The Book of Micah
September 23, 2018
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL
Christina Berry
Our scripture readings today are selections from the book of Micah.
We’ve been looking at the minor prophets,
those shorter books in the Old Testament that are so often overlooked.
Since the lectionary includes only a few verses from the book
every three years, most of us are unfamiliar with the themes of Micah.
Here’s how one commentary describes the themes:
“The situation of ordinary citizens was of great concern to Micah.
He felt compassion for the poor and dispossessed,
and held the leaders responsible for their suffering.
We can learn something about the people’s social and economic situation
from Micah’s condemnation of their rulers, merchants, and prophets.
Similar words from Micah’s contemporary, Isaiah,
add to our picture of a society where the rich and powerful
used their influence to exploit the vulnerable
and to create even greater inequalities of wealth and influence. [1]
Let’s listen for God’s word to us from the prophet Micah.
Micah 1:2-4
Hear, you peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and all that is in it;
and let the Lord God be a witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.
For lo, the Lord is coming out of his place,
and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
Then the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will burst open,
like wax near the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.
Micah 2:6-11
“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
“one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.”
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
Is the Lord’s patience exhausted?
Are these his doings?
Do not my words do good to one who walks uprightly?
But you rise up against my people as an enemy;
you strip the robe from the peaceful,
from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.
The women of my people you drive out from their pleasant houses;
from their young children you take away my glory forever.
Arise and go; for this is no place to rest,
because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.
If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods, saying,
“I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
such a one would be the preacher for this people!
“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
“one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.”
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
Is the Lord’s patience exhausted?
Are these his doings?
Do not my words do good to one who walks uprightly?
But you rise up against my people as an enemy;
you strip the robe from the peaceful,
from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.
The women of my people you drive out from their pleasant houses;
from their young children you take away my glory forever.
Arise and go; for this is no place to rest,
because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.
If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods, saying,
“I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
such a one would be the preacher for this people!
Micah 3: 5-8
Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat,
but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths.
Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.
But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
Micah 4:1-5
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
Micah 5:2-5
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat,
but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths.
Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.
But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
Micah 4:1-5
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
Micah 5:2-5
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
Micah 6:1-5
Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you from the house of slavery;
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
As we consider the minor prophets, it’s worth taking time to recall exactly what a prophet is.
Prophets are not soothsayers or fortune tellers, and prophecies are not predictions or previews of coming attractions. Sometimes prophets do speak of what is to come, but it is always in the context of the law and promise of God. The Biblical prophets bring crucial messages from God, and always in the prophecy is a promise of what could be, if only the people will turn from their evil ways and return to God.
Micah was a prophet in the 8th century BCE, in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. He came from a small Judean village and was called as a prophet before the Northern Kingdom and its capital, Samaria, fell to the Assyrians. Judah was not completely overtaken by the Assyrians, but they were oppressed by the payment of huge tributes. Judea suffered the loss of her independence, and the traditions of God’s people were corrupted when they adopted the religious practices of their oppressor – failing to worship and serve as God had commanded in Torah. The fortunes of God’s people had already declined and promised to get even worse, when Micah stepped forward to provide a theological interpretation of crucial events facing the nation and its people.[2]
Most of us have probably heard some of the words from the book of Micah.
If we were to make a list of the hit parade verses,
we’d have to start with the words in the Call to Worship from Micah 6:6-8.
Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you from the house of slavery;
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
As we consider the minor prophets, it’s worth taking time to recall exactly what a prophet is.
Prophets are not soothsayers or fortune tellers, and prophecies are not predictions or previews of coming attractions. Sometimes prophets do speak of what is to come, but it is always in the context of the law and promise of God. The Biblical prophets bring crucial messages from God, and always in the prophecy is a promise of what could be, if only the people will turn from their evil ways and return to God.
Micah was a prophet in the 8th century BCE, in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. He came from a small Judean village and was called as a prophet before the Northern Kingdom and its capital, Samaria, fell to the Assyrians. Judah was not completely overtaken by the Assyrians, but they were oppressed by the payment of huge tributes. Judea suffered the loss of her independence, and the traditions of God’s people were corrupted when they adopted the religious practices of their oppressor – failing to worship and serve as God had commanded in Torah. The fortunes of God’s people had already declined and promised to get even worse, when Micah stepped forward to provide a theological interpretation of crucial events facing the nation and its people.[2]
Most of us have probably heard some of the words from the book of Micah.
If we were to make a list of the hit parade verses,
we’d have to start with the words in the Call to Worship from Micah 6:6-8.
These words are the center of Micah’s message.
There is also Micah 4:3, the prophecy of that day that is to come
when humankind shall beat swords into plowshares and study war no more.
And often at Christmas time, we hear the promise from Micah 5,
that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem, one of the little clans of Judah.
