You might have heard that President Biden in the US pardoned thousands of people just a few days ago.
So over 7,000 people that were previously convicted of possession of marijuana since it became a crime back in the 70s were cleared of their convictions.
You might be relieved to hear that tonight's sermon is not about marijuana.
That is not the aspect of the story that we'll focus on, especially because you can even buy cannabis moisturizers at your local Holland and Barrett these days.
So not a straightforward topic, but it's a concept of pardon that ties in with tonight's passage.
These people in the States had been found guilty of a crime.
Imagine there had been a trial and they'd been sentenced.
And now all of a sudden they've been declared innocent by way of being forgiven by the president himself, just out of the goodness of his heart.
It's remarkable. It's a remarkable process.
And all presidents do this, pardoning some hundreds, some thousands of people during their presidencies.
And I believe most countries have something similar.
Now, of course, there are always political reasons behind a U.S. president pardoning people.
But still, we see a similar sequence of events in chapters 6 and 7 of Micah.
There's a trial to begin with where Israel stands accused and then declared guilty.
And then there's a sentence to serve.
And while the sentence is being served, the pardon arrives.
And so we'll look at the passage in these three sections.
The trial in chapter 6, the sentence and the pardon both in chapter 7.
So trial, sentence and pardon.
So why a trial?
At the start of chapter 6, Micah asks God to speak and bring his case against Israel.
With nothing less than God's own creation as witness.
This is solemn.
Read verse 2.
Hear, you mountains.
Listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
I don't know if it's the same for you, but I can very easily read these more poetic introductory verses in the Old Testament.
The ones that normally come before a prophecy.
And just gloss over them.
Go through them very quickly.
Just, you know, in a rush to get to the actual juicy part of God's message.
But these two is God's message.
And I'd like us to try and sit with it for a moment or to try and see what it's trying to achieve.
Now, God made the mountains.
And I'd like you to picture some really tall, grand mountains.
With all due respect for the beautiful British landscape, I think mountains are not its forte.
Back home in Sicily, my hometown is some 60 miles away from Mount Etna.
And that is farther than Edinburgh is from Glasgow.
And yet on a clear day, you just see it there sitting in front of you as if it was a 10 minute drive away.
Two and a half times as tall as Ben Nevis, no man ever built something like that.
And certainly not something that spits ashes and lava half the time.
God made mountains like that.
And even twice as tall as that, as we know, in other places in the world.
And God made the foundations of the earth.
And so he's calling on them.
He's calling them as witnesses to remind Israel of who he is, of his power.
And that is how serious Israel's sin is to God.
And in fact, that's how serious anyone's sin is to God.
And I want us to sit with how uncomfortable, hopefully, that feels.
And so in verse 3, we have God's charge against Israel.
What have I done to you?
How have I burdened you?
Do you feel the heartbreak in those sentences which are asked rhetorically, of course?
What have I done to you?
Isn't that what we ask people when we feel like we're being treated unfairly?
What have I ever done to you to deserve that?
And then he goes on to remind them of everything that he had indeed done for them,
but all the good things that he'd done for them.
I brought you out of Egypt, away from slavery.
I put leaders in place to guide you through the desert with Moses and Aaron and Miriam.
He mentions them in verse 4.
And when Balak, king of Moab, asked the prophet Balaam to curse you,
I made him bless you instead.
That's what that story refers to.
Balak was expecting a curse against his enemy, Israel,
and was angered by the prophet's blessing that he gave them instead.
But Balaam answered in Numbers 23, 26,
Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?
And the Lord had said, bless Israel.
And so God is basically telling them, I would never curse you.
I didn't do it back then.
I wouldn't do it now.
So if you feel cursed right now, that's because you have brought curses on yourselves.
And he goes on reminding them of how he took them from Shittim to Gilgal at the end of their journey in the desert,
before getting to the land that he had set aside for them.
And Shittim, the place where the people had broken the covenant, but God renewed once again.
So what more could God have done?
Now that's the accuser's charge.
And then it's the defendant's turn.
And you'd expect them after this to come to their senses and admit that they're at fault.
But no.
In verses 6 to 8, they too use rhetorical questions.
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
Burnt offerings?
Maybe with calves a year old?
And so far, it sounds reasonable in the context of sacrifices back then.
But then it escalates.
Thousands of rams?
Or maybe 10,000 reavers of olive oil?
