Micah 6:9 “The Lord’s Voice crieth unto the city and the man of wisdom shall see Thy name: Hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it.”
Notice it plainly says….”the Lord’s Voice crieth”. There is no doubt as to Who is speaking….yet the prophet says….”hear”.
When God speaks to us, He speaks to us in things we can understand….with the knowledge of all their implications.
“Crieth” here means to accost with words….to get in front of and tell them what is on your mind.
Is there something in your life that needs to be seen to? Is He crying out to you?
“The Lord’s Voice crieth unto the city….hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it.”
In Micah, the two cities he prophesied to….were Samaria, the capital of Israel (the ten tribes which had separated themselves after Solomon)….and Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.
But why was he prophesying?
Micah 1:2, 2:2,9 “Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that herein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from His Holy temple.
And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
The women of My people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away My glory for ever.”
Israel, when they came into the land, was told that each man’s inheritance was to be his….past on to the next generation….forever.
When a man came into debt, as it might happen…..and he had to sell his inheritance….then at the end of the jubilee year…that land would go back to the man’s family. So each man, woman and child of Israel would have an inheritance in the land God gave them.
But greed and indifference to God’s Will…had brought the land under a curse. And where was this policy started? In the cities….the capital cities, which should have been following God’s plan, foremost.
Me, Mine, Ours. how much of this way of thinking has invaded our minds, plans, and ambitions.
So the Lord through Micah shows them again the basic principles by which they should live:
Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Three things God required of them…to remove the curse.
- To do justly.
Righteousness was to be the way of their lives….not greed.
Micah 3:11 “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money:…”
They were to seek the good of their family, neighbors, and nation. Spiritual good, by encouraging and following the ways of God….and temporal good, by helping each other as they could. There were sacrifices for accidentally hurting someone, or causing loss to them, for they were to be the people of God.
And are we not to pray and seek the good of our fellow Christians? and the church?
Philippians 2:3-4 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
- To love mercy.
Mercy here is “hesad”…or brotherly kindness. The Lord is stressing the principles He laid down under Moses….helping each other stay close to God, and each other. Being a family….an extended family, true….but family.
They were to “love mercy”…..for God had been merciful unto them….and they were to be merciful unto others. They were not to “swallow up” the inheritance of another man’s lands or houses…to simply increase their wealth or status.
And we are to:
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Give no offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
- And they were to walk humbly with thy God.
Psalm 25:12-13 “What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.”
They were to walk with God. Following His laws and experiencing all the promises He gave them.
It is a humble walk….for the lesson is one of dependence and seeking Him in all things.
But pride often leads us astray….as they were led astray after wealth, position, and honor….for themselves….forgetting their God, as Moses warned them of. (Duet.30:16-18)
And we, are to:
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”
Correction from our God is necessary….for we learn not just from His Word….but by a series of lessons, and trials.
And our attitude about our corrections is everything. The most important attitude is to see God in all that comes to us. What is He saying to me? What will He do for me, through this?
Micah 7:7-9 “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness.”
Hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it.
The rod of correction…
(and this is the same word for “rod” in Psalm 24 “His rod and HIs staff they comfort me”.)
….must be accepted for just what it is.
The Lord would have us be His Will, and the rod of correction has His purpose in mind.
He wills….an expected end for me, us, you….will you have it of Him?
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 