This is my sermon from last week. Since I haven't updated the blog in a bit (since all I do anymore is schoolwork and write sermons), I figured this was the best I can do for now! This was given on Superbowl Sunday and we were collecting food for the Souperbowl of Caring ministry. Enjoy.
~Sally
Greenfield Presbyterian 2-5-12
The Israelites of the Old Testament heard the message that Micah gave them quite frequently. It seems that everywhere we turn in the Old Testament some prophet is telling the people where they have gone wrong, gotten off track, and how God is or will punish them...but there’s still a way to get back on track!
The prophet Micah lived around the same time as the prophet Isaiah. We don’t know a lot about Micah, except that he prophesied to all of Israel, not just the north or just the south.
It was in the early 700’s BCE, and there was a lot of upheaval going on. Israel was in political and moral chaos. Assyria was a stronghold in the area and had taken over Samaria and most of the northern area of Israel.
Judah was in the tenuous position of not having been “taken over,” instead they paid tributes to Assyria to keep the peace. King Ahaz was in power, and we was not a good guy. There were other kings in the area who did stay faithful to the Lord, but Ahaz was not one of them.
Not only did he decide to pay tribute to keep the peace, he adopted the Assyrian religion in Judah, he encouraged worship of Baal, and had his priest built a new altar in the Assyrian style.
Ahaz even sacrificed his own son to show his commitment to Baal. He really buddied up to the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pilessar.
So as Micah is prophesying he’s really speaking to the leadership in southern Israel and in Judah...not just to Ahaz, but to any and all corrupt leaders.
Throughout the book of Micah the prophet gives oracles or prophesies of both judgment and restoration, and as we look at chapter six we see judgment.
In the first five verses God tells the people of Israel that he is going to plead his case to his creation. The mountains and hills have been there forever and have seen God’s work and know of his covenant to his people...
...they have also seen and heard the actions and voices of God’s people Israel.
So God makes his case....and he challenges the people...saying,
“what have I done to you?” “how have I made it so darn difficult?”
He goes on to recount some of the highlights of what he has done for his people -
getting them out of Egypt,
sending Moses to lead them - as well as Aaron & Miriam
their journey from Shittim to Gilgal which took them across the Jordan River
God says, “you’ve seen my righteous acts, and yet you continue to betray me, worshiping other gods, showing your allegiance to my enemies, doing so many things that go against my Law and my desires for you...”
And to this, one answers for all of Israel...
“What do I need to come with before the Lord???
Burnt offerings? A calf?”
And then he really exaggerates out of exasperation - thousands of rams? 10,000 rivers of oil???
Shall I offer my own firstborn child, Lord??
What do you want me to do???
It really is amazing that they even ask these things. Do they really not see what they’re doing?
As tributes are paid to Assyria, everyone undergoes some hardship, but it is, as always, the poor, the vulnerable, those on the fringes of society who suffer the most. It is the poor who always pay more than their fair share.
Micah answers the question of the people by reminding them that God has, many times already, told them what he wants of them.
God doesn’t want them to DO anything.
God wants them to BE his people.
It’s not about being more “religious” and doing “religious” things. It’s about living a lifestyle, having an overall outlook, having ethical values that line up with what God calls each of us to.
The current character, the heart attitude of the people of Judah and Israel was the exact opposite of the characteristics that God required of man to avoid punishment.
God wants us to act justly toward our friends and neighbors and even those we don’t personally know. He would much prefer our acts of justice over our acts of so-called piety.
Amos 5 says,
I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (vs. 21-24)
God’s saying you can go to church every Sunday, tithe twenty percent, say your prayers every night and day, and even lead a Bible study every week...but if you don’t treat people justly, then what’s the point? If you only do these things out of fear or obligation...then they’re as empty to me as they are to you.
God calls each of us to work towards fairness and equality for all people ~ especially for the weak and powerless, the vulnerable who get exploited by others.
All we have to do is read the Gospels to see how Jesus heeded that call to obedience. Very rarely did we see him hanging with the middle or upper class people of the day.
He went to the fringes, to the people who were almost invisible to the rest of society. He hung out with the people and ministered to the people who were the least, who were the forgotten, who were the dirty, and who were suffering the most.
The next thing Micah says is to love mercy. The Hebrew word for mercy is hesed and it’s very interesting to look further into the meaning of this word.
