Often times we think that the Old Testament is a history book for another people - another time. A collection of hard to relate to stories and genealogies that are impossible to pronounce. But there’s a reason why God has preserved these writings for us - a relevancy to our lives today - and a foundation for our faith in Jesus Christ.

Micah lived in a town called Moresheth which was about 30 miles outside of Jerusalem. He’s a country preacher - an ordinary man with a message for ordinary people like us. He lived in the mid 700’s to early 600’s B.C. at the same time the prophets Hosea and Isaiah were around. Micah’s times were interesting times. There’s corruption in the government. The religious leadership for the most part was pagan. The economy was at best uncertain. There was a constant threat of coming war and invasion from the Assyrians - present day Iraq. Sound familiar?

The name Micah means, “Who is like God?” Imagine, as Micah comes walking up the street, people saying to themselves, "Here comes old ‘Who is like God?’" Micah’s name had significance - describing the man and his message.

In chapter 7 Micah prays, “Who is a God like You?” (7:18) If you’ve ever wrestled with God in the midst of difficult circumstances you know where Micah is coming from. In the midst of all the circumstances swirling around the nation Micah wonders about God. In a world of terrorists and international tensions - with the deaths of innocent people and the kidnapping of children - with all of what goes on around us - we can ask the same question. Where is God? What’s He doing? What kind of God is this?

“Who is like God?” is a question that probes the very heart of God and our relationship with Him. As we look together at Micah and his message we’re going to wrestle with these questions and see how God - who is the God of justice - powerful - sovereign - is the God of blessing - mercy - and salvation that desires to guide and protect His people even in our day.

Look with me at Micah 1:1: The word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

This is the setting for the book. Micah preached at the time of these three kings of Judah - Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His message is going to relate to Samaria - which is to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and to Jerusalem - which means the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

Verse 2: Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth and all it contains, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place. He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt under Him and the valleys will be split, like wax before the fire, like water poured down a steep place.

Let’s pause and capture this image. Notice the scope of who’s being addressed: Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth and all it contains This message - while it applies specifically to Israel and Judah - this message has application to everyone. We all need to see and understand what God is doing. God - who is sovereign over all creation - holy and just - is coming down from heaven to dispense justice. Nothing that’s going on here on earth escapes His notice.

God’s coming judgment is terrifying. When He touches down on the mountains - they melt. They’re flattened. Valleys split. Everything gets leveled. No thing - no one - can stand before God when He moves in judgment.

Verse 5: All this is for the rebellion of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Jerusalem? For I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the open country, planting places for a vineyard. I will pour her stones down into the valley and will lay bare her foundations. All of her idols will be smashed, all of her earnings will be burned with fire and all of her images I will make desolate, for she collected them from a harlot’s earnings, and to the earnings of a harlot they will return.

Do you remember Ananias and his wife Sapphira? They sold a piece of property and gave some of the profit to the church in Jerusalem. That’s what people in the church were doing at the time - using their possessions to make sure that everyone’s needs were met. The problem with Ananias and Sapphira was what? They lied about the sale price of the property - saying they were giving all the profit when in fact they were keeping some of the money for themselves.

They wanted the honor and recognition from the church - to look outwardly as generous and committed to God as everyone else. But, they didn’t understand that God knows and judges our hearts. When they presented their offering before the Church what happened? When each of them came before the Apostle Peter - Peter said, “You haven’t lied to us. But, to God.” Ananais and Sapphira were judged by God and they dropped dead - right there at the Apostle’s feet. (Acts 5:1-10)

When all this happened, Acts 5:11 says that “a great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.” A reverential fear of God. God is not to be trifled with - to be taken lightly - to be taken for granted - as a God of our convenience. So that we can do whatever we want - act religious in our own way - and somehow God isn’t going to care.

Which is what was happening in Israel and Judah in Micah’s day. The sins of Israel and the rebellion of Judah had to do with the high places - the hills where they’d set up idols - Canaanite gods. Centers of worship and a religion that was sensual - seductive - perverted. A religion and world view that had very little to do with the true living God of Israel. God says that they’ve played the harlot - they’ve become adulterers - pretending to be God’s people - acting like they were committed - faithful - to God - going through all the routines of a relationship with God - while joining themselves to the pagan religion of the Canaanites.

In verses 6 and 7 God says - for this sin - judgment is coming - the destruction of Israel. Her idols will be destroyed. Vineyards will grow where there were cities. The houses and walls are going to be leveled down to the foundations and the stones thrown into the valley. All this is God’s judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Which is a powerful warning. Imagine this - all this destruction happened just a few years after Micah gave this prophecy. Sargon II, a Assyrian general destroyed Israel - the Northern Kingdom. They actually took the stones of the city and threw them into the valley - just like Micah prophesied. If you’re living in Judah - the Southern Kingdom - this is a powerful warning. You can’t take God for granted and do whatever you want. You’re next.

We need to hear this. We - the Church - are called to be a holy people as Israel was called to be a holy people. Same God. Same standards. Same judgment against sin. It makes Him just as angry when we claim to honor Him - to know Him and obey Him - and we continue to go along living as we choose to live - serving Him as we choose to serve Him - worshipping Him as we choose to worship Him - making idols out of our families and jobs and time and recreation and ambitions and possessions. Serving ourselves and our own desires. Expecting Him to look the other way and yet be there for us when we need Him.

This is hard. But God is honest. There is no way that anyone here can claim exception from this. If there’s anything or anyone that occupies a greater place in our heart than God - and we all have idols - He sees. He will move in judgment against that thing in our lives.

