Sermon: Severe Judgement and the Wonder of Salvation

You take your Bibles and open to the Book of Micah tonight. We are beginning a summer series where we will work our way through Micah. You're using a Bible in front of you there some page 776 Micah is part of the section in the Old Testament often referred to as the Minor Prophets minor not because they were any less significant but simply because their books are shorter. where we get minor profits from The 776 if you're using a Bible

in front of you, let me pray for us before we come to the word. Lord your voice is powerful it is full of majesty as you Thunder Over The Waters your voice can break the Cedars of Lebanon and cause animals to skip with joy your voice flashes forth flames of fire and Shakes the Wilderness with fear. So as we come to your words tonight, we pray that you would speak to us help us to see more of who you are. And so Wonder at the Salvation you give us we

pray this in Jesus name. Amen. To Micah is a prophet here in the Old Testament. One of the Twelve Minor Prophets before we get into the details of Micah 1. Let's first look at the context. Look at the beginning verse chapter 1 verse 1 follow along as I read. The word of the Lord that came to Micah of morrischief in the days of jotham. Ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Judah which he saw concerning Samaria in Jerusalem. Micah says he was ministering during the days of these Kings.

He identifies three of them jotham. Ahaz and Hezekiah. These are all Kings of Judah. It was covers roughly a period of 56 years from about 742 to 686 BC in Israel's history. Israel had split 10 of those tribes were part of the kingdoms of the north the kingdom of the North and then two in the south of Judea. Micah here identifies himself as speaking to both Samaria. This is the capital in the north and Jerusalem the capital of the kingdom in the south.

And he says that he's ministering in the days of these Kings jotham. Ahazen Hezekiah in Second Kings 15. We read of jotham. Here's what we read. Says he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord nevertheless. The high places were not removed the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. Jonathan did many good things. He was a good King in many ways and yet this one thing he did not do he did not remove the high places.

The next king after jotham is ahaz 16 years later ahaz would would come to Reign and here's what we read about ahaz in Second Kings 16. Ahaz did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord as his father David had done, but he walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering according to the Despicable practices of the Nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high

places and on the hills and under every Green Tree. We see here ahaz was foolishly mimicking the practices of the Kings of Israel these kings in the north and as he's doing so in the northern kingdom they were descending into chaos. And so beginning with the King Zechariah there was a succession of assassinations and power grabs. While all of this is happening God is raising up another Power even further to the north. And God is going to use this power for

his impending judgment. So this is the context in which Micah is ministering. And what we see here in his book and especially in chapter one. Is he outlines the severity of God's judgment against sin? But even as he highlights the severity of judgment, he also weaves a thread of salvation. And we'll see that in several places throughout this book Micah's name means who is like the Lord who is like the Lord flip with me really really quickly to the end

of the book chapter 7. Because we see a bookend to this book. We begin with the name of Micah and we end with his name. Look at chapter 7 verse 18 who is a god-like you that's the question Micah asked that's his name. Who is a God Like You and here at the end of the book Micah is wondering at the Salvation of God who is like you pardoning iniquity passing over transgression. You do not retain your anger forever because you Delight

instead fast, love. The mica ends with wondering at Salvation but to get there he first contemplates a different answer to that same question who is like the Lord and in chapter one. The answer to that is the Lord is severe in his Sovereign and holy judgment against sin. So we can summarize Micah one like this to rightly understand and cherish the salvation of the lord. We need to realize the severity of judgment against our sin.

Micah 1 splits into three sections and we'll we'll go through these as we explore this this first chapter verses 2 through 4. We see the Lord descends. Verses 5 through 7 Samaria Falls and then 8 through 16 destruction spreads. So first first versus two through four the Lord descends fell along as I read these verses. Micah says this here. You people's all of you. Pay attention o Earth and all that is in it and let the Lord God be a witness against you the Lord from his

holy Temple. Or be horrible behold, the Lord is coming out of his place and will come down and Shred upon the high places of the Earth. And the mountains will melt under him in The Valleys will split open like Wax before the Lord like Waters pour down a steep place. Like it begins this section by making a legal case against Israel's Covenant violations. He calls all Israel to attention in verse 2. It's not just the Royal officials or the religious leaders in

these two Capital Cities rather. All Israel is to come forth all are being summoned. And it's not just the nation of Israel and view. He also calls the entire Earth to pay attention. Because the same judgment that is being handed down against God's people will come to the entire Earth as well. In this trial Micah calls forth his main witness and it's the Lord himself. Like a highlights to attributes of the Lord as his

primary witness. He is Sovereign and he is Holy. Sovereign because in verse 2 we see he resides in this place in Hebrews the word hakal. It's a word that can mean Temple. And it can also mean a palace a residence or complex of a king or other royalty. His Palace Micah says is above the Earth. That's why in verse 3. It says he comes down to the Earth. He's above the Earth not in a spatial sense. But rather in a sense of authority and power. The

