Alright, here's that text. For
the ones on the video CDs and such like, again it's Micah chapter
6 verses 1 through 9. Here it is. Hear ye now what
the Lord saith. Arise, contend thou before the
mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains,
the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a controversy
with his people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done
unto thee? Wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me, for I brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt, redeemed thee out of the house
of servants, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what
Balak, king of Moab, consulted, and what Balaam, the son of Beor,
answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the
righteousness of the Lord. Now watch. Wherefore shall I
come before the Lord, and bow myself before the Most High? Shall I come before him with
burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord
be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand rivers
of oil? shall I give my firstborn for
the transgression of my soul, the fruit of my body, for the
sin of my soul. He has showed 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. The Lord's voice crieth unto
the city. The man of wisdom shall see thy
name, hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. May we look
at verse 6 again. Wherefore shall I come before
the Lord, and bow myself before the Most High God. That is our consideration today. Now our text this morning is
found in one of the last twelve books of the Old Testament, commonly
called the Minor Prophets. And since we hear very seldom
any preaching from it, let's a little, if we might, acquaint
ourselves with a prophet called Micah. Let's look at some history
of this book and of this man just for a moment. Some expositors
there are who say that the name Micah is a shortened version
of Micaiah, a man that we read about in 1 Kings chapter 22,
though he is not one and the same man. about all that we know
about this man or this prophet is what we are told here in this
book bearing the name of Micah. Now as to his ministry and the
time of it, we believe that he was an active prophet over 700
years before the appearance of Messiah incarnate in the flesh. That his ministry covered a span
of some 30 to 40 years in the history of Israel as a prophet
of God. In fact, in chapter 1 and verse
1 of this same book, we read that his ministry span the times
or the reigns of three different kings, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah. And historians say that for a
time Micah was a contemporary of the great statesman prophet
Isaiah. And as seen in the book, he labored
in the time of great religious and political corruption in the
nation, when the rich were oppressing the poor and the downtrodden
and such like. Now the prophets ministry was
exercised, again as we read, chapter 1 and verse 1, in Samaria
and before Jerusalem. And much of his preaching was
of a critical nature against their sin, warning them of the
judgment of God should they not repent and turn from their sin. Of the judgment of God that was
to come upon them is foretold by this prophet Micah as well
as others. Matthew Henry, in his commentary
on this little book, specified their sins as being the following,
idolatry, covetousness, oppression, contempt of the Word of God,
abuse of power by both the ecclesiastical and the civil or political leaders,
hence warnings of judgment to fall upon them and to come against
them. Now, there is a seal of inspiration
that is put upon this book that we call Micah because of the
New Testament references onto the book of Micah. You know,
it was Micah that foretold the place of the birth of Messiah
in Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. referred to in Matthew chapter
2 and verses 4 through verse 6. That out of thee was to come
the mighty one. Now some expositors see a three-fold
message that is here in the book of Micah concerning his messages
to the people of God. They're clearly seen. We'll just
look at them quickly and then be on our way. Chapter 1 and
verse 1 begins one of them. The word of the Lord that came
to Micah, which he saw concerning Samaria, and Jerusalem. Now the second one begins in
chapter 3 and verse 1, Here I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye
princes of the house of Israel. And the third one begins in our
chapter, chapter 6 and verse 1, Here ye now what the Lord
has to say. Now before we settle in, let's
take a closer notice at each one of these three addresses
of the prophet Micah. In number one, it is a general
message concerning their sin and coming judgment. In the second
message of the prophet, we see that it is more directed toward
the heads and the leaders of the people or of the nation. And the third one, in which we've
lighted today, discusses the thing that God requires as true
repentance from sin by the people and the way of salvation. Now, coming to chapter 6, let's
divide our passage into two parts, or into two halves. The first
one, verses 1 through 5, and the second one, in verses 6 through
verse 9. Now, in verse 1 through 5, it
concerns a controversy that the Lord had with his people, and
what Matthew Henry called, articles of impeachment against them,
unquote. Articles of impeachment against
them. It was so often the case. The prophet of God is sent forth
