Holiness
Sermon Notes
Micah 1:1-5
The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days
of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw
concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
earth.
Hear, you peoples, all of you;
pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,
and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place,
and will come down and tread upon the high places of the
And the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.
All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? 1
Rebelliousness is something each of us can understand. Children rebel against parents. Adults rebel against rules. As Americans we celebrate rebellion at times – especially if it’s our own history as evidenced with our founding built on a revolution/rebellion against England.
Years ago a teenager told me that his mom kept telling him what to do. I thought “Well...yeah.” Then he said “What she wants me to do is stupid, so I don’t do it.”
And...this home was not at peace.
A rebellious heart is fueled by a sense of pride, a theology of “ought” and leads to rebellious actions. Such actions affirm the belief that “no one is going to tell me what to do” and left to our own devices, our own philosophy and a therapeutic understanding of identity, this is where humanity finds itself in 2022.
And it always has been the case.
I believe that this Old Testament prophet from a small town on the other side of the planet, long dead and from a totally different culture gives the Holy Spirit-inspired words we need today.
He too was facing a rebellious people – a people of pride, of self-made lifestyles, of haughtiness, of political leanings, of syncretistic beliefs that merged godlessness with the holy to the point the holy was no longer seen.
So, for the next few weeks or so we are going to take a little journey to a place in history that is far different from ours...but oh so similar. We will look at the impacts of royalty, religious idolatry, self-focused living, and a shift of cultural norms that makes the revolutions our own culture has and is experiencing pale in comparison.
It is a journey into a dark time made clear by a light. The light.
A judgment upon godlessness that leaves instruction for the repentant and gives hope. A righteous perspective of love that peels away the personal philosophies of “ought to” that have seeped into the minds of
men and women with a darkened view of what is right, what is wrong, what is holy, and what is depraved.
So...let’s go.
MICAH’S BIO
Prophet from Moresheth – small town in southern part of Judah. Judah was the southern kingdom (Jerusalem). Israel the northern kingdom (Samaria and Shechem). These were the divisions after the reign of Solomon.
Micah was a country boy from a rural area.
God calls people from all walks of life. Micah is not one who would be considered upper class. He is a country boy. He is no dummy, but he is no royal, prestigious, high-class man.
Though from the country, Micah spent much of his life in the city of Jerusalem.
Micah’s name means “Who is like Yahweh?” Micah’s prophecies answer the question.
He would speak to the people of the northern and the southern kingdoms (Israel and Judah.)
Micah served for 30+ years and yet his book of prophecy only has seven chapters. As with the other minor prophets, Micah’s words are succinct.
MICAH’S MESSAGE
His message was a warning. A warning that God, who is holy, who is love, who provided a home and a way of life for his chosen people would not sit idly by while their version of “ought to” was espoused as why they lived as they did ... in rebellion to all that is holy.
This message is a warning for the faithful, a clarion call for the drifting, and an invitation to the lost.
God is love. God is just. God is holy. And...he will not sit idly by when a rescue is needed.
God is bringing his righteous judgment upon his loved ones – his people. But why?
And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
There is a historic sin committed by King Solomon – you know the son of David and wisest of all men.
Yet, Solomon in his pride sinned. He drifted...he justified...he lived with an “I love God...but I like to have fun too” philosophy. And the sins of sexual promiscuity and ultimately idolatry found on the high place for a false God that Solomon built is being judged. Solomon sinned (1 Kings 11.) He was judged for it, but also because he set in motion a system of sinfulness and excusing personal desires as and will come down and tread upon the high places of the
For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place, earth. (come Lord...right?)
And the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.
All this is for the transgression of
and for the sins of the house of .
What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?
Jacob
Israel
motivation for such in his people, you now have generation after generation of dissonance and sin.
And God is not waiting for another generation to come. It is time.
JACOB & ISRAEL
When Micah says “Jacob” he’s referencing the southern kingdom. When Micah says “Israel” he’s referencing the northern kingdom.
The kings of Judah (Jacob) and Israel had abandoned truth. How had they sinned? They rejected the covenant of God. God’s covenant was initiated with Israel on Mount Sinai and the people agreed to God’s terms. God kept up his end of the agreement. The people did not.
God promised Israel he would provide for their physical and spiritual needs and protect them from their enemies. Israel promised obedience and loyalty.
First four commandments – Reveal the requirements of loyalty:
Worship God alone
Don’t make false idols
Don’t desecrate God’s name
Honor his holy day
Final six commandments – Reveal the requirements of obedience:
Honor parents
Honor life
Honor marriage
Honor integrity
Honor truth
Honor neighbor
The people had broken every aspect of the covenant.
Before we shake our heads too hard, we should consider our ways and the fact we’re prone to the very same challenges on our journeys. While not bound by OT covenant, God’s Word remains binding. The New Covenant remains.
Are we loyal kingdom residents?
Are we solely focused on Christ? Do we even know him? Are we worshipping idols?
Honoring parents, life, marriage, etc.?
You see, many today have settled into a therapeutic version of religion where God is not holy but is rather someone we go to when we have problems, but not one who gives binding truth, but just advice. Take it or leave it.
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism reigns...and good people in churches throughout our nation are sold out to this. It’s based more on the writings of Freud, Marx, Nietsche, and Dali than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Jesus emphasized the Shema, in Matthew 22 as the greatest commandment.
The call is clear – God is holy. He is sovereign. He is just. He is right. And he loves you too much to allow the idol of created righteousness to continue. Micah shined a light in a dark world. That light remains today. And God is calling us toward him, the Light of the World so that we too may be as Christ declared – the light of the world.
Endnotes
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mic 1:1–5). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
