Micah

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Micah

• This is what the LORD requires of you

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Chronology
Judah Prophets Israel
931 BC Rehoboam Jeroboam
Abijah Nadab
900 BC Asa Baasha
850 BC Jehoshaphat Elijah Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram
800 BC Jehoram, Ahaziah, Queen Athaliah, Joash Elisha Jonah Amos Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II
750 BC Amaziah, Uzziah, Ahaz Hosea Micah Isaiah Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah
722 BC Hezekiah Isaiah Pekah, Hoshea
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• When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet
  Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the
  LORD Almighty had said, 'Zion will be plowed like
  a field Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins,
  and the Temple hill will become a forest.' King
  Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put
  Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the
  LORD and tried to win his favor. And the LORD
  changed his mind about the disaster that he said
  he would bring on them.(Jeremiah 2618-19 )
• To show my sorrow, I will walk around barefoot
  and naked. I will howl like a jackal and wail
  like an ostrich. (Micah 18)

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The People

• All its precious idols will be smashed to
  pieces, everything given to its temple
  prostitutes will be destroyed by fire, and all
  its images will become a desolate heap. Samaria
  acquired these things for its fertility rites,
  and now her enemies will carry them off for
  temple prostitutes elsewhere. Samarias wounds
  cannot be healed (Micah 17,9)

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• Listen to me, you rulers of Israel, you that
  hate justice and turn right into wrong. You are
  building God's city, Jerusalem, on a foundation
  of murder and injustice. The city's rulers govern
  for bribes, the priests interpret the Law for
  pay, the prophets give their revelations for
  money---and they all claim that the LORD is with
  them. No harm will come to us, they say. The
  LORD is with us.(Micah 39-11)

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• Doom to those who plot evil, who go to bed
  dreaming up crimes! As soon at it's morning,
  they're off, full of energy, doing what they've
  planned. They covet fields and grab them, find
  homes and take them. They bully the neighbor and
  his family, see people only for what they can get
  out of them. (Micah 21-2 MSG)

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• The people preach at me and say, Don't preach
  at us. Don't preach about all that. God is not
  going to disgrace us. Do you think the people of
  Israel are under a curse? Has the LORD lost his
  patience? Would he really do such things? Doesn't
  he speak kindly to those who do right? The LORD
  replies, You attack my people like enemies. Men
  return from battle, thinking they are safe at
  home, but there you are, waiting to steal the
  coats off their backs. You drive the women of my
  people out of the homes they love, and you have
  robbed their children of my blessings forever.
  Get up and go there is no safety here any more.
  Your sins have doomed this place to destruction.
  These people want the kind of prophet who goes
  around full of lies and deceit and says, I
  prophesy that wine and liquor will flow for
  you. (Micah 26-11)

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• What shall I bring to the LORD, the God of
  heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring
  the best calves to burn as offerings to him? Will
  the LORD be pleased if I bring him thousands of
  sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I
  offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins?
  (Micah 66-8)

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• When the king of Moab realized that he was
  losing the battle, he took seven hundred
  swordsmen with him and tried to force his way
  through the enemy lines and escape to the king of
  Syria, but he failed. So he took his oldest son,
  who was to succeed him as king, and offered him
  on the city wall as a sacrifice to the god of
  Moab. The Israelites were terrified and so they
  drew back from the city and returned to their own
  country (2 Kings 326,27).

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• They have built altars to Baal in Hinnom Valley,
  to sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god
  Molech. I did not command them to do this, and it
  did not even enter my mind that they would do
  such a thing and make the people of Judah sin.
  (Jeremiah 3225)

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• What shall I bring to the LORD, the God of
  heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring
  the best calves to burn as offerings to him? Will
  the LORD be pleased if I bring him thousands of
  sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I
  offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins?
• No, the LORD has told us what is good. This is
  what he requires of you

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• This is what he requires of you
• Accept the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins
• Accept that Jesus paid the price for your
  salvation

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• What shall I bring to the LORD, the God of
  heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring
  the best calves to burn as offerings to him? Will
  the LORD be pleased if I bring him thousands of
  sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I
  offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins?
• No, the LORD has told us what is good. This is
  what he requires of you

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• This is what he requires of you
• Get the doctrines right
• State of the dead
• Day of worship
• Inspiration of Scripture
• Atonement

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• What shall I bring to the LORD, the God of
  heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring
  the best calves to burn as offerings to him? Will
  the LORD be pleased if I bring him thousands of
  sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I
  offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins?
• No, the LORD has told us what is good, and this
  is what he requires of you
• to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk
  humbly with your God. (Micah 68)

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• to do what is right
• To do justice
• to love mercy
• to love kindness
• to be compassionate and loyal in your love,
• to show constant love
• and to walk humbly with your God.
• To live in humble fellowship with God
• (Micah 68)

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• What I want from you is plain and clear
• I want your constant love, not your animal
  sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me
  than burn offerings to me. (Hosea 66)

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• What is more pleasing to the Lord to bring him
  offerings and sacrifices or to offer obedience to
  his voice? Obedience is far better than
  sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than
  offering him the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 1522)

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• Do what is right and fair (do righteousness and
  justice) that pleases the LORD more than
  sacrifice. (Proverbs 213)

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• You do not want sacrifices and offerings you
  did not ask for animals burned whole on the altar
  or for sacrifices to take away sins. Instead, you
  have given me ears to hear you, and so I
  answered, Here I am your instructions for me
  are in the book of the Law. How I love to do your
  will, my God! I keep your teaching in my heart.
  (Psalms 406-8)

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• I do not reprimand you because of your
  sacrifices and the burnt offerings which you
  always bring me. But yet I do not need bloodDo I
  eat flesh and drink blood? Here is what I want
  Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to
  God, and give the Almighty all that you
  promised. (Psalms 508-14)