to charge the people for their sin, and to bring their sin to
their remembrance. and to speak against them, to
confront them for their transgression, to whom there were impending
judgments, and to call the people to repentance, to put away their
idols and their idolatry, and turn again unto the Word of the
Lord. Now, we notice that Micah was
to speak of a controversy that the Lord had against them. That's in the second verse. Also see Hosea 4.1. You don't
have to turn there now. Isaiah 43 and verse 26 where
the prophet is sent to speak. To lay bare their sin and lay
out the accusation against them. To publish it, as it were, metaphorically
here, before the hills and the mountains and the earth that
has a remaining and solid foundation. For they must be convicted of
their sin in order to true repentance and to turn again unto the Lord. You see, godly sorrow leadeth
unto repentance, as Paul said. But then in verse 3, the Lord
hurls a challenge before them, saying unto them, Come, testify
against me. I give you the floor to testify
against me. In other words, answer me. Tell me. Tell me what wrong I
have committed against you. Have I wearied you? Have I burdened
you in any way? What would you accuse the Lord
of that you have revolted away and from Him? Or, as in Jeremiah
chapter 2 and verse 5, what iniquity is found in me, the Lord says
unto the people. Then look at verse 4. Rather
than wrong them, rather than weary them, the Lord had delivered
them. from their Egyptian bondage and
slavery. Let us remember that this very
act, bringing them out of Egypt, is so often set forth in the
Scripture as the greatest favor that God ever showered or bestowed
upon them, freeing them from the house of bondage and of misery. He had done them much good. He had delivered them, and had
been kind and gracious unto them. Now, notice verse 5, as we move
on our way. Not only were they delivered
from their Egyptian bondage, but they were the recipient of
many providential mercies of God during their time in the
wilderness. To Canaan. Such as? What had
God done? Well, here is an example. He
had frustrated, yes frustrated, the scheme of Balak to hire Balaam
to curse the nation that they might then defeat them. But God,
in His sovereign providence, returned the curse into a blessing. You have all of this in Numbers
chapter 22. Then look at the last part of
verse 5. God did it, and God did mighty
many wonderful and many like things done to them. And notice
how He did it. That you might know the righteousness
of God. God did this that they might
understand the righteousness of God. Some render the words,
the righteous acts of Jehovah. You saw them with your eyes.
They were performed in your behalf. He calls His righteous acts,
exhibitions of His righteousness in two things. Overthrowing their
enemies so that they were no threat. and preserving the nation
for their entrance and settlement into the land of Canaan. But
now, coming to our text today, verses 6 through 8 is the major
point of our focus. And here, at verse 6, we notice
that the Scripture takes a very definite turn. Let us remember,
The previous five mercies are meant to have a two-fold effect
upon those that hear them. Number one, to refresh their
minds of many of the past mercies of God that were exercised toward
them. And number two, to bring them
to a very deep conviction of their sins against the mercy,
the goodness, and the will of God. To move them to repentance,
that they might turn from their evil way. And the question then
becomes, as seen in verse 6 and in verse 7, How to repair the
breach between the people and their God? That's the question
that we deal with today. How to repair the breach between
a holy God and a sinful and sinning people? What will please God? must they do? What will reconcile
them again, putting them in the good grace and favor of the God
that they had sinned against? I keep asking the question. What
could repair the bond of fellowship broken by their sin and rebellion? What would cause God to make
His countenance to shine mercifully upon them again. What will He
require that they do? To send renewals of grace upon
them and to stay the threats of judgment that He had threatened
against them. Now the question is framed in
the first half of verse 6. We look at it again. Wherefore
shall I come before the Lord and bow down myself before the
Most High God. Now, the thing to be done, look
at it, come. How shall I come? That is, how
shall I approach? How shall I draw near? How shall I appear in the presence
of the Most Holy God? And then secondly, to bow. How shall I bow myself before
the Most Holy God? That means to give Him reverence. We might use the word genuflect,
or to bow the knee, and as it were, kneel before Him in An
act of worship giving obeisance unto Him as the great High God. Then the question, notice it,
where with? That is, in what way, in what
manner? And then the question, how? That
is, with what? So, where with and how? Shall we come and bow? Matthew
Henry framed the question this way, and I'm quoting, What shall
I give for my transgression, for the sin of my soul? And then there are the various
questions or considerations. Look at them right here in our
text. Shall I come before Him with
burnt offerings? Shall I come with calves of a
year old, that is, in the very strength and prime of their life? Will the Lord be pleased if I