Hesed is a word that is used a lot in the Old Testament. Sometimes with word translation we look at the Septuigint. The Septuigint is a Latin translation of the Bible done in about 350 AD. Both the Old and New Testaments are done in Latin, so it’s a good way to compare the same word being used in old and new.
Hesed, while translated mercy, many times, has also been translated as loyalty.
Some have said, when HESED is used with man it describes the following actions:
doing favors and benefits for men; kindness extended to the needy; affection or love of Israel to God; and lovely appearance.
Notice the difference when HESED is used to describe the actions of God:
redemption of Israel from its enemies and troubles; preservation of life from death; quickening of spiritual life; redemption from sin; and keeping the covenants.
Hesed has to do with love, loyalty, and faithfulness. Hesed is that key thing, that key element in relationships - whether it’s a relationship with your spouse or your friend....or with God.
It’s not enough to maintain the covenant faithfulness out of duty.
Jesus even says the same thing in Matthew 9. In verses 9-12 Jesus has invited a tax collector to join him and then they all have dinner together and he is criticized for it.
He answers back saying that it isn’t the healthy that need a doctor. And then he tells them to go back and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” It’s a quote from Hosea 6:6. And that word for mercy is the same word used here in Micah. I desire hesed, mercy, loyalty, love, faithfulness....not sacrifice.
God wants US...not our empty religious actions. He wants the real thing. Israel, and we as well, are to love God. Our faithfulness is to be motivated by love.
--------------------
Finally, we get to the last reminder from Micah and that is “to walk humbly with our God.”
There are two words here that we need to look at.
The first is “walk.” Because God is not this being who just pops in and out of our lives. We are on a pilgrimage with God...a journey together...
...and Micah reminds us that we must walk humbly. That God is leading us on this journey. Or maybe you’re on a car trip - God’s at the wheel!
Humility is a tough pill for us to swallow. As Americans, as middle-class Americans.
We like to think that we’re in control of our lives. We like to believe that we know where we’re going and what we’re doing, and what we’re
...and being humble doesn’t usually fit into that picture too well.
But Jesus reminds us over and over throughout the New Testament that we need to die to self, that it’s not about us, and it’s all about God.
In John 12:24 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds...”
Just as Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, so we are to do the same. We are to die to ourselves - as is represented in our baptisms, and live for Jesus.
We are to walk humbly with God as he shows us the path of life and continues to open our eyes to what he sees; break our hearts as his does; and moves us to know and practice compassion, justice, and righteousness.
What does this look like, and how do we live this out?
Today is a perfect example as we bring food as an act of worship, an act of compassion toward those who have less,
As we continue to learn about our neighborhood, studying and discovering what the real needs are - we can start deciding what will be the best way to help the people and show them the love of Jesus in tangible ways,
In opening our building to groups in need - and not taking financial advantage of them in the process - we help our neighbors,
And as we look to offer another worship service that might help those in the Narcotics Anonymous groups who use our building, we reach out and offer hands of love and reconciliation and acceptance to those who may be lacking that - to those who may feel on the fringes.
The people of Israel thought that they could define what was good. They thought that they could simply live life as they wanted and there would be no consequences....or, they thought that God wasn’t that real.
But God showed them he was real, and he sent prophet after prophet to remind them - and us - that he is the only one who defines what good is.
He is the one who shows us how to live and why.
... Micah 6:8 doesn’t guarantee any reward for following these instructions, but God has shown us, and many of us have lived it to learn....
...that our reward is first the joy of knowing that we have been obedient to what God has asked of us...this God who sacrificed his only son so that we could be reconciled to him..
when pleasing God, when living a thankful life becomes the center of your life - then living out his desires brings great joy!
...we are also rewarded as we are able to bless others in our lives
as we do things that bring about justice,
as we practice faithfulness and loyalty in our relationships with others,
as we put the needs of others before ourselves,
we come to experience and know that joy of the Lord that isn’t dependent on what’s going on around us...it simply comes out of knowing God and enjoying life with him.
...And finally, the more we walk humbly with God, the more we see that his ways are so much better than our ways!
We are rewarded as we learn that when we wait to discern God’s plan instead of forging ahead with our own, his plans bring to our lives more than we can ever ask or even imagine!
I love how The Message translation puts these verses of our Micah passage. It says,
“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously -- take God seriously. Amen.
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