Micah 1 - 7 - "The 3 Ingredients To Living A Life That Pleases God"

Click HERE to read today's passage.

The book of Micah is a prophetic oracle written by the prophet Micah between 735 and 700 B.C. It contains three speeches that announce God’s judgment and hope for both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. The book shows that God remembers His covenant and will punish rebellion and sin, but also forgive and restore those who trust Him and His future kingdom¹.

 

The theme of the book of Micah can be summarized in two words: doom and hope. Micah’s message was to both Israel and Judah, addressed primarily to their two respective capitals, Samaria (which was the capital of Israel or the 11 out of 12 tribes) and Jerusalem (the capital of the remaining tribe Judah). 

 

Its three main ideas were: their Sins; their Destruction; and their Restoration.

 

There are many practical lessons we can learn from Micah.

 

God expects to be first!  At the beginning of the book, Micah prophesied, “All her images shall be beaten to pieces, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste” (1:7). Both Judah and Israel had replaced the laws of God with their own laws. In other words, they did what was right in their own eyes. Unfortunately, God tells us in the Bible that man is wicked from the very start. And man, left to himself, always drifts away from God. We must put God first in our lives, trust in His promises, and strive to live according to His will.

 

When facing difficult times, God is always with us.  Another beautiful message of this book tells the story of how ready God is to forgive and restore us if we turn to Him. Israel and Judah had fallen headlong into sin. 

 

In fact, God listed several things that He was totally frustrated with:

 

1. Worshipping false gods and the works of their hands! (1:7)

 

2. Always thinking up evil plans for benefiting their own financial gain! (2:1)

 

-          Finding ways to defraud people of their own property (2:2)

-          Using force and violence to steal away people’s homes (2:3)

-          Figuring out ways to steal from others (2:8

-          Fraudulently evicting women and children from their homes (2:9)

-          Stripping away parental and children’s rights! (2:9)

 

3. The leaders were evil and their behaviors transcended down to the people they lead.  There’s a common truth about people under leadership. That is – people never seem to rise above the level of leadership they have over them! This is not only true within a nation, but in business as well.

 

Jesus will one day restore order to the world!  In chapter 4, we see the prophet Micah describing the future millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Notice what changes will take place…

 

1. People will worship Jesus from all over the world! (4:1)

 

2. Jesus will teach the world about the ways of God! (4:2)

 

3. Jesus will settle international disputes!  (4:3)

 

4. All wars will stop and military training will cease!  (4:3)

5. There will international peace and prosperity with nothing to fear!  (4:4)

 

6. Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem!  (4:7-8)

 

7. Jesus will put an end to all witchcraft and sorcery!  (5:12)

 

God’s heart breaks for us!  Listen to what God says so painfully in Micah 6:3-5,

 

“O my people, what have I done to you?
    What have I done to make you tired of me?
    Answer me!
⁴ For I brought you out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from slavery.
    I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
⁵ Don’t you remember, my people,
    how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed
    and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?
And remember your journey from Acacia Grove^[a] to Gilgal,
    when I, the Lord, did everything I could
    to teach you about my faithfulness.”

 

The 3 things God wants us to do!   I love how God boils down the Christian life to these three characteristics He wishes us to display.  It’s so simple!

 

After going through a litany of things man thinks would be what he would need to do to show repentance of sin, is NOT what God wants.  When we feel guilt from God for the things we’ve done, we often think God wants us to do drastic things to prove our repentance, such as what He says in Micah 6:6-7….listen to how God put it.

 

What can we bring to the Lord?
    Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
    with offerings of yearling calves?
⁷ Should we offer him thousands of rams
    and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
    to pay for our sins?

 

But God isn’t asking for those things!  He only wants these three things…

 

1. Do what is right!

 

2. Love mercy

 

3. Walk humbly with God

 

That’s it!

 

This verse connects our faith with our actions, our care for those in need with our walk with God:

 

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”. 

 

This verse simply describes what God wants from us in return: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

 

To “walk humbly with God” is the basis for loving mercy and doing justice. Cultivating our walk with God provides the power and passion for us to fully engage—it grounds everything else we do.

 

The “walk” metaphor is used often in Scripture to describe the overall direction one’s life is heading. 

 

The adverb “humbly” moves us away from arrogance and the egocentric need to always be better than others, to the simple acceptance of the gifts that God has placed within us¹.

By applying these principles to our lives today, we can strive to live according to God’s will and put Him first in our lives. We can also strive to care for those in need and work towards justice and kindness in our communities.

How to cultivate your walk with God:

 

There are several ways to cultivate your walk with God. Here are some tips that can help you grow closer to Him:

 

1.      Spend time with God in prayer and Bible study: Set aside dedicated time each day to talk with God and learn from His Word¹².

2.      Follow His guidance and obey His commands: Listen to what God is telling you through His Word and the Holy Spirit, and strive to live according to His will¹.

3.      Have faith in Him: Trust in God’s promises and believe that He is always with you, guiding and protecting you¹.

4.      Consecrate yourself to holy living: Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, as an act of true and proper worship³.

5.      Fellowship with other believers: Spend time with other Christians, sharing your faith and encouraging one another in your walk with God⁴.

By following these steps, you can grow closer to God and deepen your relationship with Him.