bring thousands upon thousands of rams and slay them upon the
altar? How about ten thousand rivers
of sweet oil flowing before Him? And finally, shall I give my
firstborn for my transgression the fruit of my soul, a body
for the sin of my soul? Now we notice some things about
these questions that are raised here. First of all, So, we notice
that it rises from the sublime to the ridiculous. From burnt
offerings and choice calves in their prime, to thousands of
realms and flowing rivers of oil, and even to the heathen
practice of sacrificing the firstborn of a family unto God. This is
the thing, by the way, strictly, absolutely, without question,
forbidden for the people of God to do. You find that in Leviticus
18.21, and you find it again in Jeremiah 32 and 35. They were
not to make their children pass through
the fire under the god Molech like the heathen had done. But
then secondly, we notice that this is framed against the backdrop
of Jewish worship. Look at it! Burnt offerings and
caves and realms and oil. all of those used in the various
Jewish sacrifices. Now we must make this point at
this time in our study, and that is that Israel was taught, yea,
Israel was required by God to offer certain sacrifices before
God, many of them or most of them, in regard unto their sin. Owen put it this way, Sacrifices
were a part of the worship of God which He appointed." They
were to be offered, some of them at set times, some of them on
specific occasion, some of them at regular intervals, daily,
weekly, and yearly, but it was not long after their institution
among the people that they first of all began to offer them only,
let me call it formally, they began to offer them formally. Or they did it at the prescribed
time, but only out of habit, not from the very heart. This
led then to them offering inferior specimens, of their sacrifices
unto God, such as Malachi 1 and verse 8. The blind, the lame,
the sick, and such like. This was a thing also forbidden
in the law, and you'll see it in Leviticus 22, 20 through 24. They were to bring only perfect
specimens for sacrifices because they were typical of the impeccability
of Christ our Lord. They were, therefore, to be perfect
specimens on that account. Because, remember, the Lord Himself
offered Himself without spot or blemish unto God, as Peter
said in the first epistle, chapter 1 and verse 19. Malachi challenged
those in his day doing that with their defective sacrifices. He
said to them, offer it to your governor. Offer it to the judge. Offer it to the king. Will he
be pleased with that old blind, scurvied, wounded animal that
you have presented unto him? Then why offer it unto your God."
Still, we need not conclude that Micah is speaking of defective
or polluted sacrifices, or polluted oil, or an unwanted child in
this passage of the Scripture. For the point and the contrast
is not, I repeat, is not indicating that they withheld the best and
offered the inferior, but what is in view is both quality and
quantity in this passage of the scripture. As for quality are
value, caves, of the first year as for the firstborn of their
family. The dearest thing that they might
have, the firstborn, and they might not have other issues than
to offer that. But as for quantity, thousands
of ram, rivers of oil, the question is, would these sacrifices If
they gave them, if they were possible, heal the breach caused
by their sin, would God be pleased? Would He accept it if they were
that great in number, in quantity? And in such, therefore, also
accept their person for what they had offered. Let me illustrate
by an example. I'm not big on illustrations
or on examples or stories, and I have one, and I'll leave you
to judge whether it serves well to illustrate the present subject
or not. And here is the illustration
or the example. It is of a man, a husband, who
has wronged and offended his wife. He has been unfaithful,
he has neglected her and broken the vows of marriage, maybe even
departing from her, separating from her for a time with some
illicit lover. Now here's the question. How
shall that breach be healed? How shall that breach be healed? How shall he win her good favor
again? How or upon what terms might
they be reconciled together again? What on His part and from His
hand will she receive Him again into her life and they be fully
reconciled again? Well, let's consider two options
to my example. Number one, should he say, listen,
to make up for what I have done to you, I have brought you a
very large diamond ring. And I have gotten you a Rolex
watch. I have brought you a solid gold
brooch. And I brought you matching necklace
and pearl earrings. And there is a new car for you
sitting out in the driveway. Now, that wife, would she say
to him or to others, oh, look how he loves me. He loves me. He has given me these expensive
things. He has showered me with all of
these gifts. He has sacrificed much. What more could I ask? Of course, you don't know he
put it all on the credit card. But then secondly, secondly,
should she say otherwise, or should the husband say otherwise,
I've wronged you. I have played the absolute fool. I am not worthy of your love. I repent of my evil. Please forgive me. You are the
best wife that a man could ever have. The fault is all mine. With God's help I will never
do it again." Now I ask you, which is the best proposition? Which is the proper response
