Day 70: What God can't stand - Micah 6 vs 9-16

9 Fear the Lord if you are wise! His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem: “The armies of destruction are coming; the Lord is sending them. 10 What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures? 11 How can I tolerate your merchants  who use dishonest scales and weights? 12 The rich among you have become wealthy  through extortion and violence. Your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.

13 “Therefore, I will wound you! I will bring you to ruin for all your sins. 14 You will eat but never have enough. Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain. And though you try to save your money, it will come to nothing in the end. You will save a little, but I will give it to those who conquer you. 15 You will plant crops but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample the grapes  but get no juice to make your wine.16 You keep only the laws of evil King Omri;  you follow only the example of wicked King Ahab! Therefore, I will make an example of you,  bringing you to complete ruin. You will be treated with contempt, mocked by all who see you.” Micah 6:9-16 New Living Translation

If you read the prophets of the Old Testament you’ll come across many messages of comfort and encouragement. But you’ll also come messages such as this one where the prophet sadly had to announce a coming judgement of God. (vs 1) It was probably the hardest duty they had and often got them into trouble with people who didn't like being challenged about wrong things in their lives. What do vs 10-11 tell us the people were doing that had made God so disgusted with them?

Vs 16 shows us that not only had greed, dishonesty and extortion become their lifestyle, they also followed the bad examples of two of the worst kings in the nations history. How careful we need to be in who we see as role models in life. How sad when young people idolise film stars or rock stars.

So Micah tells them of a coming army that was going to plunder the nation. What was the result of God's judgement going to be in their lives? (vs 13-15)

God's judgement was going to fit their crime. They had trampled on people and been greedy for possessions - now an enemy nation would trample on them and they were going to lose all they had built up through exploiting others.

What happened all those years ago is still something we should think about today. There’s still a lot of injustice in the world and people who exploit others. It's the result of people who only live for what this world has to offer. That's why the apostle John wrote: “Don't love this world, nor the things it offers you. For when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:15-17.

In vs 14 Micah said to the people “you will eat . . . but never have enough.” That's true of chasing after the things of the world as well. People who rush after sinful pleasures are never satisfied. There will always be an emptiness in their lives. Micah said a wise person will fear God (vs 1) - and this godly fear will lead them to turn away from things that God can't stand, and choose rather what is good and just and honest.