Sunday, December 21, 2014

MICAH 6,7:

In these last two chapters of Micah, he writes of a back and forth discussion between God and his people. God asks the question:

"My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery...Remember your journey...that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord" (6:3-5)

Israel responds with burnt offerings and the fruits of labor, but then Micah sums it all and somewhat rebukes the reply

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (6:8) 

God then responds again

Am I still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures...Therefore I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. You will store up but save nothing...You will plant but not harvest...you will crush grapes but not drink the wine. 

Israel then responds, admitting its evil...

The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother...Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire - they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. 

God then gives a promise of blessing and Israel responds

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression...You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (7:18-19) 

REVELATION 12:

The vision continues with a war on earth and in heaven.  An honored woman (Israel) gives birth to a son (Jesus). An enormous dragon is waiting to devour him, but he is swept into heaven and so the dragon wages war on heaven but is cast down to the earth. In a fit of anger he wages war on the people of the earth. 

For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (12:10-11)

JOURNAL:

I am speechless.  Today this hits me hard.  I see so much of my own journey and God's grace and my lack of gratitude. I see how I am never satisfied for long.  I see my lack of justice and mercy and how I refuse to walk humbly with God.  I see the "filthy rags" of my own righteousness.  I lastly see how I love my life too much and how I do shrink from giving it completely. 

In the midst of all my despair and hopelessness, God redeems and hurls all my sins and failures into the "depths of the sea." There really is nothing left to say but...AMEN!

"God loves you! So do I! Make it a great day!"