Or should I offer my firstborn even, the fruit of my body?
Israel have completely misunderstood how this relationship with God works.
And so they get all snarky with this sarcastic answer,
because they think that God is just impossible to please.
He's too perfect.
No amount of sacrificing could ever make up for their sins against him.
But their answer betrays a fundamental lack of understanding,
because they seem to think that their sacrifices should actually somehow pay for their sins,
rather than being an outward demonstration of repentance
that God would mercifully accept to forgive them.
And so on the one hand, given their comments,
they have realized that something isn't quite working.
And so they push back on God because of how impossible it is for them
to become acceptable to him through sacrifices.
Not even the sacrifice of a firstborn would be enough.
Not that God would ever want that.
And on the other hand, they are still missing the point.
And their lack of understanding is completely exposed in verse 8.
No, people, no.
Verse 8 says, he has shown you.
He doesn't want your firstborn.
He has shown you, oh mortal, what is good.
What does the Lord require of you?
It is your question.
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.
And so far from their legalistic view of a relationship with God,
where they're able to pay an entry fee in the form of a sacrifice
to get access to his presence,
God tells them,
I want you to prove that you hate sin by acting justly.
That you are kind to others and forgiving of them by love and mercy.
And I want you to walk with me in humility.
So God isn't saying that he expects them never to sin,
but he does demand that they hate sin and that they love what is right.
And what's most beautiful is that God isn't telling them to stay away from him in terror
and only approach him through sacrifices,
but he wants them to walk with him in fear.
That fear that stems from humility,
from looking at those mountains,
even Ben-Nemis,
and recognizing that he created them.
That fear that results in love and respect and admiration for God.
God, it's impossible to please you.
You're too perfect, they say.
No, it's just that you don't love me.
And I'm making up excuses, he replies.
You're afflicted, not because I neglected you,
but because of your own sin.
And what I require of you, you know it,
but you simply won't do it.
And then in verses 9 to 12,
after their response, God goes back to his charges.
And if in the first verses of the chapter,
the focus was on everything that God had done right for his people
by delivering them from captivity,
by blessing them,
by getting them out of the desert,
into their promised land,
now the focus is on what they have done wrong.
And then the same sins that we saw exposed a couple of weeks ago
at the start of the book with Jonathan.
So if you look at verses 10, 11, and 12,
you'll find greed,
find wickedness,
find theft,
dishonesty,
lying,
violence.
These people are out of control.
And remember,
act justly,
love,
mercy is what their God is asking of them,
but dishonesty and personal gain
is what they're all about.
So at this point,
the accuser has brought his charges,
the accused have laid out
their pathetic defense,
and the verdict comes,
and it's guilty.
Because a just God,
a holy God,
cannot not condemn
the unrepentant sinner.
He cannot ignore
unrepentant sin.
And so in verse 13,
we read,
I have begun
to destroy you,
to ruin you
because
of your sins.
And we get this list
of illustrations
that show how Israel
is going to get
the exact opposite
of what they were trying
to achieve
with their wickedness.
They yearned for wealth,
regardless of how
it was acquired,
and
God will make sure
that they're left
empty-handed.
They'll eat,
but stay hungry.
They'll store up,
but save nothing.
They will plant,
but not harvest.
They will press olives,
but have no oil.
They will crush grapes,
but have no wine.
The verdict is guilty,
and the punishment is,
in the second part
of verse 16,
I will give you over
to ruin,
and your people
to derision.
I love how,
and I'm being sarcastic,
whenever I read
about Israel's conduct,
I invariably catch myself
looking down on them.
I don't know if it happens
to you.
Just from up here
on my beautiful
21st century pedestal
where we got everything
figured out,
we know who all
the prophecies were about,
and we kind of
pitied them
for not,
you know,
believing that
they would get
to the promised land,
for not understanding
everything that God
says about the Messiah,
and then it always
takes a few minutes
to catch up with me,
the realization
that thousands
of years later,
we are not
that different,
really.
So let's reflect
in a moment
on this tendency
to use God's
perfection
as an excuse
for our sins.
My question
for us tonight
is,
do we ever
find ourselves
giving up
on resisting sin
because we could
never attain
God's perfect
standards anyway?
Do we ever
find ourselves,
catch ourselves
thinking on the lines
of,
I've already
messed up today,
I might as well
not bother
for the rest of the day
because I won't
achieve anything anyway,
I will never
be good enough.