Lord is Sovereign in his power and his position over all the Earth and so he comes down. He's Sovereign but he's also holy you see his residence. His Palace is described with this word. Holy. To be holy means to have a quality of moral purity. It means to be in a unique State unlike that of corrupt Humanity. With all this chaos that's happening in Micah's day. The Holiness of God would stand out. This Holiness is one of the defining attributes of

God. God is Holy. He's pure he's perfect in his being his love is pure is justice is also perfect and pure there is no trace of imperfection or incompleteness. There's No Lack in wisdom. No lack of knowledge No Lack of Truth and it's upon this basis his own Holiness that the Lord is coming down as a witness. And Micah gives us a picture for what this looks like. There's a link back up in verse 1 where it says that Micah saw the word of the Lord.

He didn't just receive it in some sort of intellectual sense, but he saw it and now he's painting the picture for us in verse 4. What happens when the Lord comes down? Will he tells us he says the Lord will tread or he will walk upon the high places of the Earth. High places where these places of pagan worship. They were almost always on some kind of a natural height. So the top of the hill or the top of a mountain they would have in a Shara this

this poll that would be set up to symbolize a female fertility goddess. There would be Stone pillars in this place to symbolize the male fertility God there would be an altar in a tent where they would make sacrifices and then share in a sacrificial meal. Mica presents God when he comes down he walks on the tops of the mountains he's using the mountains as stepping stones and as he does so he is crushing these high places under his feet.

We see here that God is immense and he's great above these pagan gods what they viewed as the highest place you could get for worship. God uses as a stepping stone. And as he walks Micah tells us the mountains melts under him like Wax before a fire. And The Valleys they split open like a powerful flood that rushes down a mountain valley. This is what it looks like when Holiness walks upon a sinful Earth. Nothing can stand in his way the mountains simply Melt

Away. With every step there is unmatched power release The Valleys split open. We see the Lord here descending in judgment. We can say it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. And that's what happens these next verses versus five through seven in light of this. Holy God coming down Samaria Falls. Look at verses 5 through 7 follow along as I read. Micah says all this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the House of

Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah is it not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the Open Country a place where planting Vineyards and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations. All her carved images shall be beaten to Pieces. All her wages shall be burned with fire and all her Idols. I will lay waste for from the fee of

a prostitute. She gathered them into the fee of a prostitute they shall return Verse 5 shows us the reason that stirred the Lord to action. The reason he says is two things that transgression of Jacob with its capital city of Samaria the northern kingdom and the high place of Judah, which he says is Jerusalem. The word transgression here speaks of the rebellious nature of their actions. There's a constant refrain as you read through the books of

kings and Chronicles that each King did more evil than the one before them or that they did not remove the high places. Why is that well certainly because the leaders were corrupt the priests were corrupt, but it was also the people the people wanted them. It was their habit. It was their tradition. It was their functional God. It's for these transgressions Micah says. And think of the shock here of calling Jerusalem a high place.

Jerusalem being a high place at this point in Judas history. The temple is still standing. It's still operational. The priesthood is fully functional. There's sacrifices being offered there's feast days still happening and yet the Lord through Micah calls Jerusalem a high place one of these Pagan places of sacrifice and offerings. They are bringing these offerings. They're doing their religious Duty not from a pure heart, but from

a heart that was devoted in allegiance to other gods. There's a warning here that we can have all the right outward religious practices and yet inwardly have hearts that are filled with high places. God sees and God knows and his Holiness stirs him to action. Verses 6 and 7 we see the Judgment that comes against Samaria. Now back in First Kings, we learn first King 16 about this city of Samaria. We learned there that Omri he

was one of the kings of the northern kingdom. It says Omri bought the hill of Samaria from shemer for two talents of silver. And he fortified the city and called the name of the city Samaria after the name of shemer the owner of the Hill. Immediately after Omri we come to Ahab. And in first 16 first King 16, we read that Ahab erected and altar of Baal in the house of bail, which he built in Samaria and Ahab made an ashra.

