The Requirements of God
Book of Micah Chapters 6 and 7
A requirement is a demand that must be met to receive some reward.
The truth is people in every nation, and every generation have turned away from the Lord.
Some of those returned to the Lord, and the rest are in Hell wishing they had returned to the Lord.
We are not whole until we are in a personal relationship with our Creator.
We cannot follow our own path and think it will lead us to Heaven, for it will not.
To live without God is to live a meaningless life!
Israel had God's Word, God laws, and God's commandments.
God's laws are always for guidance and protection.
The greatest thing we can give back to God for all His benefits is our Love and our commitment to His Son.
God does not ever offer something that He cannot provide!
What did Israel do? They ignored the Word of God and made poor choices.
What does the Church do today? The Church ignores the Word of God and makes bad choices.
*****Mic 6:1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
Mic 6:2 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.
God is telling Micah he is to be an intermediary between Israel and God.
God told Micah to preach the Word of God so even the mountains could hear his voice.
God has a reason for every command He gives us, and we need to realize it.
We must listen to what God has to say.
What's wrong with the Church today? The Church quit listening to what God has to say and listens to what some man says or in some cases some woman, of this secular world.
The words of man can never be as important as the Word of God!
We can plead our case, but our words will never be as important as the Word of God.
There is a big difference between speaking and preaching.
2Ti_4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
The command of God to preachers is to preach the Word, and it is used 47 times in the New Testament.
For those who want to speak, God says to speak the wisdom of God and not the so-called wisdom of this world.
1Co_2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co_2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
No wisdom of the world can help us get to Heaven; it is only the Word of God where we find such wisdom.
We may not always listen to what God has to say, but that thing we call nature is always listening to hear God's next command.
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Humans and the Devil and his demons are the only things upon this earth that rebel against God!
Those demons still tremble when you mention the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What had God done to cause this rebellion?
*****Mic 6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
Mic 6:4 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.
Mic 6:5 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.
Why do we accuse God of so many things when God is righteous in everything, He does?
God does not make accusations against Israel at this time; He just defends Himself against what the people accuse Him of.
Notice God still says they are His people.
It is an absolute honor to be a child of God!
Does God make our lives miserable?
Does God place terrible demands on us?
Does God make excessive requests of us?
God deserves an answer to these things!
Why do we always complain about what God is doing in the world when we do not do what He asks us to do?
To say yes to any of these things is to have the same attitude as the secular world.
What had God done to Israel that caused such rebellion?
1) He delivered them from the bondage of slavery from the Egyptians. They had been servants, and slaves, and God had given them freedom.
2) God had given them great leaders.
Moses
Moses was a faithful servant in the House of the Lord.
Heb 3:2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
Moses delivered to Israel the laws of God.
It was Moses who led Israel out of Egypt, and Moses was led by the Great "I Am" of the Bible.
Moses was more than a Prophet of God.
Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
Deu 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
Deu 34:11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
Deu 34:12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.
Aaron
Aaron was Moses' elder brother and the first High Priest of Israel.
Both Moses and Aaron together were a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Miriam
Miriam was the oldest of the children of Jochebed.
Miriam was a prophetess, but only in Music and Song.
Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Balaam
Balaam was a prophet, but he was a secular prophet, he was not a prophet of God.
God would not allow Balaam to place a curse on Israel but only a blessing.
Balaam did tell King Balak that the weakness of Israel was those men of Israel, who could be tempted by strange women.
This is a weakness in almost all men, so it did not take some great prophet to tell this thing.
God took the life of Balaam when King Balak went to war with Israel.
God is love, but God is also faithful, and Israel could not deny this truth.
So, what does the Lord require of us all?
*****Mic 6:6 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?
Mic 6:7 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?
Mic 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?
These are part of the requirements of God.
God may be in Heaven, but God is everywhere. God is never very far away from us.
God is not impressed with gifts, or the sacrifices of animals, or of offerings.
If we want to get closer to God, we must meet God at His house with prayer.
Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
We must be humble when we walk with God.
We must do justly, which means to cause no one to be hurt in any way.
Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Mic 2:2 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.
Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Some say it is hard to be a Christian, but with the knowledge of God, I find it is harder not to be a Christian.
How does God describe the world in the day of Micah and the world we live in today?
Mic 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
Mic 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
Mic 6:12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
*****Mic 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
Mic 6:14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
Mic 6:15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
Mic 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore, ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
The word "therefore" means because of these things He would bring His discipline to them.
God will not tolerate this sort of behavior for very long from those who are His children or say they are His children.
There is a sickness called sin-sickness, and God describes it here.
To smite sometimes means to kill, but it can also mean to conquer in a rout.
To smite with the tongue is to cause injury and reproach, so they could reflect on why God brought these things to them.
God does not want us to guess why we will see His wrath! God lets the sinner know to repent, turn back to the laws of God or face His wrath.
It is hard to enjoy anything when we are sick!
One thing was certain: they would not be able to continue their sinful activities.
God would take away their wealth along with all their treasures and make them desolate.
God can also take away our health if He so chooses.
If God in anyway causes our sickness, then He may heal us from that sickness.
If we run from God to the world and that sickness come from the world, then He may or may not take away that sickness.
I believe desolate here means God would desert them for a time and deprive them of comfort.
