In The Word
Read: Micah 6:1-7:6
God’s Indictment of His People
6 Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
Because the Lord has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “My people, what have I done to you,
And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
5 “My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from Shittim to Gilgal,
So that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Man
6 With what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
9 The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time?
10 “Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of wickedness
And a short measure that is cursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men of the city are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Desolating you because of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your vileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will not preserve anything,
And what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 “You will sow but you will not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will not drink wine.
16 “The statutes of Omri
And all the works of the house of Ahab are observed;
And in their devices you walk.
Therefore I will give you up for destruction
And your inhabitants for derision,
And you will bear the reproach of My people.”
The Prophet Acknowledges
7 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a first-ripe fig which I crave.
2 The godly person has perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a net.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a briar,
The most upright like a thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your punishment will come.
Then their confusion will occur.
5 Do not trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard your lips.
6 For son treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The charge was laid out. God looked over His people and did not like what He saw. In spite of all that He had done for them, the Israelites refused to live in a way that honored God. All that the Lord required was for them to do justice, love kindness, and walk in humility before God (Micah 6:8). Micah declared that there was no one who walked upright before God (Micah 7:1-6). Because of their rebellion, God shut off their blessings. Basically, God removed His favor from them; nothing that they did prospered.
God desires to bless His people, not curse them, but by our choices we determine the blessing or the curse. When God removes His favor, it is meant to draw us to repentance. It is meant to show us the contrast of living under God’s favor or under His wrath. If I were to ask you right now which of the two you wanted, you would say favor. But favor is the fruit of faithfulness. God still desires that we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly in His ways. Are you being faithful before the Lord in all your ways? Right now, God is looking into your heart. Psalms 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being.” What God sees will determine favor or discipline. Beloved, God is wanting to bless you beyond measure; turn and choose to walk in His favor.