That feeling
that we've let
got down
so much
that there is
no sacrifice
if you're
an Israelite,
but maybe in our
day and age
there's no amount
of prayer,
there's no amount
of reading your Bible,
there's no amount
of,
investing time
into a church
ministry that can
make up for
what I've done,
that can make me
right with God
again.
Do we fall into
the same legalistic
trap?
Because all sin
is serious
to God
and no sacrifice
of any shape
or form
is big enough,
no sacrifice
that we could make
is big enough
to buy us
his mercy.
But at the
same time,
no sin
is too big
for God.
And so if we
find ourselves
overcomplicating
things in our
head,
despairing
at that thought
of being unable
to undo
our sins
ourselves,
then let's go
back to the
basics.
Back to verse
8.
What God
wants
is for us
to act
justly.
Wanting what
is just
means that
we hate
sin.
He wants us
to love
mercy,
and love
in mercy
means committing
to being gracious
and kind
to our
neighbors.
And God
knows we're
fallible.
He knows
we can fail
and often
will fail.
But he wants
us to hate
what is wrong
even when we
do it.
And he wants
us to love
what is right
even when we
don't do it.
And still in
verse 8,
he wants us
to walk
humbly
with God.
And it's
ironic,
I think,
that the
creator of
the universe,
he comes
to tell us
that he
wants to
walk with
us.
And we
say no
because we're
not good
enough.
Who am I,
who are we
to tell God,
no, I don't
want to walk
with you
because you're
too perfect.
He wants
us to walk
humbly
with him.
And that
also means
learning to
accept every
day that
God loves
us.
And even
though he
is perfect,
he isn't
demanding
perfection of
us.
He wants
us to
love him
and hate
sin.
And accepting
that in
itself is
humility.
And I
think the
sooner we
make
peace with
this, the
more we'll
be able to
enjoy the
beauty of
walking with
God as
his children.
So the
trial is
over and
the verdict
was guilty.
And now
it's time for
Israel to
serve its
sentence.
And this
is our
second section
for tonight.
The first
six verses
of chapter
seven, the
sentence to
be served.
And we
won't spend
too much
time on this
point, but
I'd like us
to try and
see the
similarities
between the
condition of
Israel and
the condition
that our
world is
in as
well.
God's
punishment for
Israel really
is the
result of
Israel's
self-inflicted
misery itself.
And what
is this, if
not the
description of
a world that
is under
the grip of
Satan, just
like ours, a
world where
most have
turned their
back on
God?
God.
And so
verse one
of the
second chapter
shows us
Micah's
anguish at
the realization
that he's
the only
godly person
left.
There's no
grapes to
eat, there's
no early
figs.
Grapes and
figs are a
beautiful image
of how sweet
living in a
community that
loves God
would feel.
But there's
only sorrow and
emptiness left
for him.
There's people
constantly turning
against each
other.
In verse
two it says
in wait to
shed blood,
hunting each
other with
nets.
These are
apocalyptic
images.
There's abuse
of power as
the ruler
demands gifts,
the judge
accepts bribes,
the powerful
dictate what
they desire,
that's in
verse three,
and these
three they all
conspire together,
the rulers,
the judges,
the powerful.
And I
had to say
this one really
hit home for
me, because
rulers demanding
more from
their people,
judges,
accepting bribes
so that the
powerful can
keep going
about their
life, doing
what they
desire.
It kind of
just sounds
like when I
was watching
the news
earlier.
And of
course, when
that is what
happens at the
top of any
society, then
at the bottom
there can be
nothing but
mistrust and
fighting with
every man and
woman for
themselves,
fighting over
the scraps.
We see that
in verses
five and
six.
They cannot
trust a
neighbor, they
cannot trust a
friend, they
cannot trust a
partner, they
cannot trust
their own
children.
This is
Israel, this
is the
people of
God, the
chosen people,
they turned
their back on
God and
ended up
here.
But if we
are honest and
if we look
around ourselves,
we're there
too.
Because these
are the images
of a world
that's turned
its back on
God and the
world we live
in has done
that too.
Because we
too are reaping
what we sowed
as descendants
of Adam and
Eve ourselves.
angels.
And so as we
keep sin in
ourselves, our
world is just
as broken,
perverted, full
of evil and
conflict.
And sure, there
are faithful
Christians just
like Micah.
