Micah was a prophet. He didn’t have ESP. He didn’t predict the future. He was a messenger of God sent to correct the Israelites and call them back to a life of obedience to God’s law. Traditionally, prophets would talk about where the Israelites had been unfaithful, what the punishments had been, what the mandates are, and what the consequences will be if they don’t comply with God’s law.
When looking at the words of a prophet, it is particularly important to know about the context they were in. Micah wrote in the 8th century BC. In that time the Israelites lived in what we would call Israel, but for them it was divided into two kingdoms—Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Assyria was the major power of the day and in 722 BC the Assyrians conquered Israel, and then in 701, they attacked Judah.
So, Micah lived and prophesied during a very tense time, when attack and conquest by the Assyrians was a very real threat and later a reality. And in ancient times, at least for the Israelites, attack, colonization, empire expansion, and conquest of a kingdom would have been seen as a punishment from God. As God’s chosen people, it was understood that they would be protected as long as they were in God’s favor and the way to stay in God’s favor was through adherence to the law. So, the opposite was also true, if you broke the law, you fell out of God’s favor, and if you fell out of God’s favor, you’d no longer be protected.
With that in mind, let’s look at the text for today. In the first part of the book, Micah basically files God’s complaint against the people—including oppression of the poor, unequal distribution of wealth, and social injustice. Micah was one of the do-gooder, follow God’s law, and make everyone equal kind of people and in his book there is a lot of emphasis on social justice. And in the first few verses he basically says, “Go ahead, plead your case, but first, let me remind you of all the ways God has been good to you. God brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. God gave you leaders. God stopped others from cursing you, and then God helped you cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.” In essence, time and time again, God was faithful to the Israelites, and yet they had been unfaithful to God and God’s law.
Israel acknowledged their guilt and wanted to give something to God to make it right. They wanted to appease God, calm God’s anger, and smooth things over. They say, “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Burnt offerings? Calves? Rams? Rivers of oil? My first born?”
And then Micah responds on God’s behalf: “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” In other words, God isn’t looking for heartless offerings as a one-time fix to years of disobedience and injustice. God wants actions that make a difference—justice, kindness, and mercy. And those actions should be an everyday occurrence not a once in awhile quick fix when they get called out for their sins.
If we keep reading verses 9-16, we see there were further problems with Israel’s actions—lying, violence, cheating, and religious wrongs. And for all that sinfulness, there were punishments. Verses 13-16 talk about an internal and lasting hunger, work of stomping grapes without reward of wine, stomping olives with no reward of oil and hence no blessing. The Israelites were going to pay for their wrongdoing.
So now, what do we do with this passage? How does it apply to us? Do we say, “Man, those Israelites sure messed up, good thing we’re not like that! Whew! Glad we haven’t messed up like they did.”
Is that how this works? …I don’t think so. Two weeks ago I preached about Bible study and how Bible study is helpful b/c when we learn the stories of God’s people, we learn our stories. More often than not we can find ourselves reflected in the ancient texts. And in today’s case, it begs the question: Where have we been unfaithful? When have we neglected God’s law? Who did we cheat? What lies did we tell? Who is poor because of our riches and abundance? Who among the poor have we neglected?
And when we realize all the ways we have sinned, are we like the Israelites, ready to offer one big apology, one big show to set things right? One long service? One extra offering? A couple extra prayers to prove we can be faithful? Too often, our time of confession is big and extravagant and we seem so apologetic and repentant but then tomorrow comes and we go right back to our old ways. And when we do that, we become like the Israelites.
If we’re like the Israelites, then what is God’s answer to us? “I don’t want some show, some extravagant gesture—I want your lives to change—day in and day out—I want you to truly live justice, not just appreciate it when you have it, but fight for it when others don’t. I want you to love kindness—to live with compassion and empathy, not just to look for it and laud it, but to live it, to love it, and to cherish it. And I want you to walk humbly with me. I want you to walk with me, to take the path I take, to travel the road I do—it may not be an easy road, but it is one we will be on together. And I want you to walk it with humility—not as the head hauncho, but trusting me to be in charge—letting go of control and following my will.
I want you to live your repentance. I want to see your changed heart in what you do each and every day—not just on Sunday mornings when you’re *supposed* to remember and honor me, but every day as you honor not just me, but my people through a life of worship. Live your worship through actions of justice, kindness, and mercy that prove your faithfulness and make the world a better place.
Now, many of us would be happy for the passage to end there. A bit of a reproach, a reminder of what we are to do, and focused on justice, kindness and mercy. But Micah’s words don’t stop there, and so neither can we. In addition to injustice and sinfulness among the community in the ways our actions affect others on the large scale, there are also other sins. Personal sins. Lying. Cheating. Violence. Religious idolatry. And our misdoings are not without consequence.
I’m not sure where we get the idea that with forgiveness through Christ there won’t be consequences for our sinfulness, but I think that wherever we got it, it does us a disservice. Even with mercy, even with grace, our actions have consequences. When we lie, when we cheat, when we neglect God and God’s law, there are consequences. While a murderer in prison may experience God and accept Christ and receive forgiveness for what he has done, he will still have to endure the consequences of his actions. The forgiveness offered won’t free him from paying the price for his wrong action. And if that’s true for *big* sins, why would it be any different for our *minor* sins? For instance, if I lie to all of you and then later confess and repent, you all may forgive me and God will forgive me, but even with your forgiveness, I will still have to earn trust, to prove that my turn to honesty is real and lasting, not some momentary thing. Right? God definitely grants us forgiveness, but that forgiveness doesn’t mean a free pass from all consequences.
The way we prove our repentance, the way our worship and offerings become more than a show, is through our everyday actions. It’s by living the ordinance here in Micah: to seek justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Being just, kind, and merciful is what proves we are in right accord with the law, with God’s will for our lives. When we sin we move away from justice, kindness and mercy and likewise when we reject justice, compassion, and grace, we become more sinful. To be obedient is to live as Micah urges. Justice, kindness, and mercy are attractive things. I think most of us would say they are important and we want them in our lives. But they are also difficult to achieve and live out both individually and collectively. They take work, they require sacrifice and commitment. In minor ways they can be achieved each and every day, but for them to pervade and persist every corner of our lives and the lives of all God’s people, will take lots of work, probably some heartbreak, and a collective effort from each of us. May we always be mindful of that which is required: to seek justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Amen.
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