Archaeologists have uncovered this stones with which Omri and Ahab used to build this Northern Capital One archaeologist comments. He says the earliest supporting wall was in a style of masonry dressing, which was not equaled in Palestine or indeed anywhere else in the near East. And it's these stones that we read about in verse 6 God's judgment is aimed at them these Stones which represent the best Ingenuity and technology and wealth of its day Micah tells

us that these stones will be turned into a pile of rubble. This great fortified City will be turned into a field of olive trees. Micah tells us God's judgment is also aimed at the images and Idols of Israel's Worship in verse 7. Idols are nothing they have no real power. And so they too will melt like Wax before the Lord's holiness. Now the fact that God is judging Israel for their sin is not so surprising. Micah was only

one of several prophets at this time prophesy of this impending judgment. What was surprising is how God would bring about this judgment? He used the wicked Nation to the north to bring destruction and disaster upon his people. One commentator notes about the nation of a Syria that they were one of the most bloodthirsty manipulative and arrogant of History's evil Empires. And so beginning with one of these ancient Assyrian Kings

to Glass pellissar the third in 733. He conquered Damascus and would come down and Conquer Galilee in the North and then much of the western part of philistia. And then right after him would come the next king shalmanasser the fifth starting in 727 he would besiege Samaria it took him three years, but finally in 722 he would capture this city and bring it to Rubble. After Shaman asked her the fifth. We have Sargon the second one

of the things he did was Deport many of the Israelites into foreign Nations, but then he also brought in other people's and settled them into the land. We read about this in second. King 17. It tells us the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon kutha, Ava Hamas and sepharavim and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And these people they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.

Incidentally, this is the origin of the group that becomes very prominent in the New Testament the Samaritans this group that was a syncretistic mix of these foreign religions and some of the Jewish tradition that was still present in the northern kingdom. What we see here in this chapter of Micah 1 is that God is giving the northern kingdom over to the wicked hands of these Assyrian Kings. And Micah gives us Insight at the end here in

verse 7. He says for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them. In other words Israel became wealthy and prosperous through the mechanics of their own idolatry. And so it's fitting it's a fitting response that in judgment. God will use another Pagan Nation to destroy their civilization and redirect all this money that they had gathered to another Pagan God to the fee of a prostitute they shall return It's a reminder for us and a warning that in God's

judgment. He often hands us over to the idols of our own addictions and the objects of our worship. So in these verses we see Samaria fall. The last section 8 through 16 we see the destruction will spread destruction will spread follow along as I read this section beginning in verse 8. Micah says for this I will lament and wail. And I will go stripped and naked I will make lamentation like the jackals and morning like the ostriches for

her wound is incurable and it has come to Judah. It has reached to the gates of my people through Jerusalem. Tell it not in gas weep. Not at all and Beth let a fraud roll yourself in the dust. Pass on your way and habitants of shafir and nakedness and shame. The inhabitants of zanon do not come out the lamentation of Beth at cell. So take away from you. It's standing place. For the inhabitants of maroth weight anxiously for

good but disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. Harness, the seeds to the Chariots inhabitants of lakeish. It was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion for in you were found that transgressions of Israel. Therefore you shall give partying gifts to more shift gas. The houses of aqazib shall be a deceitful thing to the Kings of Israel. I will again bring a conqueror to you inhabitants of maresha.

The glory of Israel shall come to adulam. Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair for the children of your Delight make yourselves as bald as the ego for they shall go from you into exile. In verses 8 and 9 Micah is showing us the character of his prophetic ministry as he laments and as he weeps he's weeping for his Kingsman to the north. He knows that God's people are one. They should be one even though they're divided

and the destruction that is being inflicted upon them. He knows these are his brothers. These are his sisters and so he weeps for what he calls in verse 9 they're incurable wound. God's judgment his Cup of Wrath is full. And nothing can cure it at this point. But he's also lamenting because he knows that it has come to the gate of his own capital city. We see that in verse 9. When sin is rampant its destruction will always

spread. Now Micah is from this small farm town called Maurice. It's a small City in a region that's very important to this area of Israel. It's called the shephela. The shephela is the Foothills which stand between the coastal plain on the west. That's where the Philistines often were and the strongholds the mountains of Judea and so in the middle you have these Foothills. And it was scattered with all these smaller cities these

cities were the economic engine for much of Judea and they were also the first line of defense against invading armies. And so in verses 8 when Micah identifies himself with these two desert animals, he says the jackals think of a hyena of sorts and an ostrich some sort of Desert Eagle or desert owl. Micah knows the destruction that's coming will be devastated you say this should failure these Rolling Hills full of farmland and Olive