There's millions
of us all over
the world.
But even
then, not one
of us doesn't
commit these
sins that we
see listed
here.
the first
time I read
this passage,
I had
kind of
Hollywood-style
apocalyptic
images in
my mind of
these people
hunting each
other.
But then as I
kept reading
it, I kept
finding similarities
between these
dynamics that
were written
about of
mistrust and
selfishness and
greed and our
own society.
And so I
found myself
wondering if we
have maybe let
the kind of
Western 21st
century way of
doing things
proper, kind
of cloud our
judgment and
become a bit
desensitized to
sin.
Because we might
tendentially as a
society be
superficially nice
to each other at
least.
We might have
laws that protect
our rights and
the most vulnerable
that allow our
society to function
in an orderly
way for the most
part.
But sinfulness
is in us and
around us.
We might have
learned to dress
it up individually
and as a
society.
But those few
expressions of
selflessness that
we do see around
us, they should
not fool us into
thinking that the
situation is not
that bad.
Because wherever we
turn we see a
society here as
well that is
focused on greed.
We see loneliness
and disinterest in
other people's
well-being.
We see a social
and an economic
structure that
rewards the
greedy and
marginalizes the
disadvantaged.
Verse 4 says
now is the time
of your confusion.
And if it isn't
confusion that we
see all around us
and our friends,
family, colleagues
that do not know
God and seem to
be constantly in
search for something
that is worth
living for.
So I think these
six verses are like
a slap in the
face that wakes
us up if we've
become accustomed
to our way of
life in this
world.
Sin is sin,
no matter how
camouflaged,
no matter how
not in your face
it is or
politically correct,
because greed is
greed, even if we
justify it by saying
that that's just the
way that our
economy works.
what misery is
mine, says
Micah, and
what misery is
ours.
But here comes
the but.
Micah doesn't
just observe
all this, sits
in a corner and
cries while waiting
for his end.
Micah does what
all godly people
in the Bible tell
us, teach us to
do.
He looks around
himself, he does
recognize the
state of need
of the world.
There is
certainly grief,
but then he
looks up with
the confidence of
those who trust
in the true God.
Verse 7, I
read it this
morning as well
at the end of
the service,
but as for me,
I watch in hope
for the Lord.
I wait for God,
my Savior.
My God will
hear me.
And this is the
verse where our
evening changes.
This is the verse
where Micah reminds
us that the
same holy and
just God that
will condemn
the sinner is
also a
merciful God,
an infinitely
merciful God
that will save
the repentant
from their own
sin.
And so our
third section is
all about God's
pardon.
did you notice
that in verses
8 to 13,
that same God
that acted as
the accuser at
the beginning of
the passage,
he's now the
liberator.
In fact,
verse 9 even
says that God
will now plead
Israel's case
and uphold
its cause.
That's the God
that was bringing
the charges
against them.
He's now
pleading their
case.
through Micah
in verse 9,
Israel admits
its sin and
repents.
Because I have
sinned against
him, I will
bear the
Lord's wrath.
Israel now
does see God
for who he is.
Not a God
that asks for
the impossible,
but a God
that, verse 9,
will bring me
out into the
light.
A God that
is righteous,
they say.
And so Israel
once again
enjoys the
favour of
its God,
is victorious
over its
enemies and
is a place
of life in
contrast with
the desolation
around it.
That's in
verses 11 to
13.
And so these
last verses of
the book
describe an
awesome display
of power and
love on the
part of God.
Of God the
shepherd looking
after its flock
in the pasture
land and forest.
That's a beautiful
image that we
have there.
Everything that
was grey and
bleak is now
alive and
green again.
The enemies
that were a
threat to
Israel before
are now the
ones that have
been humiliated
by God.
But even for
them, in
verse 17,
there's hope.
In seeing God's
power at
display, they
will turn in
fear to the
Lord our God
and will be
afraid of you,
says Micah.
And so
finally, Israel's
praise can
burst out with
Micah's in
verse 18.
Who is a
God like you
who pardons
sin and
forgives
transgression.
You do not
stay angry
forever, but
delight to
show mercy.
Now Micah's
prophecies have
been fulfilled
as far as the
people of Israel
of the time
are concerned.
Israel was
destroyed by the
Babylonians and
then the kingdom
of Judah was
restored after
the exile.
