Sayre Woods Bible Church

How miserable I am! I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat. Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig can be found to satisfy my hunger. The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on the earth. (Micah 7:1-2a)

Ever look at the world and get discouraged? Micah understands. As he looked around at the society around him, he stated, “How miserable I am.” From his perspective, there was not an honest person left in the land. Political leaders were corrupt. Judges were ruling cases based on their own biases and greed. The powerful were unchecked in getting what they wanted. And the family had totally disintegrated into anger, rivalry, backstabbing, and betrayal. A man’s enemies are the members of his own household (7:6b). We don’t know much about Micah’s family but you can’t help but think that Micah was speaking from personal experience. It’s bad enough when society is going downhill but when you find that your own family has turned on you, then you really fell all alone. This is Micah’s situation. So what does he do?

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me (7:7).

Micah kept praying, watching, and waiting on the LORD. He took his despair and discouragement to the LORD and he waited…and watched…and waited some more for God’s deliverance.

It’s not necessarily the advice that we want to hear. We are so accustomed to quick fixes and fast resolutions. Think of the products on TV. All of them promise “fast relief” or “instant results.” Ever hear one that says, “Results will come after many years of waiting, exercising patience, and trusting God.” Yeah, right. 

Waiting is not our forte. This hectic, quick-results culture spills over into our Christian lives…into our churches. We want maturity…fast. We want growth…immediately. We want change…now! Consequently we cut corners…we look for “spiritual growth steroids”…we go after marketing and slick presentations…we look for “secret” and “revolutionary” methods to spirituality. None last.

God allows us to face discouragement, to struggle emotionally, to deal with disappointment in order to teach us how to look beyond this world, beyond our present situation, and to wait on Him, trust in Him, hope in Him. It’s not easy. True spiritual growth never is. But, in God’s eyes, the process is as important as the result. His goal is to make us like Christ…and there are no short-cuts to Christ-like character.

So in the midst of the struggles of life, we have to learn to say with Micah, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior, my God will hear me.”

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

It is good to be reminded of the message of Micah 6:8. It is easy for me to complicate the Christian life. I feel overwhelmed with the number of needs around me, with the responsibilities on my plate, with my “to do” list. In the midst of all that, I often wonder what God wants me to do. Am I measuring up? Should I be doing more? I know, in Christ, I am forgiven and graced. But sometimes I find myself wondering if I am really pleasing the Lord.

Micah asks this question in Micah 6:6-7. What do you want from us, God? How do You want to be worshipped? Do you want lots of sacrifices? Do you want me to dedicate my firstborn to You? Or in today’s world…do you want more worship songs? More attendance at church? More service? More giving? More evangelism?

He has showed you, O man, what is good. It is not a mystery. It is not complicated.

And what does the LORD require of you? How does God want us to live? What is He looking for in the lives of His people?

To act justly. To live in integrity. To treat others fairly. To stand up for justice. To avoid lying and cheating. To not play favorites with the powerful and take advantage of the weak. Do I bend the rules to get ahead? Or do I work hard and live honestly?

To love mercy. Not just “show mercy” but “love mercy.” To enjoy caring for others. To look for opportunities to show compassion and concern. To love extending a hand of mercy to others who need it. Do I find fault in others, criticize and complain? Or do I seek to help, encourage, and spur others on to love and good works?  

The first two balance each out perfectly. We are to stand for truth and to love mercy. We are to live righteously and compassionately. We are to desire integrity and intimacy. We are to pursue righteousness and relationships. Our tendency, depending often on our personality, is to overemphasize one over the other. Some stand for truth and justice but in the process crush the spirits of others. Some show mercy and compassion and neglect to uphold God’s righteousness. That’s why the third element is so vital…

To walk humbly with your God. In our own strength, we will never get this thing right! Each day is an occasion to express our humble dependence on God. “Lord, I need You today. Fill me with Your Spirit. Help me to live righteously and love passionately. Apart from You, I can do nothing.” When we feel overwhelmed by the Christian life, we are right where God wants us to be. We can’t do it on our own. We need to walk in the Spirit every moment of every day.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Micah is a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah around 725 BC. In his prophecy, he predicts the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel (and their capital Samaria) which happened in 722 BC. He also warned Judah of God’s judgment on them if they did not repent and change their ways.

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us.” Should it be said, O house of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the LORD angry? Does He do such things?”

[The LORD said,] “Do not My words do good to him whose ways are upright?” (Micah 2:6-7)

There were many voices speaking in ancient Israel. There were many “prophets.” There were many people claiming to be speaking for the LORD. Micah mentions these other prophets in 2:6. He identifies them as “their prophets.” These are the prophets that everyone liked.

If a liar and deceiver comes and says, “I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,” he would be just the prophet for this people! (Micah 2:11). This is the message that people wanted to hear. “Everything is okay. Good times will keep coming. God is loving. He does not mind your actions. Life is good. The economy is good. Have some more beer and wine and keep partying!”

Let’s face it. We all like good news. None of us like to be rebuked. We like to think we are spiritual and, at the same time, we like to do the things we want to do. The OT prophets were not popular because they refused to tow the party line. “Do not prophesy about these things,” they were told. “Keep quiet. God is not angry. He does not do such things.”

I like God’s response, “Do not my words do good to him whose ways are upright.” In other words, God once again reminds us that His words of warning are not to meant to harm but to confront us with the destructive nature of sin. We all like good news. But oftentimes we need to hear the hard message. We need to see our sin for what it is. We need to stop playing games with the realities of life.

