Theme: What Will I Give to the Lord?
Text: Micah 6:8-9
Joke:
A widow used to get a pension of Rs. 1000/-. She lost it, she does not know how to survive for the month. So she wrote a letter to God. The Postman opened it and found the reason for the poor woman, so out of compassion he collected Rs. 900 from all his colloquies. Then delivered the money order to that poor woman. She wrote another letter to thank God. “ Lord you are so compassionate and sent Rs. 1000 but the wicked postman took Rs. 100 as his commission and gave me the rest.”
Choir for the Lord
Establishment of Choir is the very idea of God The first choir is found in the creation (Proverbs 8:23-31). Then on the earthly temple (Isaiah 6:1-4). Then in the redemption(Luke 2:13-14). Then in eternal life (Revelation 4:6-11).
Introduction to the Text:
Micah means ‘who is like YHWH’. He hails from Moresheth-Gath(1:1) of Judah. Prophecy dates back to 750 and 686 BC, his contemporaries were Isaiah, the royal prophet (1:1) as well as Hoshea, Amos, the rural prophets(1:1). Micah lived during the times of kings of Judah--Jotham (750-732), Ahaz (735-713), and Hezekiah (716-687).
The nation of Israel was in an apostate condition with an abhorrence of sin. Hence, he predicted an imminent fall of Samaria and an inevitable desolation of Judah(1:5-11). His main audiences were Judah and Israel. He addressed social ills of his day.
However, he spoke on the doom and hope, on judgment and redemption, on kindness and sternness of God, (Romans 11:22). Micah emphasised that God hates idolatry (1:7,5:12-14), injustice, the seizure of properties (2:2,9), rebellion, failure of civil leadership (3:1-3,7:3) religious leadership (3:11), and mere ritualism and offering sacrifices without repentance (Mic 3:8). He expressed concern for afflicted, outcasts and downtrodden (4:6), and condemned people who were corrupt in business practices and indulged in violence (6:10-12).
Today, we face more or less the same. Mistreatment of women, wife-beating, robbery, rapes and violence, atrocities and audacities in life. Corruptions in dealings and confusions in principles. God would deal with sternly disloyalty and indiscipline. But repentance brings forgiveness and leads to glory (4:1-5). God controls the destinies of nations. The Lord as Shepherd-king by his covenantal love forgives and protects.
“To do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God”.
Do Justice
Love mercy
Walk humbly with my God
1. Definition of Worship:
Worship becomes more complicated day after day. People worship God for wealth, for health, for blessings and for profits. Worship is used as short cut methods to attract God. People think that God is pleased with shouts, noises, highest decimal volumes, the beating of the drums, fasting playing of the instruments and finally with exotic dances.
Some worship leaders want the congregation to stand for the entire worship, some want them to clap for every song, some wants them to dance. True worship of God is defined very precisely by the prophet. The core value or basic demand of God is expressed in this verse 6:8. God remembers in History of Israel how they rebelled against God in the name of Worship. Worship was treated as means and mediums to enjoy food, drinks and sex. The eastern and Semitic cultures and religions foster this concept to a greater extent. God’s demand or requirement for all of us is what? TRUE WORSHIP.
2. Defiled and Defeated worships:
Three events are remembered at this juncture by the prophet:
Firstly, the rebellion of people at Exodus by making golden idols, worship of calf, celebrating festivals, enjoying eating, drinking and sexual plays (Exodus 32:1-6). Secondly, by spoiling community through the exchange of sweets and food materials, and playing whoredoms (Numbers 22:5, 25:1-3).
Thirdly, Omri built Samaria and established the Idolatrous works, his son Ahab introduced the worship of Baal( 1 Kings 16:24-25,30-34). Prophet talks about the statues of Omri is nothing but his rules and regulations for the worship of Baal and YHWH. He misled people to obey his customs rather than God’s commandments.
Micah remembers these sequences and recalls those things and warns the people of his generation and tells them to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:5-8,16). Wherever and whenever people try to deviate from the true worship of God. God reminds us of the word of God. Even Jesus was affirming to the Samaritan Woman about the TRUE worship as worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24).
3. Demands of God in Worship
“To do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God”.
Do Justice
Love mercy
Walk humbly with my God
Nothing can please God. All our patterns, modes and means to worship God are irrelevant and non-satisfactory and boredom to God and worshippers. Real repentance, fear of God, a true commitment to his principles and utter obedience to his voice in Secret and open is needed for all to please God. Love should precede the doing, giving, sacrifice to God. Mercy takes the upper hand and not the plentiful giving.
To do justice is understood as to fulfil all the dues: Dues to God, dues to your neighbour and dues to thyself.
These demands are put forth by Jesus in Mark 12:29-31:
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none another commandment greater than these.
Dues to God is Love and honour him. Dues to neighbours are showing mercy in all your dealings. Dues to yourself are to love you and honour you.
Loving and honouring self: The word “Walk humbly” reminds us that we are human, we are temporary, we are like grass and flower, we are like smoke and ashes. So walk with humility also directs us to walk with dignity and self-respect, with sobriety and chastity, avoid the excess of action and passion towards anybody or anything. There is a limit for your expressions to others.
What a disgrace to defile your body and deprive your soul? What a pathetic condition to leave the grace and depend upon our useless works. Nothing we can achieve through our supererogation. Every soul is restless until it finds solace in Christ. Eve teasing, illicit relationship and arrogance and wickedness are not only damaging others but your own respect and honour were given by God. What we try to do to others and or try to pull them and disregard them reflects our standard, our place in society, our status. Then, how the self can be exalted by walking humbly before the Lord. By denying self, by crucifying self, by emptying the self.
