Can You Hear It?

Eight out of the nine oracles found in the book of Zephaniah announce God’s just judgment of all the earth; and the judgment against Judah and Jerusalem in particular for the violation of the covenant they shared with the LORD.

However, the ninth oracle breaks from this pattern. In Zephaniah 3:14-20 we find a song that reveals that the God of justice and judgment is also the God of forgiveness and hope. We discover in verses that He is our King, the LORD in the midst of us (Zephaniah 3:15). He is our incarnate Savior who, in His love, rejoices over us (Zephaniah 3:17).

This song of rejoicing is not only a song in which the people of the LORD are exhorted to raise their voices (Zephaniah 3:14), but also one in which the LORD Himself participates. Thus, the LORD “rejoices” over the remnant of His people “with joy”; He “joys” over them “with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

Can you hear the song?

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing for joy, Daughter Zion;
shout loudly, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has removed your punishment;
He has turned back your enemy.
The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you;
you need no longer fear harm.
On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, do not let your hands grow weak.
Yahweh your God is among you,
a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will bring you quietness with His love.
He will delight in you with shouts of joy.”
I will gather those who have been driven
from the appointed festivals;
they will be a tribute from you
and a reproach on her.
Yes, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you.
I will save the lame and gather the scattered;
I will make those who were disgraced
throughout the earth
receive praise and fame.
At that time I will bring you back,
yes, at the time I will gather you.
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes.
Yahweh has spoken.

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

“Mankind, He has told you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8 is a verse that most people know. Right here we have a blueprint of exactly what God was requesting of his people. But the people Micah was ministering to just weren’t listening. Now to be clear, to make Micah 6:8 a salvation text is to misunderstand the message of the prophet. None of us can do what God requires until we first come to God as broken sinners who need to be saved. We can’t “act justly” unless we’ve first been justified by faith and are right with God. How could we possibly “love faithfulness” if we haven’t personally experienced God’s loving faithfulness? Finally, if we want to “walk humbly” with God, we must first bow humbly before Him, confess our sins, and claim His promise of forgiveness.

Unbelievers who think they are acting justly, loving faithfulness, and walking humbly with God are doing nothing more than fooling themselves; it doesn’t matter how moral their lives might be.
Titus 3:5 puts it like this: "Not by works righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us."

Friends, before we get comfortable up there on our high horses we need to remember that the only people God can save are lost people; the only people God can forgive are guilty people. If we see ourselves as God sees us, then we can by faith become what He wants us to become. But first, we must get out of our own way.

Honestly, walking humbly with God may be the most challenging part of this text. We are much better at defining what it isn’t than what it is. For instance, to walk humbly is to neither to have your nose up in the air nor your shoulders slouched over your feet. To walk humbly is to not exalt yourself, to not worry or be bothered by other people's opinions of you. To walk humbly is not to be above someone or below someone, but rather with someone. It is not thinking you can do it all on your own, carrying the burdens upon your limited human shoulders. It is not forgetting you are human. It is not living without grace. It is not playing God. So maybe walking humbly with God is simply about paying attention to who we are and what is around us. It is as Micah said, "I will wait on God, and God will hear me.

If we want to have a chance to live out Micah 6:8 we have to come humbly before God, will you do that today?

Micah ~ "Who is like Jehovah?"

After a restful and adventurous few days off for our anniversary, I am excited to get back to the grind and into our series looking at the prophet Micah.

Micah or "Micaiah" a prophet in the days of Jotham and Hezekiah brought his message to the people of Judah at the same time our previous prophets of Amos and Hosea were preaching to the northern kingdom of Israel. 

Micah was a reformer, he foresaw the coming judgment of Israel and was encouraging the Jews to return to the faithful worship of God and sincere obedience to his covenant but he like the prophets in the north was largely ignored. 

In chapters 3-5 which we will delve into this weekend, we see Micah's second message in the book. In these chapters, Micah rebukes not just the leaders of the church but the leaders in the community exploiting the poor. Following that rebuke though Micah offers the people hope in a series of promises. We see a Promised Kingdom (4:1-8); a Promised Deliverance (4:9-10); a Promised Conquest (4:11-13); and a Promised King ( 5:1-5). 

These promises are achieved via a purging of the nation. A purging seems painful but is necessary. Why? Because for us to walk rightly with, we need to have a personal purging, we need to be cleansed of all unrighteousness so that we can be pure before the Lord and ready for his return. The only one who can bring this purge about is the Lord himself. 

Just some food for thought as we prepare for church tomorrow!