November 10th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

In Spirit and In Truth

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Dear Father, You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Your compassion and presence never change. I praise You.

Read Micah 6:1-16

[1] Listen to what the LORD says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. [2] “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. [3] “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. [4] I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. [5] My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” [6] With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? [7] Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? [8] He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. [9] Listen! The LORD is calling to the city- and to fear your name is wisdom- “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. [10] Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house, and the short ephah, which is accursed? [11] Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights? [12] Your rich people are violent; your inhabitants are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully. [13] Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. [14] You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. You will store up but save nothing, because what you save I will give to the sword. [15] You will plant but not harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil, you will crush grapes but not drink the wine. [16] You have observed the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their traditions. Therefore I will give you over to ruin and your people to derision; you will bear the scorn of the nations.”

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“The greatest threat to humankind may prove in the end to be not a war-time but a peace-time peril, namely the spoliation of earth’s natural resources by human folly or greed” (John Stott, 1920-2010).

Think Further

The hills and mountains, and indeed the whole of creation, have an important place in the life of Israel. They stand as a testimony to the Lord’s steadfastness in the times of Israel’s vulnerability and of God’s changelessness in the face of Israel’s frequent fickleness.

For Micah, as for Jeremiah, the watchword was “Listen to what the Lord says” (1). This word was spoken to a people who had completely lost their moral compass and who were just relying on going through the motions of their formal worship. They believed that the outward form was enough to maintain the benefits of the Lord’s favor, even though they had sunk to the pagan depths of child sacrifice. We may revolt at the sheer, stark reality of this, but is our society reflecting many of the religious, cultural and social mores that Micah spoke against? Because we are not only part of creation but custodians of God’s creation (“rule over” in Genesis 1:28 signifies a godly “pre-fall” oversight), should we be surprised when people sometimes suffer as a result of the effects of creation’s powerful forces? We can explain some disasters as having natural causes, but so often our innate sin makes us work against creation’s natural laws rather than with them. We must, of course, avoid the temptation to make the direct link between a person’s and a group’s suffering and sin (Luke 13:4). If we were the only ones to suffer for our sin, then we could say that was natural justice. The really awful consequences are that the innocent often suffer more than the perpetrators. We are called to be stewards of creation. We are our brother’s keeper. (Gen. 4:9; Eph. 3:6).

Apply

Verse 8 is a clear, succinct summary of the kind of qualities God wants our lives to display. Use it as a spiritual health check on your life today.

Closing prayer

Lord, I want to live a life that is pleasing to You. May I be willing to cooperate with Your will and become the person You want me to be.

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