MPC 30th May 2004.Micah 1 - "Truth or Consequences"
Maurie Cropper MPC 30th May 2004.
Ralph Edwards isn't a household name. At least not here in Australia. But in America in the 1940's and 50's everyone knew the name Ralph Edwards. His claim to fame was that he he came up with radio shows that would later become popular TV series. One of those series has from time to time been running in Australia for decades. It's called: 'This is Your Life'. 'This is Your Life' followed on from Edwards' first big success, a show called: 'Truth or Consequences'.
Like most game shows, it had a simple format. It was a combination of trivia and a few crazy stunts. Contestants were asked silly questions and had to answer correctly before 'Beulah the Buzzer' went off. If they failed to give the TRUTH, they had to face the consequences – which was usually a funny and embarrassing stunt.
On the tenth anniversary of the show in 1950, Edwards came up with his biggest stunt.
He offered to broadcast the show from any town or city that would change its name to, ..'Truth or Consequences'. I guess it would also sort of immortalise Edwards' creation.
Well, I'm not sure if it would happen anywhere else in the world, but a town in New Mexico called Hot Springs voted to change its name to 'Truth or Consequences'. The name change is celebrated every year by the town's population of 7500.
Dare I say it, but it might have been helpful to the people of God in Micah's time if they had changed their name to 'Truth or Consequences'. Because although, since the time of their forefathers, they had the Truth emblazoned in their covenant relationship with God... they were for all intent and purpose, ignoring God and the way he wanted them to live.
The way that they were supposed to live as God's people was meant to show to the nations around them, that they were different.
And a bit like the people of 'Truth or Consequences', God's people would once a year celebrate the Passover. Celebrating a change of name from 'slave people' to 'redeemed people' as they remembered God bringing them out of Egyptian slavery.
But a once a year celebration isn't what God wants from his people.
The Hebrews were chosen by God to be the people from whom the Messiah, the Christ would come.
They were also to protect His word.
And they were to serve as God's witnesses for all to see.
So in Micah God brought his word afresh to both Judah and Israel.
They might have been a divided race of people, but God was still sovereign over them all.
The word of the Lord through Micah says that Samaria and Jerusalem, or for that matter Judea and Israel, and all the other nations including us, need to pay attention... and “listen” to what God is saying.
When we think of words like: 'STOP; LISTEN; LOOK'... we're reminded of those simple YET very important safety rules we were taught as a kid. The same ones we've handed down to our children.
Steps that remind us of a time past when we were taught some simple instructions to keep us from getting hurt crossing the road.
To the Hebrew ear those similar words in verses 2 and 3, “Hear... listen... look”, would have reminded them of the words that Moses spoke ..to keep God's people safe. Often referred to as the Song of Moses.
Deuteronomy 31:30:
And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel: [32:1] Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
And when Moses finished singing the praises of God, which included reminding the people that God was not only compassionate, but would judge those who rebelled against him, he concluded with these words. I'm reading from verse 45, “When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
But by the time Micah's generation had come along, God's word was no longer taken seriously, or carefully obeyed. So now, instead of BEING THEIR SOURCE OF LIFE, GOD'S WORD WAS NOW GOING TO BE THEIR SOURCE OF JUDGEMENT!
And just like a courtroom scene from 'Law and Order', God's word was about to put them in the witness box, and be their judge. And it's in front of the whole world!
And in case there's any doubt to who is doing the judging, the “temple” is mentioned as a reminder that it's God who's presiding over them. For the Hebrew temple signified the presence of God.
Micah 1:2, “Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it, that the Sovereign LORD may witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place”.
Micah pictures God coming to earth in his wrath, with the intent to judge. It's a picture story that conveys the seriousness of what's to come. And the first serious thing that Micah says God will do when he comes is to tread down the “high places of the earth.” (v.3) Which means he's judging will begin with smashing down those shrines where false gods and goddesses were worshipped.
Pick it up again from verse 3. Which not only tells what judgment will look like, but why it's coming.
Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins of the house of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem?
Micah accuses Jacob, another name for the northern kingdom of Israel, of a serious transgression or violation. And he tells us it's the capital Samaria. Because those who rule from Samaria, have made a defence pact with their Assyrian neighbour. They've unfaithfully turned against trusting God to keep them safe, and gone off and formed an alliance with Assyria. An alliance that goes horribly wrong when not long after Micah's prophecy of judgment, Assyria invades the northern kingdom of Israel and most of it's people are taken into exile.
And Micah's description of what God's going to do sounds like a volcanic reaction. With mountains melting and valleys being torn in two by hot rushing lava. I mean, this is serious business. This is deadly stuff that's going to happen to those who have turned their back on God.
6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.
And you can imagine the southern kingdom being a little smug. 'I could have told you that was going to happen to those silly northerners. They should never have thrown in their lot with those rotten Assyrians. You can't say they weren't warned.'
But so have the southern kingdom of Judah. It's no slip of the tongue by Micah that Judah and its capital Jerusalem gets a mention. And their complacency and smugness will catch them out also. It might be a divided kingdom, north and south, but God is sovereign over both.
Micah first reminds Judah in verse five, “What's Judah's high place? Isn't it Jerusalem.?”
