you out of the house of servants
and I sent before thee Moses – Aaron – Miriam
O MY people – remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted
and what Balaam the son of Beor
answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal
that you may know
the righteousness of the LORD
Question of what to offer the LORD verse 6- 7
Wherewith shall I come before the LORD
and bow myself before the high God?
Shall I come before HIM with burnt offerings
with calves of a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams
OR with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Offering the LORD wants from HIS people verse 8
HE has shown you – O man – what is good
and what does the LORD require of you
BUT to do justly
and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God?
LORD states HIS reasons for judgment verse 9- 12
The LORD’S voice cries to the city
and the man of wisdom shall see your name
hear you the rod – and who has appointed it
Are there yet the treasures of wickedness
in the house of the wicked
and the scant measure that is abominable?
Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances
and with the bag of deceitful weights?
FOR the rich men thereof are full of violence
and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies
and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth
LORD describes their judgment verse 13- 16
THEREFORE also will I make you sick in smiting you
in making you desolate because of your sins
You shall eat
but not be satisfied
And your casting down shall be in the midst of you
and you shall take hold – but shall not deliver
And that which you deliver
will I give up to the sword
You shall sow – but you shall not reap
you shall tread the olives
but you shall not anoint thee with oil
and sweet wine – but shalt not drink wine
FOR the statutes of Omri are kept
and all the works of the house of Ahab
and you shall walk in their counsels
that I should make you a desolation
and the inhabitants thereof an hissing
THEREFORE you shall bear the reproach of MY people
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 O my people, what have I done unto you? and wherein have I wearied you? Testify against me. (6030 “testify” [anah] means answer, respond, speak, declare, respond to a question, or pay attention)
DEVOTION: One way to teach people is through asking questions. We find in the New Testament that Christ usually answered a question with a question to the Pharisees. It was a good way to start a discussion.
In my ministry I enjoy asking questions to people who have questions for me. It causes them to think about their question. Some people don’t like it when I do that.
In this passage we find the LORD asking questions to get the people of Israel to think about HIS past history with them. HE asks what HE has done to them. They were the ones who were doing most of the trouble to themselves by their sins. They wanted to blame God for all their trouble. HE had sent them prophets to warn them that more trouble was coming because of their worship of false gods. They didn’t want to listen to HIS prophets.
They were tired of HIS prophets telling that they had to change their behavior. They wanted HIM to be satisfied with their sacrifices and then leave them alone. That is not how the LORD works with HIS people. HE feels it is HIS responsibility to cause them to bring glory to HIM if they claim to be HIS children.
HE wants them to speak. HE wants them to say that HE has never blessed them when they were obedient. HE wants them to think about their history and HIS relationship to them.
This is true today. HE is asking us questions that we need to answer. Are we being obedient to HIM? If we are obedient, we can see HIS blessings in our life. If we are being disobedient as the children of Israel were then we can see chastening. HE only chastens the ones HE loves.
CHALLENGE: Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience brings chastening. Remember that the LORD is asking us the same questions HE asked the children of Israel in the past.
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: 5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal; that you may know the righteousness of the LORD. (2142 “remember” [zakar] means mention, recorder, to recall knowledge form memory or have a recollection, to take to court, or to bring to mind)
DEVOTION: History is great for some people. Many don’t like to read about history. Some don’t care about the past, they just want to live in the present.
The LORD wants the children of Israel to remember the past. They were taught the past history of the LORD with Israel by their parents. That was one of the commands of Deuteronomy 6: 4- 9.
In that passage the parents were to teach their children while they were sitting, walking, lying down and rising up. They were to have the Word of God bound on their hand and between their eyes. They were to write them upon the posts of their house. They were even to write them on their gates.
Instruction was important to the LORD. What was HE trying to teach them from the past? HE was trying to get them to understand that HE has been faithful to them and HIS promises to them. HE never lies to them. HE never leaves them. HE loves them and wants them to serve HIM.
CHALLENGE: HE wants this from us as well. Parents have their responsibility and children have their responsibility. Both are to realize that the LORD is faithful.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 He hath shown you, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (5046 “shown” [nagad] means to make known, tell, to be conspicuous, announce, expound or report.
DEVOTION: Micah is trying to help the children of Israel understand that the LORD is telling them what HE expects of them. HE expects them to be good. HE defines being good with three characteristics: to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.
First is to do what is right in the LORD’S sight. The Ten Commandments are a starting point for our actions. None of us can keep the Ten Commandments. They were given to show us what sin is in our world. Once we realize that we are sinners, we realize that the only right thing we can do is depend on God.