There is also Micah 4:3, the prophecy of that day that is to come
when humankind shall beat swords into plowshares and study war no more.
And often at Christmas time, we hear the promise from Micah 5,
that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem, one of the little clans of Judah.
None of these scriptures alone, though, give us the full sense of Micah’s prophetic voice. Micah accomplished much of his prophetic work by asking difficult questions. He asked the people of Judea difficult questions, and then answered them. In Bible Study on Wednesday we looked at a cartoon in which a son asks his father, “What’s a hard question?” and the father answers, “Any question you won’t like the answer to.”
Prometheus
That’s the kind of hard questions Micah asked.
See, Micah lived in a divided country, in which the rich and powerful used their wealth, power, and political influence to exploit the poor and vulnerable. Like many a preacher in such a situation, Micah would not keep silent. He would not sit by quietly while women were driven from their homes, innocent people were victims of violence, and children were taken away from their parents. He would not preach a happy-happy joy-joy message when those in power were mistreating the hungry and the needy.
That’s the kind of hard questions Micah asked.
See, Micah lived in a divided country, in which the rich and powerful used their wealth, power, and political influence to exploit the poor and vulnerable. Like many a preacher in such a situation, Micah would not keep silent. He would not sit by quietly while women were driven from their homes, innocent people were victims of violence, and children were taken away from their parents. He would not preach a happy-happy joy-joy message when those in power were mistreating the hungry and the needy.
“Is this God’s doing?” he asked, and the implied answer was “NO!”
He began his sermons with the imperative: “HEAR!” and “Listen!”
He loudly and insistently pointed out the troubles all around,
and did not mince words when he condemned the politicians and their lies.
He named the wickedness that had beset them.
He called them out on their idolatry,
and described the grievous destruction that awaited them,
if they continued on that path.
Micah comforted the afflicted, and he afflicted the comfortable.
And, like many a preacher in such a situation, Micah encountered resistance.
“Do not preach!” they said to him. “Don’t be so political!”
“Do not preach!” they said to him. “Don’t be so negative.”
“I know what kind of sermons you’d like,” Micah said.
“You want to hear about sunshine and lollipops.
You want vanilla ice cream and fluffy clouds and flowers.”
Contemporary preachers deal with these same kinds of complaints.
But at no time have God’s people lived in a bubble,
free to ignore the troubles all around them.
Throughout history, God has been bringing our attention to the poor,
the oppressed, the enslaved, the lowly, the needy, the least of these.
Jesus preached some unpopular sermons, too.
He said to love our enemies, to speak truth to power,
and to care for those in need without regard to their worthiness.
But people complain about sermons like that.
Jesus called them a brood of vipers, and whitewashed tombs.
Jesus had no patience with those folks.
Micah wasn’t having any of that nonsense either!
When the powerful complained, he just had some more hard questions.
“God wants to know what it is you think has been done to you?
God wants to know why you are not listening, why you have turned away?
Have you forgotten?”
Remember: God brought you up out of slavery and guided you to freedom!
But at no time have God’s people lived in a bubble,
free to ignore the troubles all around them.
Throughout history, God has been bringing our attention to the poor,
the oppressed, the enslaved, the lowly, the needy, the least of these.
Jesus preached some unpopular sermons, too.
He said to love our enemies, to speak truth to power,
and to care for those in need without regard to their worthiness.
But people complain about sermons like that.
Jesus called them a brood of vipers, and whitewashed tombs.
Jesus had no patience with those folks.
Micah wasn’t having any of that nonsense either!
When the powerful complained, he just had some more hard questions.
“God wants to know what it is you think has been done to you?
God wants to know why you are not listening, why you have turned away?
Have you forgotten?”
Remember: God brought you up out of slavery and guided you to freedom!
Remember how King Balak engaged the sorcerer Balaam to curse you,
but God caused Balaam’s donkey to speak up and rebuke him.
So Balaam blessed you and did not curse you.
Remember, Israel, those days when you were at Shittim,
at the end of your forty years wandering in the wilderness.
God would not let Balaam curse you,
but you cursed yourselves by worshiping false gods.
Remember the sight of Gilgal,
when at last you crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land.
Remember the monument you built there: twelve stones for the twelve tribes.
but God caused Balaam’s donkey to speak up and rebuke him.
So Balaam blessed you and did not curse you.
Remember, Israel, those days when you were at Shittim,
at the end of your forty years wandering in the wilderness.
God would not let Balaam curse you,
but you cursed yourselves by worshiping false gods.
Remember the sight of Gilgal,
when at last you crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land.
Remember the monument you built there: twelve stones for the twelve tribes.
Remember how you observed the Passover, and kept the covenant.
Remember the mighty acts of God.”
Remember, church, what God has done for you.
And as you remember this, here’s another set of questions, Micah says:
“What does the Lord require of you?”