And then as a sign of his own personal distress, Micah weeps for his people. He says he'll go about barefoot and naked, and will wail and moan. And this is no small tear in the corner of his eye. This is gut-wrenching wailing. Because he knows that his own people, he's own country and capital is guilty of being unfaithful to God. And because so, God's judgment will come upon them, right up to the gates of Jerusalem.
They too will experience God's anger, judgment and rejection.
Pick it up from verse 8:
Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and moan like an owl. For her wound is incurable; it has come to Judah. It has reached the very gate of my people, even to Jerusalem itself.
We might think that the way Micah said he would react ws a bit over the top. Running around barefoot and naked; howling like a jackal and moaning like an owl! What's he on about? THE AWFULNESS OF THE SIN OF ALL GOD'S PEOPLE!! That's what he's on about!
Ashamed of the north's alliance with Assyria, and the south's flirtation with Egypt.
And Micah's determined to get the message across anyway he can.
His comment in verse 10, “Tell it not to Gath” is a reminder of something the mighty King David said in the past.
When David heard of the death of Saul who had been king, he said to his men, don't tell those in Gath because their close neighbours and our enemy the Philistines will hear and gloat and think it's a good time to take advantage of Israel.
So Micah's saying, remember the last time this phrase was used, was when God had brought judgment upon our land, and upon our nation's first king.
He even tries to arrest the attention of some of the towns by highlighting different aspects of 'judgment'. For example, he says to Beth Ophrah, “roll in the dust”. Which is an act of a contrite heart. Feeling the weight of judgement and therefore repenting. Dust thrown on the head was a sign of sorrow.
From time to time we see that happening on the news from the Middle East.
And Micah even uses a play on words to get their attention. It's a play on the name of the town and its predicted doom.
Take for example, the town of Shaphir in verse 11. The Hebrew word for this town is similar to another word which means 'beautiful'. It's like Micah's saying: 'You who live in Beautifultown will be taken away as prisoners, stripped and ashamed, looking anything but beautiful!'
And at times he simply speaks of disaster right up front. Follow along with me from verse 10.
Tell it not in Gath; weep not at all. In Beth Ophrah roll in the dust. Pass on in nakedness and shame, you who live in Shaphir. Those who live in Zaanan will not come out. Beth Ezel is in mourning; its protection is taken from you. Those who live in Maroth writhe in pain, waiting for relief, because disaster has come from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.
This is crushing information for all of Judah. It's a huge wake-up call. But will they wake up to what's really happening? Well we know that they don't!
Because not long after Micah's time, the northern kingdom is taken into exile by the Assyrians. And 150 years later the southern kingdom of Judah is taken into Babylonian exile.
They just don't get it. Neither the north or south get that they're in a whole lot of trouble! Even after a comment like verse 16: “Shave your heads in mourning for the children in whom you delight; make yourselves as bald as the vulture, for they [your kids] will go from you into exile.”
They don't hear Micah's warnings. They won't listen or look beyond themselves to what might happen! They're complacent. They figure Micah doesn't have a clue. God's not in sovereign control. And in their disobedience and thumbing of their noses at God – they are convinced that they are the masters of their own destiny!
So what does all this mean for us? How does this impact on us?
For a start, we need to hear what God has to say about his relationship with us and about our relationship with him.
We need to look to him for wisdom, for guidance, never falling into the trap of thinking we can get through this life on our own strength.
And in that same vein, we have to avoid thinking that getting the good news of Jesus out to others, and here's the rub ....relies on how clever, or how talented, or even how 'special' we are to God.
Even if at times we find what Micah a little difficult to understand for our times, we still need to take what he has to say very seriously. Even his play on words isn't just for the amusement of his listeners. He's being, and excuse the pun, DEADLY EARNEST!
George Bush the other day spoke of the “clear and present danger” of terrorism.
Micah is telling of the clear and present danger of God's judgment about to come on his people in the form of being taken into exile.
For us, the clear and present danger is that we'll neglect to tell people about their relationship with God from God's perspective. And the devastating consequence will be that they'll spend eternity away from God, and away from Christian loved-ones.
We need to be using any truthful, appropriate and reasonable means to bring the point across to people... that God is angry towards those who remain defiant, or at the very least indifferent, towards him.
It's the responsibility of every believer... in the most compassionate and loving way, to urge people to listen to the warnings of God's Word. Like Micah, and the other prophets, we are all, to some extent, “watchman” whose responsibility it is to warn the unbelieving person of the danger he or she is in.
If we fail to use every means available to us, including, maybe puns... to arrest the attention of the non-believer... or to develop their curiosity about their relationship with God, we then have to come to terms with what God said to the prophet Ezekiel. “The wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood” (Ezekiel 3:18).
The point is, that God was angry with Israel and Judah, not only because of their unfaithfulness to Him, but in their unfaithfulness they'd neglected their responsibility towards the unbelieving nations around them... to model faithfulness and a trust in God.
Which was something that God required of them and he requires of us.
To model in every way a complete faithfulness and a sincere trust in God. Both, by how we live and what we say before others.
Before our families, our friends, our peers, and our neighbours.
It's a big ask. But I leave you with these words God gave to Moses to pass onto Joshua just before he led God's people into the land he promised them:
Deuteronomy 31:6:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.