Micah 6
COMMENTARY:
: 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.
: 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.
: 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!!!!
: 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.
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 offeringsverse 6
Offeringsverse 7
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 5-9
LORD’S peopleverses 2, 3, 5, 16
Righteousness of the LORDverse 5
LORD’S voiceverse 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)verses 6, 8
High Godverse 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 Egyptverse 4
Balak – king of Moabverse 5
Balaam – son of Beorverse 5
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wearied of LORDverse 3
Testify against LORDverse 3
Transgressionsverse 7
Sinverses 7, 13
Wickedness in the house of the wickedverse 10
Scant measureverse 10
Abominationverse 10
Wicked balancesverse 11
Deceitful weightsverse 11
Full of violenceverse 12
Spoken liesverse 12
Tongue deceitfulverse 12
Not satisfiedverse 14
No deliveranceverse 14
Walk in Ahab’s counselverse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hearverses 1, 2
Testifyverse 3
Redeemedverse 4
Righteousnessverse 5
Shown goodverse 8
Requiredverse 8
Justlyverse 8
Love mercyverse 8
Walk humblyverse 8
Men of wisdomverse 9
Pureverse 11
Satisfiedverse 14
Deliveranceverse 14
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israelverse 2
Mosesverse 4
Aaronverse 4
Miriamverse 4
Statutes of Omriverse 16
House of Ahabverse 16
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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