The Case against Israel
“Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel: ‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”
With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
The Punishment of Israel
The voice of the LORD calls out to the city—and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name—“Heed the rod and the One who ordained it. Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights? For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths. Therefore I am striking you severely, to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat but not be satisfied, and your hunger will remain with you.
What you acquire, you will not preserve; and what you save, I will give over to the sword. You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine. You have kept the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their counsel. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the nations. ”
God has a case against His people Israel and He is coldly furious. “‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and God delivered them, wiping out one of the greatest armies in the Middle East in the process. Then God led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years and protected them all that while. When Balak king of Moab engaged the pagan prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites, God turned those curses to blessings instead. God protected the Israelites and gave them the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But God also commanded the Israelites to worship and obey Him and nobody else. Instead of following God’s commandments, the Israelites took up the religious practices of the tribes whom God had expelled before them, covering their idolatry with a thin veneer of Jewish religious practices.
Once Joshua had conquered the Promised Land, the Israelites began looking around and copying local religious practices; however, the rot really began setting in when King Solomon took hundreds of wives and concubines, many of whom were idolaters. These women demanded their own shrines and Solomon filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with those shrines. When the kingdom split, Jeroboam established his own altars and his own religion to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem. As time went on, Omri, the father of Ahab, became ruler over the northern kingdom and promoted full-bore idol worship. Ahab married Jezebel, a priestess of Baal, and further promulgated every form of idolatry possible.
We copy what we worship. If we worship the One True Living God, we will take on His characteristics. But if we worship horrible demons that demand child sacrifice and fertility rites, we lose our moral compasses and our lives will show the results. “Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights? For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths…. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the nations. ”
God has been watching as the citizens of both kingdoms have moved increasingly further away from Him, and now God is fed up! God is sending Micah to issue a stern warning: repent or lose everything. But it appears that nobody is listening. And we hear the cry of God’s heart: “He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” All God wants is righteousness, but none of His children hear this plea.
APPLICATION: We have a furry creature that rules our household. Mr. Cat demands specially – prepared cat food at certain times and reserves the right to go out at any moment if something fails to please him. Mr. Cat is not a purring snuggle kitty; pet him for too long and you might get scratched or bitten. We both love this furry tyrant; however, it is my husband who makes the cat food and takes the most care of him. Is our cat grateful? Hah! Dogs have masters, but cats have servants, and our cat certainly feels that we exist to take care of him. Sadly, our cat’s attitude towards us reflects the way many people regard God; they feel God is there to serve them and they should not have to heed His commands or walk in His ways.
Unfortunately, many of the people in Micah’s day felt God was there to serve them but felt no obligation to be faithful to Him first. Neglecting the fact that God had delivered the Israelites despite all their flaws, these people believed they could do anything and then offer a few animals and square things with God. For the citizens of both kingdoms, God had become a type of super-deity who could be propitiated with the proper rituals. What a tragic mistake!
As we consider this chapter, we must ask ourselves how we measure up against God’s standard.
“He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Are we acting justly? Do we love mercy? Are we walking humbly with our God? We are the only ones who can answer those questions. But take care! Your answers have eternal consequences.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment