God Has Shown Us What is Good #2451

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NKJV)

God had a complaint against Israel (Micah 6:1-2). Despite His righteous acts of deliverance from Egypt, the nation had turned away from Him (Micah 6:3-5; 1 Sam. 12:7-8). They would not appease God by multiplying burnt offerings. Even offering one’s firstborn to Him would be insufficient (Micah 6:6-7). God wanted Israel’s faithful devotion in heart and conduct. He still does (Mark 12:30-31; Acts 10:34-35). Micah 6:8 is a template for God-approved character brought to fullness in the new covenant of Christ. (1) He has shown you. God’s word reveals His will, and we must give attention to it (Heb. 1:2; 2:3-4). We must do His will, not our own (Matt. 7:21-23). (2) What is good. God is good and shows us what is good (Ps. 73:1). Israel’s rulers had perverted justice by hating good and loving evil (Micah 3:1-2). We are to hear and do what God says is good (Heb. 13:20-21; Eph. 2:10). (3) What does the Lord require of you? Yes, the Lord has requirements (commands) we must keep (John 14:15, 21-23). (4) Do justly. With fairness and integrity, justice must guide our treatment of others (Matt. 5:33-37; 7:12). (5) Love mercy. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7). (6) Walk humbly with your God. The lowly in heart walk with God, but pride brings destruction (Col. 3:12; James 4:6, 10; Prov. 16:18). Let us live in Christ, so God has no complaint against us (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 2:5).

The Days of the King #2084

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:5–6, NKJV)

Jeremiah wrote spoke prophetically of Jesus Christ the King. He is the “Branch of righteousness” raised up by Yahweh to reign, to execute justice and righteousness, to bring salvation and safety to the people of God. Jeremiah’s predecessors, Isaiah and Micah, spoke of His coming reign of justice and righteousness (Isa. 2:2-4; 11:1-5; Micah 4:1-8). Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, anticipated a shepherd prince who would feed God’s sheep and God would make a covenant of peace with them to dwell safely and receive “showers of blessing” from the Lord (Ezek. 34:24-28). Later, Zechariah reassured Jerusalem their king would come with salvation, riding on the foal of a donkey and speaking peace to the nations (Zech. 9:9-10; Matt. 21:1-10). God has delivered what He promised. The righteous Branch of David has come bringing salvation from sin, peace with God, and showers of blessings as the sheep of His flock (Acts 4:12; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 1:3; Jno. 10:15-16, 26-29). Do not be misled into looking for a future return of Jesus to reign as king on the earth. The King is on David’s throne now, reigning at the right hand of God (Acts 2:29-36; Heb. 1:8-13). Jeremiah said, “the days are coming,” and those days have arrived. Christ’s kingdom is His church (Acts 2:44; Mk. 1:14-15; 9:1; Matt. 16:18-19). Praise God for His great redemptive plan and the eternal spiritual blessings available to us all in His Son!

Plan Good and not Evil #2008

1 Woe to those who devise iniquity, and work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. 2 They covet fields and take them by violence, also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance. (Micah 2:1–2, NKJV)

What did you plan to do today as you pillowed your head last night? Was it to “seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet. 3:11)? Or, did you plan to use your power over others to benefit yourself at their expense? Did you plan to give your employer an honest day’s work? Or, how to get away with as little work as possible? Did you thank the Lord for your blessings? Or, did you covet what belongs to another? The prophet Micah announced God’s judgment on the corrupt leaders of Israel. They abused their power and enriched themselves by oppressing those they should have served. God knows what we are planning in our hearts just as He knew the hearts of Israel. And, like those in Israel, God holds us accountable when we plan to sin (Heb. 4:13). May our last thoughts before slumber be of plans to serve the Lord on the morrow, not preparations to sin against others and our God.

The Mountain of the Lord’s House #1475

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.” (Isaiah 2:1–2, NKJV)

Far from being a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, Isaiah lifts his eyes beyond the Judah and Jerusalem of his day to see what would transpire in the days beyond his own (Micah 4:1-3). Just as Peter said the “last days” of which Joel spoke were being fulfilled on Pentecost, even so this prophecy looks to the days of the Messiah’s reign and redemption for its fulfillment (Acts 2:16-17; 1 Peter 1:19-21). This grand portrait of the mountain of the Lord’s house rising above the mountain tops depicts the strength and power of the kingdom of God, the church, to which all nations flow (Daniel 2:34-35, 44; Hebrews 12:21-24, 28). It is the gospel of the kingdom that calls the lost to come and live in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:16-18). Ancient Judah and Jerusalem fell as punishment for their sins. Isaiah sees heavenly Jerusalem, freed from sin’s bondage and exalted in the heavenly places in Christ (Hebrews 12:22; Ephesians 2:19-22). This kingdom, the church, is superior to all the kingdoms of men. The gospel call rings out, urging you to come and enter the kingdom, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Acts 2:36-41; Colossians 1:13-14).

“I will look to the Lord” #1462

5 Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. 6 For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. 7 Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. (Micah 7:5–7, NKJV)

The sins of Israel had cause corruption throughout the land. Micah (and through him, the people) was counseled by God not to trust in a friend, a close companion, or even in his own family. There he would find enemies of truth and righteousness. Micah put His trust in God, who would hear his pleas, see his circumstances and save him in the evil day. Jesus drew from this passage in Matthew 10:34-39, teaches His disciples (and us) that to be worthy of Him we must love Him more than anyone, including our own lives. Family and friends are liable to forsake the right ways of the Lord and be opponents of God’s truth. But, Jesus never will. So, put your trust in Him and patiently endure the trials and temptations of life as you wait for His salvation (Rom. 13:11-14).