Secondly, we are to love mercy. We are to love being faithful to the teachings of the Word of God or in the case of the children of Israel the teachings of the true prophets of God.
Thirdly, we are to walk humbly with our God. We are to be modest about our accomplishments. We are to give the glory to the LORD. This has all been made known by the prophets of God in the Old Testament.
The children of Israel were without excuse. They were given the example of their deliverance from Egypt and Balak. The LORD showed them HIS faithfulness by delivering them throughout their history. They didn’t care. They used false weights to make themselves rich and others poor. The told lies and didn’t think anything of it. They were not honest. For this reason they were going to suffer the consequences of their sins.
We are given instructions in the New Testament to follow. There is a long list of “one another” things we are to do with fellow believers. There is a list of what we are to do with those outside of Christ. Are we looking for the list or doing the list? One of the “one another” is to encourage one another in the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Micah was trying to encourage his fellow Israelites to serve the LORD. Let us do the same!!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. (8267 “lies” [sheqer] means false, vain, deceit, fraud, breach of faith, perverting the truth or vanity.)
DEVOTION: There are elite people in all countries at all times. It is nothing new for those who have great possessions to take advantage of others. They feel that they have that privilege.
They can talk down to people. They can make fun of people who don’t have money. They can cheat them. They can take them to court and win because the can afford better lawyers. They can even lie and not worry about those who are around correcting them. Their mouth is deceitful.
This was not true in the life of Job in the book of Job. He helped others. He cared for the poor. The LORD gave him as an example of a Godly man who was rich. If the LORD blesses you with money, how are you going to act? You can act like the men talked about in this verse or you can act like Job and care for those who have less. The choice is yours.
Those who are followers of Christ should be like Job. Do people think this is true in your life? Most of us are richer than some of those who are around us.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Burnt offerings verse 6
Offerings verse 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 5- 9
LORD’S people verse 2, 3, 5, 16
Righteousness of the LORD verse 5
LORD’S voice verse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 6, 8
High God verse 6
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Land of Egypt verse 4
Balak – king of Moab verse 5
Balaam – son of Beor verse 5
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wearied of LORD verse 3
Testify against LORD verse 3
Transgressions verse 7
Sin verse 7, 13
Wickedness in the house of the wicked verse 10
Scant measure verse 10
Abomination verse 10
Wicked balances verse 11
Deceitful weights verse 11
Full of violence verse 12
Spoken lies verse 12
Tongue deceitful verse 12
Not satisfied verse 14
No deliverance verse 14
Walk in Ahab’s counsel verse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hear verse 1, 2
Testify verse 3
Redeemed verse 4
Righteousness verse 5
Shown good verse 8
Required verse 8
Justly verse 8
Love mercy verse 8
Walk humbly verse 8
Men of wisdom verse 9
Pure verse 11
Satisfied verse 14
Deliverance verse 14
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israel verse 2
Moses verse 4
Aaron verse 4
Miriam verse 4
Statutes of Omri verse 16
House of Ahab verse 16
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
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QUOTES regarding passage
8 What God does want, Micah now tells us. He does so in a verse justly regarded as one of the memorable and timeless expressions of OT ethical religion (cf. James 1:27). It is a heart response to God demonstrated in the basic elements of true religion. This was shown to Israel in the social concerns reflected in the Mosaic legislation.
God has told the people what is good. The Mosaic law differentiated between good and bad and reflected God’s will in many areas of their religious and social lives. It indicated what God required (dāraš, “sought”) of them. They were to act justly (lit., “do justice,” mišpāṭ). The word “justly” has here the sense of “true religion,” i.e., the ethical response to God that has a manifestation in social concerns as well (cf. note at 3:8). “To love mercy” is to freely and willingly show kindness to others (cf. Notes). The expression “to walk humbly with your God” means to live in conscious fellowship with God, exercising a spirit of humility before him. These great words recall similar words of our Lord in Matthew 23:23.
The prophet was not indicating that sacrifice was completely ineffectual and that simply a proper heart attitude to God would suffice. In the preceding verse he painted a caricature, a purposefully exaggerated picture, of the sacrificial system to indicate that God has no interest in the multiplication of empty religious acts. Jeremiah 7:22–23 is often appealed to as evidence that the prophets rejected the Levitical system; yet Jeremiah promised that the offerings would be acceptable if the people were obedient (Jer 17:24–26). A similar attitude toward sacrifice is expressed in Psalm 51:16–17, but the succeeding verses show the author to be indicating that the Levitical sacrifices are acceptable to God only when accompanied by a proper heart attitude toward him (vv.18–19).