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• You do not want sacrifices, or I would bring it
  to you The sacrifice that you desire is a humble
  spirit, O God you will not reject a humble and
  repentant heart. (Psalms 5116-17)

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• I will praise God with a song I will proclaim
  his greatness by giving him thanks. This will
  please the LORD more than offering him cattle,
  more than sacrificing a full-grown bull. (Psalms
  6930,31) 

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• The LORD says, I hate your religious festivals
  I cannot stand them! When you bring me burnt
  offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept
  it I will not accept all this blood you bring me
  as offerings. Stop your noisy songs I do not
  want to listen to your music any longer. Instead,
  let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness
  like a river that never goes dry. (Amos
  521-25)

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• Do you think I want all these sacrifices you
  keep offering to me? I have had more than enough
  of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the
  fat of your fine animals. I am tired of the blood
  of bulls and sheep and goats. Who asked you to
  bring me all this when you come to worship me?
  Who asked you to do all this tramping around in
  my Temple? It's useless to bring your offerings.
  I am disgusted with the smell of the incense you
  burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals,
  your Sabbaths, and your religious gatherings
  they are all corrupted by your sins.

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• I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days
  they are a burden that I am tired of bearing.
  When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not
  look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will
  not listen, for your hands are covered with
  blood. Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil
  that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and
  learn to do right. See that justice is
  done---help those who are oppressed, give orphans
  their rights, and defend widows." (Isaiah
  111-17)

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• God does want us to

• God does not want us to

• show constant love to him and others (mercy)
• know him
• live in humble fellowship with him
• have a humble spirit and a repentant heart
• give him thanks
• see that justice is done
• stop doing evil and doing what is right

• Appease him with blood/sacrifice
• Emphasize sacrifice and rituals to pay for sins
• Unthinking Sabbaths, religious ceremonies and
  festivals
• Noisy songs and prayers (for the wrong reasons)

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• The atonement God appeased his holy wrath
  against us John Piper
• Saved by the blood
• The price was paid. I am going to heaven.

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show constant love to him and others
(mercy) know him live in humble fellowship
with him
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• I hate your religious festivals
• Stop your noisy songs and prayers
• I cannot stand your Sabbaths and your religious
  festivals

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see that justice is done show mercy, constant
love, and kindness to others stop doing evil and
doing what is right
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• We are Gods
• chosen people
• We are the descendants of
• Abraham
• We keep the law
• We sacrifice
• We go to church
• We sing songs
• We pay tithe
• We read our Bibles
• We keep the Sabbath

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• Matthew 910-13 "Now it happened, as Jesus sat
  at the table in the house, that behold, many tax
  collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him
  and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it,
  they said to His disciples, "Why does your
  Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those
  who are well have no need of a physician, but
  those who are sick. But go and learn what this
  means I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Im
  after mercy, not religion)."

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• "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields
  on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry,
  and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And
  when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him,
  "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not
  lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

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• But if you had known what this means, I desire
  mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have
  condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is
  Lord of the Sabbath." (Matthew 121-8)
• I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible
  ritual (MSG)
• It is kindness that I want, not animal
  sacrifices (GNB)
• mercy compassion for others

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• We are living in an age where religion makes
  little difference in our actual lives

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• Attitudes that the younger generation (16-29) in
  this country have toward Christians.
• Of the 440 young people who were outsiders
  (i.e. not church goers) they perceived
  Christians to be
• hypocritical, (85) insensitive to others,
  (70) judgmental (87) too involved in
  politics (75) and anti-homosexual (91).

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• The reason why so many...Christians are so
  notoriously 'unChristian' is simple for the
  majority...Christianity isn't about the teaching
  of Jesus...it isn't about behaving like Jesus.
  It's all about faith...The underlying message
  seems to be you can behave any way you want as
  long as you believe...and say you're sorry before
  you die...There ought to be a term that would
  designate those who actually follow the teachings
  of Jesus, since the word 'Christian' has been
  largely divorced from those teachings, and so
  polluted...that it has come to connote their
  polar opposite intolerance, vindictive hatred,
  and bigotry.
• - Philip Slater

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• God does want us to

• God does not want us to

• show constant love to him and others (mercy)
• know him
• live in humble fellowship with him
• have a humble spirit and a repentant heart
• give him thanks
• see that justice is done
• stop doing evil and doing what is right

• Seek to appease him with blood/sacrifice
• Unthinking sacrifice and rituals to pay for sins
• Unthinking Sabbaths, religious ceremonies and
  festivals
• Noisy songs and prayers (to impress him and make
  ourselves feel better)

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• Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to
  his word instead, put it into practice. If you
  listen to the word, but do not put it into
  practice you are like people who look in a mirror
  and see themselves as they are. They take a good
  look at themselves and then go away and at once
  forget what they look like. But if you look
  closely into the perfect law that sets people
  free, and keep on paying attention to it and do
  not simply listen and then forget it, but put it
  into practice---you will be blessed by God in
  what you do. Do any of you think you are
  religious? If you do not control your tongue,
  your religion is worthless and you deceive
  yourself. What God the Father considers to be
  pure and genuine religion is this to take care
  of orphans and widows in their suffering and to
  keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
  (James 122-27)

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• How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God?
  It was through his actions, when he offered his
  son Isaac on the altar. Cant you see? His faith
  and his actions worked together his faith was
  made perfect through his actions. And the
  scripture came true that said, Abraham believed
  God, and because of his faith God accepted him as
  righteous. And so Abraham was called God's
  friend. You see, then, that it is by our actions
  that we are put right with God, and not by our
  faith alone. (James 221-24)

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