I do not know about you, but when you are going through something terrible in your life, the comfort of God sure does feel good.
God said He would bring hunger to the land.
They would no longer be satisfied with their meals, meaning they would not have enough to eat.
They would have a constant feeling of hunger.
Their enemies would come in and take away anything they tried to hide.
They would not feel safe in their own homes or in their nation.
Why do so many have weapons in America, because we do not feel safe in our own homes and the politicians will not do anything about it but continue to allow terrorists and corruption into our nation and allow judges to put dangerous people back on the street.
God had already told Israel what would happen if they rejected Him at any time.
Deuteronomy Chapter 28, verses 15 through verse 45. God is serious about rejection from His people.
Deu 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
God did surrender His people to cruel oppression!
Much of Israel does not feel safe in their homes today.
They are always aware that a siren could go off at any minute and they could spend endless hours in bomb shelters.
No other nation would tolerate this thing yet Israel is expected to stay calm and not try to get revenge.
God said these things would be taken away by force, a force they could not stop.
Their grain, their olive oil, and their grape juice would be consumed by their enemies.
Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Deu 28:50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Deu 28:51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
They rejected the laws of God so they could keep the laws of man.
In reality, we see many of these things in the USA today.
Our food is so high that we can barely afford it, and much of it is tainted We hear of food recalls almost every day.
I hate to think this way, but since we have turned to organic food, we find that some people will use anything for fertilizer, even human waste.
Our gas is getting so high that most of us stay home more.
People are moving from one place to another because they don't feel safe or secure where they once lived.
People are leaving the Church and rejecting God, the only hope we have and many local churches have closed their doors.
The Church is rejecting the laws of God to obey the laws of man, and the church is failing in its mission to reach the lost.
Mic 7:2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
Mic 7:6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
And we wonder why so many bad things are happening in our own nation!
*****Mic 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Mic 7:8 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.
Mic 7:9 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.
Our only hope is in the Lord, and it is the same for Israel!
Though Israel has gone and is still going through many of these things, there is a better day a coming.
This time it is Micah who says "therefore".
For the Church, as we see all these things going on in our own nation and what is going on in Israel, we must realize that surely our only hope lies in the Lord.
We know it has been about 2000 years since the Lord Jesus went back to Heaven, but He promises to return, and He will.
That trumpet of the Lord could sound at any minute, and we would be out of this world in the blink of an eye.
Most of us believe that the Lord Jesus will return to take His Church out of this world before God’s wrath takes place.
Israel has the great promise that the Lord Jesus(the Messiah) will soon sit as King of Israel, and King of this world.
Every day that passes gets us closer to these things.
Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
We are always to pray for others, but disobedient souls must also pray for themselves and not be dependent on others to pray for them.
Micah pleaded with God on behalf of Israel and Judah.
Israel's oppressors at that time were Assyria, and soon Babylon would be the oppressors of Judah.
Today the oppressors of the Church are the worldly powers who reject the truth of God.
The world had better not gloat over the fact that the Church is not growing, but we of the Church know that not all members were saved to begin with.
God will guide His Church as He always has.
God will protect His Church as He always has.
God will preserve His Church as He always has.
It is the same for Israel as they will soon see the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psa 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
God's people will be vindicated in front of God’s enemies.
The lost still say today, "Where is your God?" but they will one day bow before Him!
Isa_45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Isa 45:24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Isa 45:25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
The Bride of Christ is the seed of Israel through Jesus Christ.
Rom_14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Php_2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
There is only one God.
There is only one Messiah.
There is only one Jesus the Christ of God.
*****Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Who is a God like Yahweh?
No one can hold God's people when He wants them set free!
Exo 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exo 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Exo 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
God is never going to be angry with His true children forever!
There are a lot of nations in the world who are sold out to false gods, but we do not see where any of those false gods can save or provide for them as individuals.
Black nasty dirty oil is the god of the Muslim just as gold and other valuable metals are the gods of most Gentiles.
To the terrorist their god is the bullet and homemade bombs.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ can pardon iniquity. To bear iniquity is to endure the punishment for it and be happy to be forgiven for it.
What is pardon? When God pardons, He has removed the guilt of that iniquity.
To be pardoned of God means "as if I had never sinned".
Who is the One true God? Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
God will one day stamp out all sin!
God has already forgiven all sin. The Lord Jesus Christ was the payment for all our sin. We must recognize that this is the truth and go to Jesus Christ who died in our place and ask for forgiveness.
It is mercy that drives God to forgive us, but God's punishment of those who reject Him will be without mercy.
Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
What is the truth of Jacob? God's promise, and God does not break His promises.
Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Gen 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
God gave the land of Palestine to Israel. God will make sure that this takes place. It is only a matter of time. All the Arab nations need to make peace with Israel!
It was Rome who change the name of that area to Palestine because they hated Israel.
What is the truth of Abraham? God's promise.
Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Again, it would be best that all the Arab nations become friends with Israel!
All families are blessed because the Lord Jesus Christ is that "blessing" that came from Abraham.
Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
All true blessings come from above:
Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Eph_1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
God continues: Isa 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
The seed of Abraham is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bride of Christ(The Church)goes everywhere that our Lord Jesus goes.
He will never leave us or forsake us!
Today the Church is espoused to the Lord Jesus, soon the Lord Jesus will present His wife(the Church) to His Heavenly Father.
Amen
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