Micah

Justice

This book could easily be referred to as God’s courtroom because the entire heart of the message through Micah is that God is coming down to bring HIS justice to his creation. In his nation this was written at a time of great sin caused by idolatry… sins of social injustice that would be hard to imagine if there wasn’t such harsh injustice prevalent in the world today. The overriding message of this book is that God is prosecutor, jury, and judge. The reality presented in Micah is that not only will man be judged at the Day of the LORD… all are judged right now… constantly under God’s Law. ALL humanity is under the hand of God’s judgment… and he will have justice… he will make sure that righteousness rules over creation… for this was his intent from the beginning and he is God and he will have his will done on earth. God’s desire for justice is a scary thought for those who are walking in sin but for those who are being oppressed… the faithful who love God and have sought after righteousness… this bringing of justice is deliverance and salvation. This is the double-edged sword of justice… when judgment is over a person they are desperate for mercy… and when a person is walking in righteousness judgment upon their enemies is deliverance and mercy is that deliverance. God will have his justice… he will make things right… the question is whether or not people will be found righteous & blameless in his sight… or whether they will be found utterly guilty for walking in sin and wickedness.

For Judah this message of God’s impending justice was a harsh word for an evil nation. They had turned wholly from the LORD to idolatry and corruption and injustice. They had utterly disregarded God’s Law… his desire that ALL peoples should be provided for and blessed. They wickedly perverted justice for the sake of personal gain… the rich grew richer at the expense of the poor. As God brought his courtroom before them they could not say a word in their defense… they were guilty as charged for the sins they knew not to commit. For this God brought his hand of punishment upon them… prophesying over them destruction and devastation… that their iniquities would lead them into exile. Now we can look back and see that God did all that he said he would but Judah would have simply seen God’s word and realized they had messed up and were going to be punished for it. The beautiful part of God’s justice is that it is mercy for the faithful… for those who love God and walk in righteousness. So… even this harsh discipline was a call to repentance… a call to seek his mercy for grace… that they would be together found in his steadfast love and restored to him in deliverance.

Today God’s rule still governs humanity… he will ultimately judge and his now standing over his creation as judge. Not much has changed… we still are stupid and walk in our sin instead of seeking after his righteousness. God’s words to us mean nothing… just as God’s words to his people Judah meant nothing to them.

Micah 6.8

• “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you… but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

God has shown us what he loves… and what will come to humanity when he ultimately judges. Those who are found in sin will only find death and his wrath… while those who are faithful and seek righteousness have this hope…

Matthew 5.3-10 (The Sermon on the Mount)

• 5.3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”
• 5.4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted…”
• 5.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…”
• 5.6 “Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied…”
• 5.7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy…”
• 5.8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God…”
• 5.9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God…”
• 5.10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”

Today we see things upside down… we see selfish gain and personal pleasure as blessing when in all reality we are willing to sell our souls for them… we live in sin thinking that there is life and hope in it alone. The truth couldn’t be any more different… we have traded the truth of God for a lie. God will purge this world of all evil and only the faithful will remain. While this is scary because all are sinful and evil before God’s eyes… in Christ there is hope for the hopeless… he is our righteousness… and in his gift of mercy there is an ever present righteousness imputed to those who walk with God. This is not a free ticket to simply say some prayer and then be saved… it is the overwhelming reality to those who are found faithful to God through the merits of Christ. God will bring his justice… those not found in Christ will bear the weight of their iniquities… while those found in Christ, the faithful, have a promise of eternal life and a hope of glory that is assured in Him.