You see God’s heart (and Micah’s heart) in this passage. The message of rebuke is not a pleasant message. But if it is given in love, then it is meant to do good. And those who have a heart for righteousness, those who have a true desire to seek God, will respond positively. I think of Proverbs 9:8, Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Proverbs 15:31 has a similar thought, He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. It is our response to a “life-giving rebuke” that reveals our heart. When we hear a hard truth spoken in true love, then we have to decide what type of person we want to be. We will either hate/blame/attack the speaker so that we can continue on our own path of self-gratification and self-destruction…or we will take the words to heart and seek to alter our course back in the direction of God, righteousness and life.

Lord, teach Me to hear Your voice…whether it be in the honest reading of Your Word, the convicting proddings of Your Spirit, or in the loving rebuke and the wise counsel of a faithful friend.

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened. (Jonah 3:10)

I love the book of Jonah. At its heart, it is a book of grace. God shows grace to Jonah, a disobedient and angry prophet. And He shows grace to the people of Nineveh, a disobedient and godless people. Jonah’s place in the minor prophets reminds us that in announcing judgment, God is not seeking to scold us but to bring us to repentance. The harsh words of the prophets are not the words of a condemning, compassionless God. They are the words of a Father desperately seeking the hearts of His people and passionately warning them of the consequences of their sin.

I know as a father, I am constantly issuing warnings to my children. Every day seems to be an occasion to say to them, “Don’t do that….be careful…watch out…stop!” Maybe I’m overprotective but the intent is to protect them from harming themselves and harming others. I can see the potential consequences of their actions and attitudes. They cannot. Their perspective is too small and their experience is too limited to fully understand what they are doing. If that is true with myself and my kids, it is even more true when I look at myself in light of my heavenly Father. He sees so much further than my limited perspective. His warnings are designed to protect me from harming myself and others.

Jonah also reminds us that God’s heart is not just for the nation of Israel but for all nations. God could have raised up a prophet from among the Ninevites but instead He sent Jonah. Why? To teach Jonah that He loves all people and, in some sense, to pull Jonah out of a self-righteous, self-centered, myopic world and enable him to experience God’s grace working among the most unlikely of people. God is always working in the hearts of people. He is not just working in America in Protestant, evangelical churches. His heart beats for all nations, for all cultures, for all peoples.

What is God looking for in people? He is looking for a repentant heart….just like the Ninevites. They did not know a whole lot about God. All they knew is that God existed, He was righteous, they failed to meet His righteous standard, and thus they needed His mercy and compassion. Their simple humility and repentance brought God’s deliverance.

God doesn’t require extensive rituals or long prayers or holy pilgrimages or a list of good works. He simply wants our hearts. He wants a heart recognizes who He is, recognizes its own weakness and dependence, and cries out to Him for grace and strength. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). In other words, blessed are those who realize they have nothing to offer God because they are free to receive all that He offers them.

Lord, thank You for Your grace and mercy toward me. Help me to see the nations as You see them. Give me strength today to love and obey.

“Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites?” declares the LORD. “Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?” (Amos 9:7)

Amos 9:7 is one of the more shocking statements in the Old Testament. God reminds the Israelites that, in His eyes, all the nations are the same. God does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11). He sees the Israelites and the Cushites (Ethiopians) the same. He does not look at nationality or skin color; He looks at the heart. So why are the Israelites privileged? Not because of their nationality but because “theirs are the patriarchs and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ” (Romans 9:5). For Christ to be born a human, He needed an ancestral line. The Jewish nation was set apart to be this line. But such a privilege does not excuse the Israelites from sin or give them a “special pass.” Indeed, if anything, it holds them to a greater responsibility to live as God’s people. That’s why Amos is so hard-hitting. He is basically telling the nation of Israel, “You, of all people, should know better!” I can’t help but think that God’s message to His church would be the same when we live in complacency, pride, selfishness, and greed. “You, of all people, should know better.”

The second part of Amos 9:7 is just as interesting. Not only does God not show favoritism to nations, but He actively works in the histories of nations. God called Israel out of Egypt just as He called the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir. Whoa. Though we know nothing of these other “exoduses,” God does. He is always working behind the scenes, in the hearts of men, in the histories of nations, to accomplish His purposes.

I am reminded of Peter’s words in Acts 10:34-35, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” That’s quite a statement when you read it slowly. Basically Peter is telling us, “Hey, God is in control. He sees the heart of men. He knows when someone truly fears Him and seeks His mercy. Don’t get arrogant in your privileged position. And don’t doubt that God can save anyone, anywhere, whose heart is inclined toward Him.”

The book of Amos teaches me several things…

1. God is a roaring lion who hates sin. I have to be careful not to reduce God into a Santa Claus who ignores sin and pretty much smiles on whatever I do. Though I live under grace, this is not an excuse for sin but a motivation to live in holiness.
2. God warns me about complacency. Woe to those who are at ease in Zion (6:1). Those words stick in my heart. The danger of the Christian life is often not blatant sin but passive complacency. I grow comfortable. My heart becomes cold. My eyes become distracted. My love turns inward. My life becomes caught up in meaningless things. Lord, restore the passion for You!
3. God loves all people and shows no favoritism. Really, when it comes down to it, there are not blacks, whites, Hispanics, Orientals, Jews, Gentiles, Republicans, Democrats, straights, homosexuals, punks, preps, rich, poor, boomers, busters, moderns, postmoderns, etc. There are people, made in the image of God, convicted by the Spirit, and offered grace through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Yes, in ministering to people, we must be aware of their cultural context and worldview, but in our attitude and love, we must never see one person as being more favored or less desirable than another. That is a challenge that can only be done through the power of the Spirit and through the eyes of Jesus.

Lord, thank You for Your grace. Thank You that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Awaken my heart today. Fill me with Your Spirit. Keep me from pride and complacency. Strengthen me in holiness. Teach me how to see as You see and love as You love. Through the power of Christ. Amen.