Vineyards. These are going to be turned into a wasteland. Imagine the devastation that would result if West Michigan or here in mid Michigan were turned into a desert overnight. No, green, no water. No crops. No animals. It would be total economic and total societal collapse. That's what Micah is envisioning. Now historically this happened under a fourth Assyrian King The King sinekorib senekerebrain from 705 up till about 681 BC

and in seven. Oh one he began to attack these cities of Judea. We read about this in Second Kings 18 there we read in the 14th year of King Hezekiah senekereb king of Assyria came up against all the Fortified cities of Judea. And took them. He captured 46 towns and cities and sent his representative the Rob shakay to try to convince King Hezekiah who was in Jerusalem to surrender. He captured 40 six of these cities and nine of those cities are listed here

in Micah chapter 1. These cities as we read them. We we don't recognize these names but these were important cities for Micah. One commentator says these cities represent a circle of about nine miles in radius starting with Micah's hometown of mauricef from where he could look out and see these cities around him. Micah here is giving us a poem to describe the destruction that is coming to this region. This poem is bookended with

two cities gas and verse 10 and adulam in verse 15. Both of these cities were important cities in the life of David. And it's a reminder to the people of their corrupted Legacy in the davidic line. In verse 10 when he says tell it not in gas Micah is quoting directly from second Samuel 1:20, where there David in lament. He's lamenting the death of Saul in Jonathan and he's warning Israel's enemies to not rejoice over Israel's misfortune.

So similar Micah saying don't Rejoice enemies of God don't Rejoice over this destruction that's coming to God's people. It's the same thing that Obadiah says where when Edom is told not to gloat over judea's ruin. There's this inherent spiritual blindness. When we Rejoice over the defeat of our enemies for the same judgment that can befall us at any time just like them. One commentator Bruce waltke and his commentary notes here that Micah by

quoting this line. Tell it not in gath. Micah is intensifying David's elegy a greater than Saul is about to fall. And so for these cities that follow Micah uses a series of puns to highlight This Disaster that is coming. So I tried to do this thinking of our own location. I could only come up with two if I spent more time, probably more but it'd be like saying Grand Ledge. Your great walls are going to be leveled. or Holt that vacation destination

that Jason always tells us about holds you're going to become a landfill that's similar to what Micah is doing. So he begins with this city Beth let a fraud this house that means dust. He says you're going to roll in the dust. Shaffir a word that can mean Beauty. He says you're going to be marked by nakedness and shame. Zanon, a word related to going out or going forth. He says you're not going to go out to help your neighbors.

This city of Beth at cell a town of taking away. He's saying you are not going to offer a place to stand and resist the Invaders. Moroth a word that can mean bitter. He says you wait for good and sweetness to come, but it's not coming. And lakeish lakeish was an important city as the largest fortified city of this region. This city was known for its war horses and its chariots. But instead of war horses Micah says you have steeds. These

are these Swift horses that were used for for carrying a message not for going out into war but for carrying messages, he says you will hook these seeds to your chariots not for battle, but for evacuation now a side note here Micah identifies lucky as being the beginning of sin for Judah their sin was trusting in the latest technology in this case chariots and warhorses for their comfort and security. Isaiah was Micah's contemporary prophet and

Isaiah says in chapter 31. He says woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses who trust in chariots because they are many and in Horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord. Micah says this is the beginning of your sin trusting in these things. other than the Lord And once the quiche Falls the rest of the towns will become a dowry a bride price for the

invading Army. That's what he says of his own City morrischief gath. Morissette will become a war bride and Jerusalem will need to give gifts to the new bride and the new husband. Axib a word related to deception Micah says the workshops these small little cities that were the engine the economic engine of this region. These cities are now going to deceive the rulers of Israel who are trusting in them for financial gain because their financial gain is

over. The city of maresha it sounds like the word conqueror. And so Micah says you are not a conqueror, but rather you will be conquered. And this last reference to the the city of adulam recalls when David himself hid in the cave of adulam when Saul was pursuing him. And so once again the descendants of David verse 12, he says your children, they will be fugitives and Exiles as they flee the coming invasion of sinekorib and the Assyrian army.