to the erring husband? Well, so much for the example. Back in Micah chapter 6, and
it is time for us now to look at verse 8. and bring verse 8
in to bear upon the overall text. How it relates to verse 6 and
to verse 7. Now we see a natural connection
of the natural flow of thought when we look very closely at
this passage starting with a premise in verse 1 through verse 5. The people have sinned. Hence the question in verse 6. Wherefore shall I come before
the Lord and bow myself before the Most High God? Well, look
at verse 8. And let's read it. He has showed
thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of
thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before
thy God. Now, this is the idea, or the
truth, the same truth, that Samuel the prophet expressed to the
old king Saul. You remember, Saul is sent out
and God said, slay everything. Slay it all, kill it all. And
Saul came home from war. He had not done what God commanded. 1 Samuel 15, verse 3, he spared
Agag the king. He took many of the animals as
spoils. And he said, well, I've done
this to sacrifice unto the Lord in Gilgal. That's in verse 21,
1 Samuel 15. What did Samuel say to the king? In the 22nd verse of that chapter,
verse Samuel 15, the prophet Samuel says this to disobedient
Saul, quote, has the Lord delight in burnt offerings and in sacrifices
as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams Unquote. Saul still argues back to Samuel
as Joseph Hall expressed it, quote, If any gain by this act,
it is the Lord God. His altar shall smoke with sacrifices. Unquote. And yet Samuel tells
him, Obedience is better than sacrifice. To heed God's Word
is better than an altar burning and smoking with fatted rams. David knew this to be the truth.
Remember Psalm chapter 51? Verse 16 and verse 17, you know
that he wrote this after being convicted of his great sin with
Bathsheba. What did David say? Quote, you
delight not in sacrifices, else would I give it. You have no
pleasure in burnt offerings. Listen, the sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart you will not
despise. You don't desire sacrifices,
else would I raid my herds and give it. You delight in the sacrifice
of a broken spirit and a broken heart." This agrees with our
passage here in Micah chapter 6. rather than rest in a multitude
of sacrifices, rather than slaughter his herds for his transgressions. David knew that God valued the
sacrifice of a broken spirit and a broken and a contrite heart
above rivers, of sacrificial blood. Better a broken heart
than a smoking altar is the thought of David. Better contrition in
the heart than a dead beast upon the altar. Better a fire of conviction
in the soul than a fiery and a smoking altar. Now, here is
a riddle, or a puzzle, I think which we must solve, especially
as it pertains to the Old Testament worship, something we often find. Here's the question. How is it
that God appointed these various sacrifices that were to be observed,
and yet at times God speaks so disparagingly of these very sacrifices
that He has ordained. Speaking so very disparagingly
of them. Let me read some passages. I
just have time to read them and then pass on. If you want to
follow, flip back about three books to the book of Amos. Back
onto your left. Amos chapter 5. And here it is,
verse 21. through verse 24. From Micah,
go three books to the left, Amos chapter 5, verse 21 and following. Hear this passage. I hate, I
despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn
assemblies. Though you offer me burnt offerings
and your meat offerings, I will not accept them, neither will
I regard the peace offerings of your fat beast. Take thou
away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the
melody of thy vials, but let judgment run down as waters,
and righteousness as a mighty stream." Then I'm turning to
Isaiah, and this time it is chapter 1 and verses 10 through verse
15 of the prophet Isaiah. when I get there. Isaiah chapter
1, verse 10 through verse 15. Hear the word of the Lord, ye
rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the laws of our God,
ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude
of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? I am full of burnt
offerings of ram, and the fat of fed beast, and I delight not
in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before
me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my court? Bring ye no more vain oblation. Incense is an abomination to
me. The new moons and the Sabbath,
the calling of assembly, I cannot away with. It is iniquity, even
the solemn meeting. And when you spread forth your
hands, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make
many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. There's a passage in Hebrews. Chapter 10 will be our last one
this morning. Chapter 10 of Hebrews, verses
5 through verse 8 in that particular place. Wherefore, when he cometh
into the world, he saith, Sacrifice an offering thou wouldst not,
but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin, Thou hast no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book. It is written of me to do Thy
will, O God. Above, when He said, Sacrifice
and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering for sin, Thou wouldest
not neither has pleasure therein which are offered by the law."