The ethical requirements of v.8 do not comprise the way of salvation. Forgiveness of sin was received through the sacrifices. The standards of this verse are for those who are members of the covenantal community and delineate the areas of ethical response that God wants to see in those who share the covenantal obligations. These standards have not been abrogated for Christians, for the NT affirms their continuing validity. We are still called to the exercise of true religion, to kindness, and to humility (1 Cor 13:4; 2 Cor 6:6; Col 3:12; James 1:27; 1 Peter 1:2; 5:5). Christians are in a covenant relationship with God in which the law (tôrāh) has been placed within their hearts (Jer 31:33; cf. Heb 10:14–17), not abrogated. But obedience for Christians is to the indwelling Holy Spirit, not to the letter of the law (2 Cor 3:6). (McComiskey, T. E. (1986). Micah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, pp. 436–437). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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6:8. Micah then told the nation (O man means any person in Israel) exactly what God did desire from them. God did not want them to be related to Him in only a ritualistic way. God wanted them to be related inwardly—to obey Him because they desired to, not because it was a burden on them. That relationship, which is good (beneficial), involves three things: that individuals (a) act justly (be fair in their dealings with others), (b) love mercy (ḥeseḏ, “loyal love”; i.e., carry through on their commitments to meet others needs), and (c) walk humbly with … God (fellowship with Him in modesty, without arrogance). “Humbly” translates the verb ṣāna‘ (which occurs only here in the OT); it means to be modest. (The adjective ṣānûa‘ occurs only once, in Prov. 11:2.) The Lord had already told them of these demands (Deut. 10:12, 18). Doing justice “is a way of loving mercy, which in turn is a manifestation of walking humbly with God” (James Luther Mays, Micah: A Commentary, p. 142). Many people in Micah’s day were not being just (Micah 2:1–2; 3:1–3; 6:11), or showing loyal love to those to whom they were supposed to be committed (2:8–9; 3:10–11; 6:12), or walking in humble fellowship with God (2:3). (Martin, J. A. (1985). Micah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1489). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The prophet spoke to the people (Micah 6:8) and told them exactly what the Lord wanted each of them to do. It was a personal matter that each individual sinner had to consider. His reply emphasized moral and ethical conduct, not religious ceremonies. Of course, we can’t “do justly” unless we’ve been justified by faith and are right with God (Ps. 32:1–2; Rom. 4:1–8). And how can we “love mercy” if we’ve not personally experienced God’s mercy? (Eph. 2:4; Titus 3:5). If we want to “walk humbly with [our] God,” we must first bow humbly before Him, confess our sins, and claim His promise of forgiveness (Luke 14:11; James 4:10).
Our Lord’s parable about the Pharisee and publican in the temple (Luke 18:9–14) illustrates all three points. The publican was justified by faith, not by doing the kind of good works that the Pharisee boasted about. Since the publican depended on God’s mercy to save him, he humbled himself before the Lord. The Pharisee, on the other hand, informed God (and whoever was listening in the temple) how good he was and therefore how much he deserved eternal life.
To make Micah 6:8 a salvation text is to misunderstand what the prophet was saying to God’s disobedient covenant people. None of us can do what God requires until first we come to God as broken sinners who need to be saved. Unsaved people who think they are doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God are only fooling themselves, no matter how moral their lives may be. “Not by works righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).
The people to whom Micah ministered simply didn’t get the point of his messages. The very fact that they were so guilty before God should have motivated them to turn from their shallow religion, humble themselves, and seek God’s mercy. The only people God can save are lost people; the only people God can forgive are guilty people. If we see ourselves as God sees us, then we can by faith become what He wants us to become. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (pp. 110–111). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor.)
