Micah 6:9-16
9 The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, you tribe. Who has designated its time?
10 Is there still a person in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of wickedness,
And a short measure that is cursed?
11 Can I justify dishonest balances,
And a bag of fraudulent weights?
12 For the rich people of the city are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Making you desolate because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your filth will be in your midst.
You will try to remove valuables for safekeeping,
But you will not save it all,
And what you do save I will turn over to the sword.
15 You will sow but you will not harvest.
You will tread the olive press but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And tread out sweet wine, but you will not drink any wine.
16 The statutes of Omri
And every work of the house of Ahab are maintained,
And you walk by their plans.
Therefore I will give you up for destruction,
And your inhabitants for derision,
And you will suffer the taunting of My people.”
The Courtroom of the Lord (3)
The word of the Lord
Today’s passage returns to the words of the Lord. The people of Israel failed to carry out the command of Micah 6:8. Their failures are pointed out one by one. (1) They failed to practice the Lord’s justice (the failure of “to do justice” in verse 8). What symbolizes this failure are “a short measure,” “a dishonest scale,” and “a bag of deceptive weights.” These are practices forbidden by the Law of Moses. “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or volume. You shall have accurate balances, accurate weights, an accurate ephah, and an accurate hin; I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19:35-36) (ref. also Deut. 25:13-16). They have been violating the Law of Moses. (2) They, especially the wealthy, committed social injustice. As it is written, “For the rich people of the city are full of violence, her residents speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.” They failed to practice love for their neighbor (the failure of “to love kindness” in verse 8). Before entering into the third failure, the judgment that will come because of sin is declared as an inserted statement (v13-15). When the Lord’s judgment falls, three tragedies will occur: (1) The land will be devastated (v 13). (2) Famine will strike (v 14). (3) Crop failure will continue (v 14-15).
The third failure
The third failure is the sin of idolatry (the failure of “to walk with your God” in verse 8). “The statutes of Omri and every work of the house of Ahab are maintained, and you walk by their plans. Therefore I will give you up for destruction, and your inhabitants for derision, and you will suffer the taunting of My people” (v 16). (1) Omri was the one who established a new dynasty in the northern kingdom of Israel. He emphasized the worship of the golden calves more than any king before him. Omri was an evil king (1 Kings 16:25-26). (2) Ahab took Jezebel from Phoenicia as his wife and spread the worship of Baal in Israel. Like his father Omri, he was also an evil king (1 Kings 16:30-33). Let us learn a lesson from this passage. If inward righteousness (faith) is lacking, outward rituals have no meaning. Only when there is inward reality do rituals have true significance. Remembering this, let us resolve to walk sincerely before the Lord.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I resolve to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with You. Please help me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.