11/16/11 Micah 6

⁶ With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

(Micah- Ghent Altar Piece- Jan Van Eyck 1432)

Thoughts: First some context: Micah 6 begins with God saying that He has a case against His people.  His case is that He has done nothing to merit their forsaking Him.  He saved them from Egypt, and blessed them (what Balaam told Balak-Nbs. 23-26).  The journey from Shittim (where Israeliets committed sexual immorality with the Moabites) to Gilgal (where they entered into the promised land and renewed their covenant in circumcision) is the journey from sexual immorality to circumcision. God is saying that He did nothing to merit their rebellion.  Now they are looking for a way back to God (that's found in verses 6-8).
     Micah asks a rhetorical question.  Basically it is how can we get back to making God happy, and come into His presence in worship?  It is not the most expensive burnt offerings that make God happy.  It is not thousands of sacrifices and millions of dollars of offerings.  Moabite worshipers believed that the worst kind of sin is mollified when we offer our firstborn as an offering to God.  The King in Micah's day, Ahaz, had in fact offered his only son (Probably Rimnon) as an offering to God.  The people felt their guilt, distance from God, and His displeasure and wrath.  Micah says the way back to God is to act justly.  "Justly" means fairness and equitableness.  It includes honesty and integrity- not taking bribes or treating the rich differently from the poor in court.  "Mercy" means to be considerate and kind; helpful to those who do not deserve it or cannot help themselves.  "walk humbly with your God" in this context means faithfulness to God (not the rebellious pride Ahaz had). 
     It is the same way today.  People are trying to find peace with God.  But it is not found by following any religion.  It is not found by simply giving a lot of money to charity.  It is not found by sacrificing for our children or sacrificing our children for ourselves.  Peace with God is found in a life of justice, mercy and humble faithfulness.

Prayer: God, too often I have trusted in my gifts, my sacrifices to make peace with you.  Give me grace to live justly, mercifully and in humble faithfulness with you.

John Calvin Abridged: If God's purposes were simply to destroy the peope then they would have not asked questions. But whenever God chides his people, He opens a door of hope provided those who sinned repented.  The people were religious but ignored the Law.  They knew what it said, but were fiegning ignorance in a childish way.  The first two requirements were to obey the second table of the Law- to love neighbor.  The idea to walk humbly with God  is from the first table of the Law and involves sincere, humble worship.  Condemned here is pride and arrogance.  The beginning of worship is human humility. 

10/5/10- True Worship and Justice Amos 5:14,15, 21-24

Amos 5:14- Seek good not evil that you may live.  Then  the Lord God will be with you just as you say He is.  Hate evil, love good. 21 "I hate, I despise your religious festivals; I cannot stand your assemblies. 22 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.
23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

(Amos and the People- Guy Rowe d. 1968)

Thoughts: We cannot ignore being true in life and expect our worship to be seen as true to God.  The context of Amos 5 is that the prophet rebuked the people for not being fair in the courts; accepting bribes; treating the poor with contempt; He calls them to hate evil and love good or the Day of the Lord's wrath will come upon them and they will be taken away.  Religion is not just to make us feel good and comfortable or to fulfill some need we have.  True religion and worship spawns care for the neighbor who is hurting, as true love for God elicits love for neighbor. 
In our day we are called to hate evil and love good.  We do not define what is evil and good apart from God's Word or despite God's Word.  Rather we are called to listen to how God has defined what is right and seek to love the Lord's definition of righteousness not our own wishes and feelings about what is right.  The heart is evil, and can deceive us.  Our best reasoning can be corrupted by our pride and selfishness.  Religion that just makes us feel good, or that is only about tolerance (which also is injust in that it refuses to hate evil) misses the mark.  All the singing; all the giving; all the crowds mean nothing if it does not change our lives and even change the world for better!  Jesus was saying this to the Pharisees- there is exterior worship that is for show and comfort; and there is worship from the heart that changes lives and the world. True worship makes true hearts which brings forth true justice and righteousness.
 
Prayer: Lord, let your justice roll through me to others.  Give me strength and insight to hate what is evil and love the good.

John Calvin abridged:  God sought to bless the people, but they turned away from His blessing- seeking evil instead.  When the consequences and punishment for doing evil came, they complained about their misery as if it were solely God's fault! But they were not only alienated from good, they were eagerly seeking what was evil.  God, the holy, will not dwell with us unless we seek to be holy and sanctify ourselves (Lev. 11:44).  The sacrifices of the people were often reprehended by the prophets when not accompanied by godliness and sincerity.  They believed they pacified God with external sacrifices yet continuing obstinately in their sins.