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6:8 Micah’s terse response (v. 8) indicated they should have known the answer to the rhetorical question. Spiritual blindness had led them to offer everything except the one thing He wanted—a spiritual commitment of the heart from which right behavior would ensue (cf. Dt 10:12–19; Mt 22:37–39). This theme is often represented in the OT (cf. 1Sa 15:22; Is 1:11–20; Jer 7:21–23; Hos 6:6; Am 5:15). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mic 6:8). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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No! It was righteousness that was lacking. Righteousness, then, must be maintained. “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (ver. 8). Only when they bowed before Him, to own the sin of the past, and sought strength to walk as here outlined, could there be that happy sense of the Lord’s favor which lifts the soul above all circumstances, and enables it to joy in God Himself. (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (p. 247). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 8. He hath shewed me, O man, what is good, &c.] This is not the answer of the prophet to the body of the people, or to any and every one of the people of Israel; but of Balaam to Balak, a single man, that consulted with him, and put questions to him; particularly what he should do to please the Lord, and what righteousness he required of him, that would be acceptable to him; and though he was a king, he was but a man, and he would have him know it that he was no more, and as such addresses him; and especially when he is informing him of his duty to God; which lay not in such things as he had proposed, but in doing that which was good, and avoiding that which was evil, in a moral sense: and this the Lord had shewn him by the light of nature; which is no other than the work of the law of God written in the hearts of the Heathens, by which they are directed to do the good commanded in the law, and to shun the evil forbidden by it; see Rom. 2:14, 15: and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly; or judgment; to exercise public judgment and justice, as a king, among his subjects; to do private and personal justice between man and man; to hurt no man’s person, property, and character; to give to every one their due, and do as he would desire to be done by; which as it is agreeable to the law of God, so to the light of nature, and what is shewn, required, and taught by it: and to love mercy; not only to shew mercy to miserable objects, to persons in distress; to relieve the poor and indigent; to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry; but to delight in such exercises; and which a king especially should do, whose throne is established by mercy, and who is able, and should be munificent; and some Heathen princes, by their liberality, have gained the name of benefactors, Euergetes, as one of the Ptolemies did; see Luke 22:25. such advice Daniel gave to Nebuchadnezzar, a Heathen prince, as agreeable to the light of nature; see Dan. 4:27: and to walk humbly with thy God? his Creator and Benefactor, from whom he had his being, and all the blessings of life, and was dependent upon him; and therefore, as a creature, should behave with humility towards his Creator, acknowledging his distance from him, and the obligations he lay under to him; and even though a king, yet his God and Creator was above him, King of kings, and Lord of lords, to whom he owed his crown, sceptre, and kingdom, and was accountable to him for all his administrations: and this walking humbly is opposed to walking in pride, which kings are apt to do; but God can humble them, and bring them low, as Heathen kings have been obliged to own; see Dan. 2:21 and 4:37. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 582–583). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren Wiersbe
Spiritual maturity comes, not from the routine reading of the Bible or religious books, but from inwardly “digesting” and outwardly obeying the Word of God. (p.59)
When we consider the price Jesus paid to make us HIS sheep, we ought to want to give our all, our best, to HIM. (p. 59)
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PREPARE: Living Your Faith In An Increasingly HOSTILE CULTURE by J. Paul Nyquist
Leader in the Pakistani church:
Barnabas Fund, an advocacy group, estimates that every year seven hundred Christian girls are abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry their abductors. (p. 158)
The deeper the pain inflicted upon us, the stronger our reliance on God became. (p. 160)
Through these years of persecution we have grown stronger in faith, and now twenty-two congregations have been rooted and eighteen new churches have been built on the inspiration of Nehemiah, Ezra, and Paul.…
If rhey change their religion, the punishment is death. Islam supposedly teaches tolerance and Pakistani government boasts of being a democratic government, but when it comes to apostasy, the justice, tolerance, and freedom are seldom seen. (p. 161)
Persecution also brought many seekers and converts, thus causing the Church to grow in ways that would not have been possible if there had not be persecution. (p. 162)
There is a growing majority [in America] of the younger population who affiliate themselves as atheists, agnostics, and nihilists. Most student at the Ivy League campuses believer premarital six and living as common-law partners is fine with their moral standards. (p.163)
How can believers stay strong in the midst of an evolving assault on the American church from the legislative, judicial, and executive branches? (p. 163)
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TOZERSPEAKS by A. W. Tozer
When the followers of Jesus Christ lose their interest in heaven they will no longer be happy Christians and when they are no longer happy Christians they cannot be a powerful force in a sad and sinful world. It may be said with certainly that Christians who have lost their enthusiasm about the Savior’s promises of heaven-to-come have also stopped being effective in Chrisitan life and witness in this world. (p. 278)
Sin lies in the will of the man and when the man wills to sin, he uses his body as a harmless, helpless instrument to do his evil purposes. (p. 285)
Let me remind you that Jesus Christ did infinitely more in His death and resurrection than just undoing the damage of the fall. He came to raise us into the image of Jesus Christ, not merely to the image of the first Adam. The first man Adam was a living soul, the second man Adam was a life-giving Spirit. (p. 288)
People should be coming to us constantly and asking the source of our joy and delight – redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, our yesterdays behind us, our sin under the blood forever and a day, to be remembered against us no more forever. (p. 292)
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Taking GOD Seriously by D. Stuart Briscoe
Micah has been speaking to his immediate contemporaries and now he asks the rhetorical question, “What does the Lord require of you? (6:8) As with all good rhetorical questioners, he immediately gives the answer:
1. To act justly, not as the profiteers were doing in his immediate situation,
2. To love mercy, not as the establishment was doing in Jerusalem at that particular time;
3. To walk humbly with your God, not as the nation of Judah was going. (p.100)
Those who walk humbly with their God have a passionate concern for justice being done in society, and a deep concern to treat people lovingly and mercifully. (p. 101)
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Isaiah 55
All that salvation costs is what everyone can afford: one’s self.