Do you think God wants burnt offerings, or rivers of oil,
or the sacrifice of your firstborn child?”
What is it that God wants of you?
That’s a hard question.
The good thing about hard questions is that when we struggle with them,
we come out stronger on the other side.
Hard questions push us to think seriously about who we are and how we live.
Hard questions lead us to deeper faith, and clearer action.
What does the Lord require of you?
Does God require that you attend every meeting or worship service?
Is God interested in your critiques of others in the church?
Does God demand that you monitor the bathrooms,
or the paper towel holders and soap dispensers?
Does God love our church better if we have more members and money?
No, what the Lord requires of you
is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
These are all action words –
not beliefs or doctrine, but action –
working for justice, acting with kindness, walking humbly.
God is interested in how you love God and love your neighbor.
God is interested in how you treat those who are on the margins of society.
God is interested in how you LOVE.
And here’s what God has in store for you: Jesus.
Remember the mighty acts of God.”
Remember, church, what God has done for you.
And as you remember this, here’s another set of questions, Micah says:
“What does the Lord require of you?”
Do you think God wants burnt offerings, or rivers of oil,
or the sacrifice of your firstborn child?”
What is it that God wants of you?
That’s a hard question.
The good thing about hard questions is that when we struggle with them,
we come out stronger on the other side.
Hard questions push us to think seriously about who we are and how we live.
Hard questions lead us to deeper faith, and clearer action.
What does the Lord require of you?
Does God require that you attend every meeting or worship service?
Is God interested in your critiques of others in the church?
Does God demand that you monitor the bathrooms,
or the paper towel holders and soap dispensers?
Does God love our church better if we have more members and money?
No, what the Lord requires of you
is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
These are all action words –
not beliefs or doctrine, but action –
working for justice, acting with kindness, walking humbly.
God is interested in how you love God and love your neighbor.
God is interested in how you treat those who are on the margins of society.
God is interested in how you LOVE.
And here’s what God has in store for you: Jesus.
We have a running joke around here that if someone asks a question
and you aren’t sure about the answer,
nine times out of ten, the right answer is Jesus.
That’s the hopeful answer God gives to all our hard questions.
God in Christ has promised to bring us to a place of peace and justice,
a place of joy and happiness.
You won’t even need your weapons anymore.
You can melt them down into gardening tools.
You won’t need to study war anymore.
You can lay down your burdens and come up to the mountain of the Lord.
God is going to accomplish this through the birth of the Messiah.
That Savior will come out of Bethlehem. a nobody from nowhere,
and he will feed his flock like a shepherd, and he will bring peace.
and you aren’t sure about the answer,
nine times out of ten, the right answer is Jesus.
That’s the hopeful answer God gives to all our hard questions.
God in Christ has promised to bring us to a place of peace and justice,
a place of joy and happiness.
You won’t even need your weapons anymore.
You can melt them down into gardening tools.
You won’t need to study war anymore.
You can lay down your burdens and come up to the mountain of the Lord.
God is going to accomplish this through the birth of the Messiah.
That Savior will come out of Bethlehem. a nobody from nowhere,
and he will feed his flock like a shepherd, and he will bring peace.
That Savior will also ask some hard questions,
and he will speak hopeful answers.
When they ask him who gets to be his favorite,
he’ll tell them the last shall be first.
When they ask him what they are supposed to do,
he’ll tell them to love God and love each other.
When they ask him how to win a fight,
he’ll tell them to turn the other cheek.
When they ask him what to do about their enemies,
he’ll tell them to bless them and pray for them.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
What does the Lord require of you?
It’s a hard question, with a hopeful answer:
God has told you, O mortal, what is good.
Do justice.
Love kindness.
Walk humbly with God.
Amen.
[1] Daniel J. Simundson, Commentary on Micah https://www.ministrymatters.com/library/#/tnib/5215ce62efb2239b0156a866b232766b/introduction.html
[2] https://www.ministrymatters.com/library/#/tnib/5215ce62efb2239b0156a866b232766b/introduction.html
and he will speak hopeful answers.
When they ask him who gets to be his favorite,
he’ll tell them the last shall be first.
When they ask him what they are supposed to do,
he’ll tell them to love God and love each other.
When they ask him how to win a fight,
he’ll tell them to turn the other cheek.
When they ask him what to do about their enemies,
he’ll tell them to bless them and pray for them.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
What does the Lord require of you?
It’s a hard question, with a hopeful answer:
God has told you, O mortal, what is good.
Do justice.
Love kindness.
Walk humbly with God.
Amen.
[1] Daniel J. Simundson, Commentary on Micah https://www.ministrymatters.com/library/#/tnib/5215ce62efb2239b0156a866b232766b/introduction.html
[2] https://www.ministrymatters.com/library/#/tnib/5215ce62efb2239b0156a866b232766b/introduction.html
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