The Verdict
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Micah 6: 1-15
Hear what the LORD says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8
Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”
“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?
Your rich men are full of violence;
your inhabitants speak lies,
and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins.
You shall eat, but not be satisfied,
and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
You shall sow, but not reap;
you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” 1
Courtroom dramas have intrigued people for years. Whether it is watching Perry Mason reruns, Law & Order, or films like “To Kill a Mockingbird” fictional courtrooms have entertained many. Then, there’s the real life drama depicted on Dateline or even just the continual news coverage of celebrity trials whether it be O.J. Simpson decades ago or Johnny Depp and Amber Heard this year.
The voice of the LORD cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:
“Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!
Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house
of the wicked,
and the scant measure that is accursed?
Chapter six begins with legal language. This is a courtroom and the trial is occurring. The witnesses have been called and they give their testimony. Yet, this is no ordinary trial. The witnesses int his case are the mountains surrounding God’s people.
Why mountains? Symbolic of where the law was first given to Moses and God’s people – Mount Sinai. The mountains are declaring the truth of what they have observed being done by the people who for centuries have worn the title “God’s chosen people” and have been given the great gift of having God’s law.
Then come the statement of indictment in verses 3-5
This is the question from God pleading for answers. Why have you forsaken God? What has God done other than rescue you from slavery? Provide for all your needs? Given you instruction? Laws for God’s glory and your good? Protection? Life? Hope?
But there are no answers. There is no response to these questions. The arrogance and pride of the people of God have been their response for generations. Now when confronted...there is silence.
The people of God have abandoned their covenant with him. They have broken it. Sinful selfishness is their identifier. Even the most significant
“O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”
event in their collective history has been forgotten – the exodus. Oh, they remember it occurred and they teach of it, but it’s a revisionist history. It is a rescue not of the undeserved, but one focusing on their position as God’s chosen rather than on their humble state of the undeserved redeemed.
And that reality is not something reserved just for a long-dead people in a far away land. That too describes many in our post-Christian nation who sadly do not even recognize that they now live in a post-Christian culture.
Apparently, not much has changed when it comes to the human heart and our proclivity for elevating self.
So, God commands them in this indictment. This is given in clear language regarding his expectations. There is no wiggle room here. No excuse for misunderstanding. It’s stated. It’s clear. It’s here.
It is not the empty sacrifices of the ones who feel guilty because they are caught, but the attitude of a heart of worship, lived out as James stated in the New Testament with works that reveal one’s faith.
DO JUSTICE
This command made sense because the people had abandoned justice in so many ways. They abandoned this personally and nationally.
Personal – it’s about ethics.
The majority of the people had abandoned God’s desires and plans for justice (chapter 2) when dealing with others.
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Yet, desiring to be in a just world and receive justice is not what God is speaking of here. IF you’re a Christian, you are already the recipient of God’s justice, which was covered by Jesus’ substitutionary death. By his blood we have been declared not guilty.
In an unjust world, God commands us to be distributors of justice.
Three things about living justly:
1. Integrity – being “without wax” and the consistent
2. Truth – absolute truth is the focus
3. Love & Concern – acceptance of God’s commands to show
justice to the weak, based on the previous two.
LOVE KINDNESS
Why is this here? Because people abandoned a willingness to show mercy in their lives and as a nation. When God’s role in the covenant is mentioned in the OT, the word translated mercy here is used. It’s a challenging word to get right in English but the best definition of the Hebrew chesed is “loyal love that contains mercy.”
God unwaveringly shows mercy/kindness to sinful people.
This kindness is expected of a Christian. Three terms come to mind when we delve into this – love, grace, and forgiveness.
We know we get this when we begin to view the world as God does.
We see people as those in need of a Savior.
WALK HUMBLY
This term translated as “humbly” here is only used here in the entire OT. It too is challenging to translate, but a good definition is “lowly.”
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This is not a term revealing weakness but is an opposite of pride that so many deal with.
Christ humbled himself when he came to earth and was obedient even unto the cross.
Since the people don’t believe they don’t obey. They embraced false gods, false prophets, and false ethics.
The verdict is given in the closing verses...
It is not good, but it is holy. God will not ignore sin. In his grace he offers hope. Yet without repentance comes judgment.
The greatest hindrance to the gospel changing a life today is the life of one professing to be a follower of Christ, but not living in such a way that truly reflects that. A painful, but needed lesson.
So...Christians in a post-Christian culture. Believers in an unbelieving world. Saved among the unsaved. The remnant of the righteous among the many unregenerate...what say you?
The church here today is providentially here to glorify God and make disciples. Perhaps today the verdict is convicting? Do justice? Love mercy? Walk humbly with our God? Is that you? It must be.
End Notes
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mic 6:1–16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. 2