INSIGHT
Coming to the Lord costs a man nothing and, at the same time, costs him everything. The offer is free in that a man need not give anything in exchange for his salvation. “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (v. 1). Yet receiving salvation costs man his life. He no longer has the freedom of self-determination. “Seek the Lord while He may be found . . . Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him” (vv. 6-7). All that it costs is what everyone can give: one’s self. (Quiet Walk)
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KNOWING GOD
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Is it possible to know God? Here I have to introduce a term, a big and yet vital word. The Bible teaches what is called the incomprehensibility of God. It means that God cannot finally be comprehended or understood by human beings. It means that we can read around the doctrine of God and try to grasp it with our minds, but by definition God is incomprehensible; we can never know Him in the ultimate, final, and complete sense. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Read about this also in Romans 11:33 and 1 Timothy 6:16. God dwells in that light that no one can approach. God in His eternal and absolute being is incomprehensible.
Yet we see that though God is finally incomprehensible, He is nevertheless knowable; He cannot be comprehended, but, thank God, He can be known. Let us be clear about this. There are those who would have us believe that God cannot be known in His real being, that He can only be known in His dealings with men and women. But that is a position that is quite wrong when you bring it into the light of biblical teaching. The knowledge that we have of God’s being will never be anything but a partial knowledge, but though it is partial, it is nevertheless real; though it is not complete, it is true knowledge, enough to lead us to glorify Him. And we have this knowledge of God because it has pleased God Himself to give it to us.
A Thought to Ponder: Though God is incomprehensible, He is nevertheless knowable; He cannot be comprehended, but He can be known. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 51, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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John’s Creator/Savior (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research) ___________________________________________________________ We must beware of living on compliments lest we find ourselves confusing God’s will with Satan’s plans (Matt. 16:21-23). It has well been said that a leader suffer more from his critics, and this is especially true in Christian ministry. (p. 76) _______________________________________________ |
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When the Father puts his children into the furnace of affliction, he keeps his eye on the clock and his hand on the thermostat. He knows how much and how long. Our task is to trust HIM and pray that we will come forth like gold (Job 23: 10) (p 76) ______________________________________________ |
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At a denominations conference, a musical group sand a contemporary song in a most exciting “show-biz.” Manner and evoked loud cheers and applause. People were smiling and saying, “Aren’t they good? Wasn’t their choreography entertaining?” The group was followed by a pastor with multiple sclerosis who from his wheelchair sang “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus.” When he was finished, a holy hush moved over the congregation. There were tears in people’s eyes, and they were thinking, “Isn’t our God wonderful? Oh, how we out to love him more!” No cheers and applause, just worship.
When ministry becomes performance, then the sanctuary becomes a theater, the congregation becomes an audience, worship becomes entertainment, and man’s applause and approval become the measure of success. But when ministry is for the glory of God, HIS presence moves into the sanctuary. Even the unsaved visitor will fall down on his face, worship God, and confess that God is among us (I Cor. 14:25).
The words of James Denney are worth reading again: “No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save. “
The purpose of ministry is the glory of God. (p. 77)
(10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. & David W. Wiersbe)
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DAILY HOPE
Today’s Scripture
Genesis 4-7
Yesterday we began the journey through the Bible! The first two chapters establish Who the author is and how creation all began. The Fall of man is recorded in chapter three and now we begin to encounter the nuclei of all biblical doctrine. While some will debate the importance of Genesis and the validity of its statements, there is foundational truths that resonate throughout the remainder of the Bible.
In chapter 4, notice the conflict that erupts between brothers and the cause for the first recorded fatality. Also be attentive to the excuses and attempts to minimize the severity of the act. How is that revealed in us today?
In chapter 5 do not miss important facts due to the genealogy. Why did people live so long during this time and why was the firstborn the only one mentioned?
In chapters 6 and 7, the ungodly multiply and sin abounds. What made Noah favorable to God and everyone else worthy of death? The consequences of sin was so complete that all creation outside the ark was destroyed. Do we see sin the same way that God does?
As you read this section be mindful of how God speaks and the hardness of heart and resistant ears man has toward their Creator. Is our world similar to what we are reading in this section?
Pray for your neighbors and friends who demand their rights and independence. Spend some time in prayer asking God to keep us and our society from such hardened and calloused hearts.
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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