Micah was a prophet that stood up for the downtrodden. He taught that honesty, justice and fairness were critical facets for all humanity. Micah complained about dishonest people that cheated.
Micah 6:1-8
Hear now what the Lord says:
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint,
And you strong foundations of the earth;
For the Lord has a complaint against His people,
And He will contend with Israel.
3 “O My people, what have I done to you?
And how have I wearied you?
Testify against Me.
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of bondage;
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab counseled,
And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
From Acacia Grove to Gilgal,
That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
We desire truth from people.
Psalms 51:6
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Society has quickly moved away from honesty and truthfulness.
Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
We have turned into a nation of corrupt Enron’s. Here is a dialogue from Jesus that will help us.
Matthew 22:35-40
Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
We have been created by God to be honest and love our neighbors. We were made to show mercy to each other. It is God’s Grace and unexpected kindness. Examples in the Bible include the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Thief on the Cross, and the Woman caught in Adultery. All these examples show human mercy and compassion!
The display of God’s Mercy is the death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary!
Be gentle with other people!
Self-Righteousness is reflecting Satan not Christ!
As the Prophet Micah stated we are to love mercy, show kindness and have mercy on other people!
Please contact me if you want to discuss how to establish and grow a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! I have many resources to share!
This is the message that was given by Pastor Taylor at Santa Barbara Seventh-day Adventist Christian church in November 2013.