God's Witness Against Mankind

Micah 6:1-8 8/20/23 a.m.

I’ve always enjoyed the DRAMA of a COURTROOM. I love to watch reruns of PERRY MASON and MATLOCK. Now I don’t watch Judge Judy, OK? But I do enjoy watching the old TV shows. In REAL LIFE I know that there are probably a lot of BORING, MUNDANE things that happen in courtrooms most of the time but there’s just something about being there that’s intriguing to me. I’ve been called to Jury Duty 6 times and I’ve always looked forward to it. I’ve been on several juries. It can be rewarding and it can be very frustrating. Sometimes when you’re setting back in the Jury Room deliberating after a long trial, you could just CHOKE some of your fellow jurors. There will be one hold out. One person whose just not sure. And you just want to go home. You could just SCREAM, “Were you not listening? How could you be so STUPID?!!!” But that usually doesn’t do any good does it? This morning I want us to take a look at God’s courtroom.

So let’s go ahead and read Micah 6, Verses 1-8.

Hear ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

2 Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.

6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or 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?

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?”

As I read the first two Verses of this Chapter, I can picture a courtroom in my mind. Micah, the PROSECUTING ATTORNEY, the attorney representing God, begins to speak. And he tells us WHO God would be SPEAKING TO. The UNSHAKABLE, POWERFUL, MIGHTY WITNESSES. They have been around since the beginning of time. The MOUNTAINS and the STRONG FOUNDATIONS of the Earth. These will be the JURY.

And then in Verse 2, he tells us who the DEFENDANTS are. God’s own people. Israel. If you look at Verse 1 of Chapter 1 of this BOOK, you’ll see that the PROPHECY was to both Jerusalem and Samaria. In other words, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Judah and Israel.

Here in Chapter 6 he is speaking of Israel back when they were in Egypt and after they came into the Land of Canaan but before the two kingdoms broke apart during the time of Rehoboam. Therefore, the DEFENDANTS were ALL of the TRIBES of Israel.

And then the PROSECUTOR, the Prophet Micah tells us that God Himself will now PLEAD His cause. He will speak. And in Verse 3, He begins. And that’s what we’re going to look at. God’s WITNESS against MANKIND.

Before we get into message, let’s go to the Lord in Prayer. Brother ______, would you lead us?

And so as we look at this passage starting in Verse 3, Micah, the Prosecutor steps back, and GOD begins to SPEAK. He starts off by QUESTIONING His people.

What have I done unto thee?

Wherein have I wearied thee?

Testify against me. TELL ME!!!

And when it really came down to it, God had done nothing to these people but GOOD. He had sent Godly leaders to BRING THEM OUT of the Land of Egypt. Moses, his brother Aaron, and their sister Miriam.

They had been there to try to work with the Pharaoh of Egypt to release the people. The Plagues. They had been there to LEAD them across the Red Sea. They had been there as they made their way through the Wilderness. They had been there as Israel fought against the Amalekites and the Canaanites.

God had always been there for them.

And then in Verse 5, God brings up Balaam and Balak. Numbers 22-24 tells us the story. After meeting with King Balak of Moab, Balaam prophesied over Israel four times. As he spoke God’s word, he didn’t curse Israel – but he blessed them each time. So he wasn’t able to CURSE ISRAEL but he did tell Balak how to bring Israel under a curse. Instead of trying to have a prophet curse them, the Moabites would lead them into SEXUAL DEPRAVITY and IDOLATRY. God would then have to deal with this DISOBEDIENT IDOLATROUS COUNTRY.