Sermon Snippet – How Much Do We Really Care about Others? – Part III
INTRODUCTION – After a week appropriately dedicated to Biblical respect for mothers, we return to the subject of caring for others. We have seen that our care for others must serve as God does and must focus on spiritual needs, for the human soul is distinctive, is God’s handiwork, and is of inestimable value. The prophet Micah has much to say on this matter, a bit of which we will consider today.
1. GOD IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEEDY
Micah 2:1-2 is a direct denunciation of the leadership in Judah, the southern part of the Promised Land. The word “woe” is immensely strong, indicating God’s complete opposition to those who would “oppress” the poor and powerless. Certainly, God is opposed to elitist policies that cause inflation, a vicious hidden tax on working people. Wealthy people are much less affected because they have so much excess disposable income; working-class folks do not have that luxury. Often, cults demand to have unfettered access to followers’ financial records, sometimes even requiring that these misguided souls turn over all of their assets to the organization. These abuses are wicked (“evil,” as our text says). However, far worse is the spiritual abuse which is taking place, damaging “even a man and his heritage.” The unjust seizure of land had serious economic consequences, of course: how would this man feed his family? Moreover though, severing this man from his piece of the Promised Land indicated a disdain for him, as though he were not good enough to be part of God’s covenant people. Vulnerable people today are regularly met with such callous disregard. Remember, we must always be aware of the spiritual needs of others. All of us are needy in this area of life – we all need Jesus Christ as Savior.
2. GOD REJECTS OUR SELFISHNESS
Micah 2:8-11 continues God’s scathing revelation of the motives of the people of Judah. Their selfishness in seizing clothes (verse 8) and “houses” (verse 9) is a symptom of a larger, deeper problem – a spiritual one. So bad was this selfishness that it blinded them to the “sore destruction” to come (verse 10) and caused them to listen to drunken so-called prophets who condoned their vile evil (verse 11). In simple terms, they refused to serve anyone else. This extreme negative example should be a woeful warning to all of us today.
3. GOD JUDGES THE PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT LISTEN TO HIM
Micah 3:1-4 is a graphic and sobering reminder of God’s justice (remember, God’s judgment is always justice). The refusal of Judah’s leaders to serve the people would be met with the stony silence of God when these “evil” leaders finally cried “unto the LORD.” Their cries were not sincere; they were merely an attempt to avert deserved and promised punishment. As one Scriptural scholar solemnly stated, “Where there is no mercy, there is no hope.” By rejecting mercy, we steal hope from others – but also from ourselves.
CONCLUSION – This bleak picture confirms that the Bible is always realistic. In fact, Micah 7:6, a truly sad passage, is quoted by Jesus when He was commissioning His twelve disciples (Matthew 10:35-36). Of course, in the midst of this darkness, God provides needed and blessed light. Micah 5:2 famously predicts, 700 years before the event, that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born in the town of Bethlehem. The words of Micah 6:8 are frequently quoted: “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?” In the words and work of Jesus Christ, God the Son, we have been shown the One, the only One, Who is truly good (Matthew 19:16-17). His mission of mercy brought Him to us and to the Cross, where He died for our sins. This sterling service cannot be matched, but it becomes our model when we ask Jesus to save us to Himself for all eternity. May each of us be certain of this salvation through a personal faith in the Savior, and may we then seek to serve others, offering Biblical exhortation and encouragement.