Verse 8: Because of this I - Micah - must lament and wail, - tears of grief and sorrow - from deep within - I must go barefoot and naked - a sign of deep mourning and trouble - I must make a lament like the jackals and a mourning like the ostriches - that’s a loud ear piercing wailing - like a wolf howling at night - For her wound is incurable, for it has come to Judah; it has reached the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

Don’t miss that phrase, “Her wound is incurable.” The disease of sin had so entered the life of the nation that the only cure was to cut out the infection - amputation - judgment. God’s people weren’t listening to Him and judgment - in this case the Assyrian Army - was coming to the gates of Jerusalem.

Patrick Henry - the great American statesman - speaking of the principles upon which our country was founded - 228 years ago - Patrick Henry said, “America was not founded by religionists but by Christians. It was not founded upon religions but upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (1)

John Adams - the second president of the United States - discussing the value system under girding our laws - the glue holding our nation together - John Adams said this, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (2)

The third president of the United States - Thomas Jefferson - gave this warning: “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” (3)

On September 13th 2001 - Jane Clayson on CBS’ Early Show interviewed Ann Graham Lotz - one of Billy Graham’s daughters - and asker her this question: “How could God let this happen?” - the 9/11 terrorist attack. Same as Micah’s question, “What kind of God allows the Assyrians to do this to us?”

Anne Lotz answered, “I say God is [also] angry when He sees something like this. - meaning 9/11 I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing His hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it.” (4)

In the 2½ years since 9/11 have we done that? In 228 years of United States history have we gone away from God? Have we gone too far?

Notice Micah’s response to this “incurable wound.” Micah doesn’t stand back in judgment and condemnation - as some holier than thou prophet of God. He doesn’t take joy that God is going to judge the wicked people around him. Micah stands with a long list of godly prophets who saw themselves in the sins of their own people. “Because of this I - Micah - must lament and wail.” There’s passion here - an identification - an empathy - a personal sorrow for his own sins. He’s broken before God.

In Romans 9 the Apostle Paul writes, “I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” (Romans 9:2,3)

That’s a challenge for us. To have that kind of brokenness - identification - passion for our fellow sinners.

In verses 10 to 15 Micah lists the names of several cities - cities that his readers were living in.

Mahatma Gandhi - as you know - walked barefoot most of the time. Which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little - which made him rather frail and with his odd diet he suffered from bad breath. Which made him what? A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis. You can thank Keith for that.

In verses 10 to 15 Micah lists the names of cities that his readers were living in. He uses puns - playing with the names of the cities and twisting them around to describe what’s going to happen to them. If you’ll indulge me - as we read through these verses I’d like to paraphrase these verses according to the Hebrew - trying to bring out the puns and the intent of what Micah is saying. This is dark humor.

Verse 10: Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all. Gath means “weep”. So Micah says, “In weep town, weep not at all.” Do you see how this works? “In Beth-le-aphrah - Dust Town - in mourning roll yourselves in the dust. In Beauty Town - Shaphir - your going to end up naked and shamed. In Zaanan - Going Out Town - you’ll never escape. The people of Foundation House - Beth-ezel - will loose their support. In Bitter Town - Maroth - they’re going to get weak waiting for anything good to happen. In Lachish - Team of Horses Town - hitch up the horses and try to escape.

Verse 14: In Moresheth-gath - Engaged Town - you’re going to get parting gifts - wedding presents - as you head off into captivity with your new husband the King of Assyria. Achzib - Deceit Town - will be deceitful to those who depend on her. Those in Mareshah - Possessor Town - will be possessed by the King of Assyria. And finally Adullam - the nobles of Israel will retreat to this town that was known for its caves - so that they can hide.” (1 Samuel 22:1)

This is like saying, “In Atwater there’ll be drought. Le Grand won’t be. Merced will be known as Mer-dead.” (Well, that may already be true.) This is an accu-judgment forecast. Judgment is coming to your local neighborhood. Its very personal. No one will escape God’s judgment.

Verse 16 - perhaps the hardest of Micah’s prophecies to hear: Make yourself bald and cut off your hair - baldness expresses indescribable grief. Make yourself bald and cut off your hair because of the children of your delight; extend your baldness like the eagle, for they will go from you into exile.

When Assyria invaded Israel they took the children - the young people into captivity. What could be worse than the loss of your children - seeing your children taken into exile - because of your sin. How many children today are lead away from God because of the spiritual failure of their parents?

Micah’s bottom line here in chapter one: Start grieving. Weep because of what is coming.

In thinking this through for ourselves today there are two opportunities for us that I’d like to share.

First: In this prophecy God invites us to weep for others.

Do we pray for people or against them? Do we judge them or grieve with them? Do we just put up with them until God deals with them? Or, do we cry out to God for their souls? Judgment is coming. So many people around us have no clue as to what’s happening and why. Maybe we’ve lost a sense of compassion - co-passion - for those who will die without Jesus and spend eternity in judgment and torment separated from God.

Second opportunity: This prophecy is God’s invitation for us to weep for ourselves.

The world we live in is in serious trouble - deceived - out of control - in bondage to sin. We sense that. As we wrestle with the questions of who God is and what He may be doing in this world - we need to be thinking about who we are before Him. In all these things we need to allow God to do business with the condition of our heart - to show us our own hearts - to submit to His judgment.

Sometimes it hurts when God speaks to us about what really goes on deep within. It offends us. Its unsettling. Disturbing. But these are questions that each one of us needs to prayerfully ask. Are we open to God? Broken before Him? Do we worship and serve and live our way - or His way?

If we can get a sense of who we are as His people and have Him open our hearts and take control - then we can begin to be useful and move forward in His ministry in us and through us to this world of people who so desperately need to turn to Him.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.