Hear
the Rod!
Introduction – In these remaining
verses of Chapter 6, Micah seems to close the door of any remaining hope of
restoration of Israel, but not because of God’s impatience. Stubborn, hard-hearted and presumptuous,
Israel will not respond to the charges.
God, however, is faithful to His covenant, and His sentence is just what
is required for this longstanding betrayal.
Turning a Deaf Ear (6:9-12) – Crying out
to the city, representing the whole nation, the prophet sends a message of
national judgment. Only the wise will
see this to be from the Lord. Everyone
else laughs at the preacher and blames the fates when disaster comes. Only the wise hear the whistle of the divine
rod as it makes its way down upon the backside of the nation.
Treasures of
Wickedness - The Lord clearly told Israel what He requires
of them (6:8), and like the rich man in Jesus’ day, they refuse to do anything
of the kind. At the temple they are
willing to sacrifice even their children (and they did in Ahaz’s day - 2 Kings
16:2-4). But in the marketplace, they
aren’t willing to deal justly with their wallets and weights, let alone
to consider showing mercy to the weak.
Unfruitful Labor (6:13-16) – There are
no guarantees that your prosperity will continue. But what is harder to believe is that if your prosperity does
continue, there is no guarantee that you will be able to enjoy it.
Make You Sick
(v13) - The wicked “swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts
them out of his belly” (Job 20:15).
You Shall Eat
(v14-15) - The covetous are never satisfied (Eccl 5:10). And prosperous days will give themselves up
to days of famine, sword, and judgment.
This is the way of a rebellious world.
Foreigners may take it, your government may take it, or your neighbor
may take it. The point is, that if God
wants it to go – it will be gone.
God hasn’t lost his cool, arbitrarily declaring curses. These are the specific curses He promised in the covenant He made with Israel (Lev 26:16, 26, Deut 28:30, 38-40).
Omri & Ahab
(v16) – These are two wicked, idolatrous kings who ruled Israel more than 100
years before Micah’s day. Ahab was
known for worshipping false gods, marrying wicked unbelieving women, and
laughing and persecuting the prophets of God.
When that happens at the top, judgment is coming, and the ramifications
of such sin will affect generations to come.
The Prophet’s Lament (7:1-6) – Ahab, you
will recall, ruled in the days of Elijah, and here, Micah sounds like Elijah in
his prayer of loneliness. Judgment has
come when –
You Stand Alone
(7:1-2) – Trying to find another faithful man in Micah’s day was like trying to
find a piece of choice fruit after the harvest.
The Best is
Simply ‘the Lesser of Two Evils’ (7:3-4) – He can’t
find a prince or a judge who is faithful to the Word. The ones who are the best are still a thorn in the side.
Even Your
Family Hates You (7:5-6) – The closest of relational
ties, friends and family, cannot be trusted when the cutting sword of gospel
truth is proclaimed. When this happens
it reveals how fallen our natures are, and when it happens on a national scale
it is a sign of certain doom. Christ
taught that these would be the signs of coming judgment upon Jerusalem as well,
but He also taught that true disciples love Him more, regardless of the cost
(Matt 10:16-39).
We Must Hear the Rod! – Matthew Henry said
“He warns before He wounds because He is not willing that any should perish”. Individuals and nations which are wise will
heed these words and seek true repentance and forgiveness from the Lord. Fools will go on their merry way because
“it’s the economy, stupid”.
Delay is not a
Sign of Apathy – We kill babies and call it choice, we endorse
sodomy and call it tolerance, we ridicule mothers who ‘just stay home’ and call
it “Women’s Lib” while their children grow up in day-care centers. We refuse to protect our women from violence
(in pornography and on the battlefield) and call it freedom (of speech) and
equality. And yet, the Dow is up, Mr.
Bush is president-elect – life is good.
We should be wincing with expectation and crying out for mercy.
Do Not
Compartmentalize Your Life – God does not evaluate your obedience
in the last fifteen minutes outside the context of all your other activities,
responsibilities and relationships. He
is not interested in your offering, if you will not obey him elsewhere (Matt
5:21-24). He hates cups that are only
clean on the outside. In addition,
James warns us that if we have stumbled in one point of the law, we are guilty
of breaking it all (James 2:1-10).
Standing for
Righteousness Can Lead to Standing Alone – In a time where there is so much
rebellion to the Lord Jesus Christ, you should expect that there will be days
when Micah 7:5-6 or Matt 10:34-35 will be manifest before your eyes in your
home, neighborhood, or office. Micah,
Elijah, the apostles, and Jesus Himself, knew what it was like to be in that
place. You too, must stand firm to the
end. Dave Hatcher –
December 31, 2000