We see here that Micah is lamenting for his City and for his people because he knows disaster is coming. And in verse 12, he says disaster is coming down. From the Lord we are about to melt like Wax before the fire. We are about to be flattened by the power of the Waters of judgment. So what can we conclude from Mica one? Let me finish by giving two concluding thoughts from this chapter. Remember I said at the beginning that to rightly understand and cherish

the salvation of the lord. We need to realize the severity of judgment against our sin. But here's the first concluding thought with warnings of severe judgment like we read about here Michael one. We should always seek for Hope for pray for repentance. We should always seek for Hope for and pray for repentance. What Micah is prophesying about happened in the year 722 with the fall of the northern kingdom, but Micah was aimed at repentance from

the southern Kingdom as well. Now 100 years after this event. The Prophet Jeremiah was in a similar situation. He was prophesying of similar judgment that was coming this time through the Babylonians. Not the Assyrians. But instead of listening to the Prophet Jeremiah the corrupt priests and Prophets wanted to put Jeremiah to death. And here's what we read in Jeremiah 26. It says uncertain of the Elders of the land arose and

spoke to all the assembled people saying. Micah of morrischief prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and said to all the people of Judah thus says the Lord of hosts. Zion will be plowed as a field Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins and the mountain of the house a wooded height. It Hezekiah king of Judah in all Judah put him to death. Did he not fear the lord and entreat the Lord the favor of the Lord and

did not the Lord relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them. You see at the preaching of the prophet Micah Hezekiah actually repented. And not only that for a hundred years this story of Micah's preaching and hezekiah's repentance was being remembered. And so if you're hearing this word tonight from Micah one about the severe Judgment of God, we too should take this as an opportunity to consider the same judgment that we deserve for our

own sin. And so we too can repent like Hezekiah. The message of God's judgment is always aimed at repentance. Here's the second thing from Micah 1 as we see the severity of God's judgment. We should be led to contemplate the Wonder. of his salvation as we see the severity of God's judgment. We should contemplate the Wonder. Of Salvation, that's what's happening in This Book of Micah. Does it in several places? But there's a theme here that we touched on introduced in

Mica one that weaves its way through the book. One of the places that comes out is Micah chapter 5 a very familiar passage for us Micah tells us in chapter 5 from you. Oh Bethlehem too little to be among the clans of Judah. From you shall come forth. Shall come down. We saw that word earlier. Shall come forth come down for me one who is to be ruler in Israel and his coming forth. His coming down is from of old. from Ancient of Days

the Micah is looking forward in thinking of and seeing another time when the Lord will come down. Here in Micah one when the Lord comes down. He comes out of his holy Temple. And what do we see? We see the mountains melt like Wax before the fire. We see valleys that are split open by The Rush of Mighty Waters. And The Wonder of the Incarnation that Micah is speaking of 700 years after his life. Is that the Son of God would come down?

But when he came down the mountains didn't melt and The Valleys didn't split open as he tread as he walked upon the Earth. And why is that? Because he came not to judge but to save he came not to judge the Earth but to save it and how did he save it? He directed the severity of his holy judgment not at us, but at himself. What would Micah say if he had seen the cross? I think he would quote from his own book. After one verse 12 disaster has come down from the Lord.

But amazingly wonderfully instead of treading Upon Us in judgment in the cross. He tread Upon Our iniquities under his feet. In the cross he has cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea. So to conclude Mica one remember Micah's name who is like the Lord we see here that the Lord is Sovereign and holy in his judgment, but he's also wonderful and gracious in his salvation disaster truly has come down from the Lord.

But the fires and Waters of judgment have been diverted to the Son of God himself how fearful is his judgment, but how wonderful is his salvation? Amen, let's pray.

Lord we thank you for speaking to us in your word. We thank you for This Book of Micah. We thank you that in it. We see your sovereignty and your Holiness. We see Lord that you are severe in your judgment. And how much greater is your salvation Lord? We wonder at it. We Marvel at it. We pray that we would cherish this great salvation and that we would walk in the name of the Lord Our God. We ask all these things in Jesus name.

amen