Now here in chapter 10 of Hebrews, in verses 1 through 4, is declared
the fact that legal sacrifices are insufficient to take away
the sin. They're unable to remove sin,
they are unable to clear the conscience and give it peace
before God. They cannot stop the accusing,
wagging tongue of conscience who accuses constantly. And therefore, as the great theologian
Owen pointed out in verses 5 through verse 10, he declares the provision
which God has made for the putting away of sin in Christ. Here's what Owen said, to supply
the defect and insufficiency of legal sacrifices, unquote,
he prepared a body for his son who made a great sacrifice. So, that in verse 10 of Hebrews
10, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once and for all. By the way, these words in Hebrews
10, 5 through 8, are a quotation or a reference back into Psalm
chapter 40 and verse 6 through verse 8. Thus we come back to
our text. When charged with sin, what was
their response? What did they do? Well, they
looked for relief in a multitude of sacrifices and burnt offerings. How many did he require? How
many will it take? Have he mulled in their minds
what terms would procure them favor with God, they then proposed
way beyond measure. Why did God not accept it? Why did God not accept them going
way beyond what is required? Well, it's because, as one said,
they rested in them the sacrifices as the ground of their acceptance
with God, which was taking them beyond their typical virtue,
the sacrifices that God had ordained, at the same time, like the Pharisees,
they neglected the greater and weightier matters of religion,
the greater part. Now, here's what God said, to
be just, to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, Micah 6
and verse 8, to fear God, Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 13. To return with their whole heart,
Jeremiah 24 and verse 7. Return to me with your heart,
not sacrifices and rivers of blood and of oil. I think they, kind of like Naaman,
thought that they must do some great thing. Remember Naaman? 2 Kings 5, verse 13, his servant
said, Look, if the prophet had required some great thing, would
you not have done it? Wherefore, why not obey his word
and dip, and be clean? Some great thing they were looking
for. Deuteronomy 10 and verse 12,
as to what the Lord requires to fear God, to walk in His way,
to love Him, to serve Him with the heart and the soul. Now,
you know, here we have these people, but things are no different
today. People are no different in our
day than in that day. For example, let a sinner find
out that God has a contention with them and let them come under
great conviction because of their sin, and let a sense of guilt
rise up within their heart and soul. Far too often their thought
is like that of the erring husband we saw earlier. How can I bribe
my way back into the favor of God? What will merit my acceptance
with Him? And being ignorant, totally ignorant,
of the gospel of grace, they hope to find some counterfeit
relief in their ways and in their particular endeavors, but ignoring
the blood of Christ and the mercy of God and the grace of God in
Christ that has come unto us. They will contrive some way carved
out in their imagination to gain an acceptance with God. For example, some of them will
quickly go and get in the water. That is, they'll get baptized.
Others will go and quickly get in a church. That is, they will
join a church. They will do good works. They'll
make the sign of the cross. They'll do penance. They'll burn
candles here and there. They'll give up their favorite
sin for Lent. They'll buy something for the
church. They'll rededicate their life
in the invitation. They'll sing in the choir. They'll
catch up on their tithe or whatever it might be. Now the question
is, what must I do? What can I do or say that will
cause God to look graciously upon me? Must I sacrifice? Sometimes, in extreme cases,
the heathens sacrificed even their children. But this only
adds sin unto sin. The solution is not in externals. The solution is not in outward
acts. And God asks nothing at our hands
that will atone for our sin or make up the breach. Forgiveness
of sin, fellowship with God, justification lies only in the
blood and the death of Christ our Lord and our Savior. What shall I give? Walk before
Me with all of thy heart. I close with this thought. How
God must hate. How God must detest. How He must
say the same thing that He said in those passages we read about
the ritualistic, modernistic, formalistic religion that is
in the world in our present day. How God must hate. that formal
is going through forms and that kind of thing, rather than the
spontaneous worship of the heart. The heart is the great matter.
The heart is where the Spirit of God dwells, and with the heart,
not with sacrifices, do we come before our great God. How shall I come before Him? Humble thyself. and walk humbly
with the great God of heaven.