Reflections on "Moving Beyond" Micah 1: 1-9; 3: 1-12

It did not feel like I was on top of the material this morning as I would have liked.  I tried to pick up on a couple of different themes in Micah that I had not previously focused on in the sermons on Amos and Hosea.  

If I preached the sermon again, I would use the text from Micah 6: 6-8 -- "With what shall I come before the Lord,  and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, 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?  I had opted not to read that text since it is the section of Micah everyone knows, but since I ended up focusing on it in the sermon, it might have worked better to read from it.

If I preached Micah again, I might also focus more on Micah 3: 11 when we are told the false prophets say, "  “Surely the Lord is with us!"  Eugene Peterson translates that passage as, "We've got God on our side."  That could be the start of a pretty interesting sermon!

I originally thought I would be preaching about the third point -- Micah's predictions about Jerusalem's destruction that did not happen -- which is why I chose the sermon title.  I don't think the sermon quite met the title this week!

“Moving Beyond” FPC, Troy; 7/5/15; Minor prophet preaching series; Micah 1: 1-9; 3: 1-12

Introduction: Unlike Hosea and Amos, Micah prophesies in Judah, the southern part of the kingdom.

Israel, the Northern Kingdom, has been defeated by the Assyrians. From a prophets standpoint, that means Hosea and Amos were correct when they prophesied doom and gloom for Israel.

Now Micah is preaching a similar message to Judah. Micah has a little more hope – he prophesies about the remnant that would survive, and he mentions the ruler that will come forth from Bethlehem, which we now understand to be a call for the coming of Christ.

But mostly, he preaches a similar message of doom and gloom. In fact, when Micah prophesies about the destruction of Jerusalem, he is talking about the unthinkable – the destruction of the holy city; the place where the temple is; the place that is at the heart of the faith of God's people.

This morning, I want to reflect on a couple of themes in Micah.

Move 1: We begin by looking at the way Micah, like Amos and Hosea, shifts the way we are to look at sin and suffering.

a. At the time, God's people had a simple view of sin and suffering – if you were suffering, it was the result of your sinfulness.

1. The poor were poor because they were less faithful; those suffering from injustice were doing so because they had in some way sinned against God.
2. When I put it that way, we easily recognize the flawed thinking.

3. But, think about how quickly we move from gratitude – that is, “thanks God for all the blessings we have” - to certitude about how we deserve those gifts – that is, deep down we say, “really, I do deserve these things because I do act better or are more faithful than most!”

4. Recently I read an article from Christian Century that was written several years ago. That author shared about a National Lampoon cartoon that was a spoof of the old Medici rose window from the cathedral in Florence, how it depicted a laughing camel leaping with ease through the eye of a needle. The caption beneath the cartoon reads, "a recurring motif in works commissioned by the wealthier patrons of Renaissance religious art," while the Latin inscription on the window itself reads "Dives Vincet," which can be translated, "Wealth wins!" John Rollefson, "Eye of the Needle," Christian Century, September 21, 2004, 20. Referenced in Robert Dunham's sermon at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, 6/14/15.

b. Micah offers a different perspective.

1. Micah makes the point that sometimes suffering is a “consequence of victimization and abuse by the wicked and powerful.” Daniel J. Simundson, “The Book of Micah: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: Volume VII, ed. Leander E. Keck, Thomas G. Long, David L. Petersen, et al, The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1994), 560. Eric Mathis, Samford University, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2183

2. In other words, the suffering of the poor, the injustices heaped upon the powerless result from the sinfulness of those in power.

3. The sign of faithfulness is not being in power and having wealth; likewise, the sign of unfaithfulness is not suffering.

4. for all people, the sign of faithfulness becomes are we doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God.

Move 2: It can be hard to hear Micah's challenge.

a. Think about this week-end's celebration of our nation's independence from England.

1. Great celebrations.
2. I had the chance to beat Red, White, and Boom in Columbus on Friday night.
3. A spectacular fireworks display with wonderful music tied in that jerked at our heart strings. A tribute to our nation's history, the armed services, and a little bit of “Hang on Sloopy” mixed in for good measure.
4. Most of us this week-end are proud of nation's heritage and would not trade living here for anywhere else in the world.

b. But there is also the temptation to believe that somehow living here makes us more faithful or better in God's eyes than others around our world.

1. there is a temptation to be triumphalistic instead of humbled by all the blessings we have.
2. There is a temptation to believe that everything is just fine in our country and ignore any injustices or suffering that takes place.

3. Like those to whom Micah prophesied, we have plenty of false prophets who speak of our country as if we are perfect.

100. Then we hear Micah's challenge – are you doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly.

1. the litmus test for us is not how good we feel about ourselves, but how much good we are doing for those who are suffering or those who deal with injustice in their lives.

2. that's the measure God uses.

Move 3: A final thought about the complexity of being faithful.

a. Micah prophesied that Assyria would destroy Judah just like Assyria destroyed Israel for its unfaithfulness.

1. Judah suffers at the hands of Assyria, but Assyria stops before destroying Judah and Jerusalem survives.
2. Eventually, the Babylonians will destroy Jerusalem, but in that moment Micah was wrong about the looming threat of Assyria.
3. The question was raised: could Micah have been wrong in his judgment of Judah?
4. Or was Judah somehow better than Israel since Judah was spared destruction by the Assyrians?

5. was Judah one of those false prophets about whom he prophesied?
6. The struggle to see how God was at work.

b. We know that challenge.

1. how do we know what God wants us to do?
2. When can we look at what is happening in the world and know that it is God at work?
3. Unfortunately, Micah does not give us an easy answer.
4. In fact, instead of an answer, we get the question: are you doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God?

As we live out our answer to that question, we discover how Micah, how God, speaks to us today. Amen.