However, as we
saw in chapter
5 with Alistair
last week, his
prophecy goes
beyond the
people of
Israel of
the time.
It goes
beyond the
restoration of
Judah all
the way to
the restoration
of God's
relationship with
all of his
children as
included in
Jesus.
And if
chapter 5
specifically
mentioned Bethlehem
as the place
where the ruler
of Israel would
come from and
shepherd his
flock in the
strength of the
Lord, so very
clearly referring
to Jesus, in
today's passage
too, especially
in the very last
verses of the
book, we have
explicit references
to Jesus and
his work in
our lives.
Because what is
the ultimate
demonstration of
the fact that
God does
delight to show
mercy, as
verse 18 says,
if not that he
sent his only
son to take
our own sins
and die with
them so that
we could be
reconciled with
God?
Verse 19 says
you will tread
our sins under
foot, which
kind of evokes
God's own words
in Genesis 3
15 when he
says that Jesus
will one day
crush Satan's
head with his
heel.
And still in
verse 19,
and hurl all
of our iniquities
into the depths
of the sea.
And that is
what Jesus has
done once and
for all with
his death.
Because that's
what happens to
our sins.
If we repent
and ask him
for forgiveness,
they are
forgotten forever.
And so Micah
is confident in
his hope that
God will be
faithful to
Jacob and
Abraham as he
pledged to with
his promise to
them.
See in verse
20.
And what did
God promise
them?
That Israel
would go to
the promised
land, that
Israel would
become a big
nation, but
also that through
Israel the whole
world would be
blessed.
And Micah knew
that his prophecy
went beyond his
here and now all
the way to us
because we are the
recipients of God's
promise to Jacob
and Abraham too
because we've been
blessed through one
of their descendants
Jesus in a way
that we can't
even fully
comprehend.
There isn't a
sin, not one
that you or I
committed, not
today, not
yesterday, not
ten years ago,
not ten years
from now, that
will ever be able
to separate us
from God if we
accept Jesus'
work of salvation
on the cross
because we have
been pardoned
just like Israel.
And so if on the
one hand we do
want to look
around and
grieve as we
acknowledge the
condition that our
world is in,
broken by sin that
keeps fueling God's
wrath, on the
other we will not
despair.
We cannot despair
because there is a
way out in Jesus
and Jesus' death
and resurrection
shelter us from
God's wrath and
give us eternal
salvation.
So for any of us
that haven't
accepted Jesus
yet, God's love
for you, for all
of us, is bigger
than our
rejection of
him so far
and of our
sins because
nothing is too
big for him.
And so God
asks us in this
passage to go
before him
repentant and
to commit to
hate and sin,
to love and
mercy and to
walk in humbly
with him.
And Jesus is
the only one
that did that
perfectly during
his life on
earth.
And so
ultimately that
is the message
of Micah,
be like Jesus.
And when the
apostles asked
Jesus in
John 6, 28,
what must we
do to do
the works that
God requires?
Jesus answered,
the work of
God is this,
to believe in
the one he
has sent.
And so let's
do that.
Let's believe in
Jesus' plan of
salvation for us
and accept his
forgiveness and
walk humbly with
him.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Father, we
thank you because
you are a
holy God
and you are a
just God,
Father.
And that is
because you're
perfect, you're
sinless.
And Father, we
ask for
forgiveness for
our sins, for
all the ways in
which we
offend you in
the way we
relate to each
other and to
you.
At the same
time, Father,
we're here ready
to receive
your forgiveness.
And we thank you
so much because
we know you
will forgive us
because of your
immense mercy.
And we can't
thank you enough,
Father,
other than
all we can do
really is
accept it.
And so,
Father, we pray
for every one
of us tonight
that whenever
Satan tries
and convinces
us that
we're not
good enough,
Father,
we'll be
ready
because of
what we read
tonight to
say that we
know we're not
good enough for
you and we
can never be,
Father, but
we don't need
to because we
have Jesus.
So, Father, we
thank you for
his death and
his resurrection.
We thank you
for how he
has defeated
the devil,
Father.
We thank you
because it's
through him
that we are
pardoning you.
Father, help us
tell anyone
around us that
doesn't know
this, Father.
Help us
tell them
about it.
May your
spirit really
work in our
lives so that
as we go out
into the world
every day,
Father, we
really want to
share this
amazing,
life-changing
news.
Be with us,
we pray in
Jesus' name.
Amen.