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you you you you welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of our god you can turn with me in your bibles to the prophet isaiah for our call to worship isaiah chapter 40. isaiah 40. it's a big chapter so i'll just pick up reading about the middle in verse 18 to the end of the chapter to whom then will you liken god or what likeness will you compare to him the workman molds an image the goldsmith overspreads it with gold and the silversmith casts silver chains whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution chooses a tree that will not rot he seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter have you not known have you not heard has it not been told you from the beginning have you not understood from the foundations of the earth it is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in he brings the princes to nothing he makes the judges of the earth useless scarcely shall they be planted scarcely shall they be sown scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth when he will also blow on them and they will wither and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble to whom then will you liken me or to whom shall i be equal says the holy one lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things who brings out their host by number he calls them all by name by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power not one is missing why do you say o jacob and speak o israel my way is hidden from the lord and my just claim is passed over by my god have you not known have you not heard the everlasting god the lord the creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary his understanding is unsearchable he gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increases strength even the youth shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but those who wait on the lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint amen well please turn with me to hymn number 146 146 will stand as we sing together [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] uh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] yes [Music] so well let us pray our blessed god and holy father it's a joy for us to gather again in your house we thank you for the lord's day we thank you for the christian sabbath for the blessed provision that you have given to your people and god we pray that as we call it a delight we would know the blessing of god most high upon our time of worship we ask that you would be glorified and exalted as we sing your praises we ask that you would bless us as we look to the holy scripture and that god as we worship you we would approach you as the god of absolute glory and majesty so fit our our hearts are right in terms of reverence and fear and adoration and joy and may it be the case lord god almighty that it's good for us to be here tonight we ask that you would just be pleased to bless this local congregation we thank you for all of the brothers and sisters that make up this church we thank you for your loving kindness and your mercy to us and we thank you ultimately for the gospel of our salvation we know that is what binds us together that's what brings us together is our unity in the lord jesus christ and god as we consider your plan it is so wonderful and so amazing that in your time you sent forth your son born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law the means by which he did that was perfect obedience to the the word of god as well that sacrifice on calvary in our place the substitutionary atonement of our blessed savior and then that resurrection the third day we praise you for the gospel of our salvation we praise you for the ministry of the holy spirit who takes that finish and completed work of christ and applies it to your elect so god as we ponder these things draw out our hearts in worship and adoration and bless this time as we spend it together forgive us for all of our sin and our transgression we know that you call us unto holiness we you call us undo a living in a manner that is consistent with our calling in god and yet father we do have remaining corruption the apostle deals with this in romans 7 and galatians 5. and even if he hadn't we know the reality in our own hearts the good that we wish to do we don't always do and the evil that we don't want to do we find ourselves doing we cry out with o wretched man that i am who shall deliver me from this body of death how we bless you and praise you for the blood of jesus christ your son that does cleanse us from all sin and as we are forgiven lord god help us to be further conformed under the image of your son fill us with your spirit so that we may walk in obedience that we may walk in faithfulness and in perseverance and truly honor the god who has saved us from our sins we pray for any and all tonight who've come here that are still dead in their trespasses and sins we don't appeal to them and their free will or their ability to choose but we appeal to the god of sovereign power and authority the psalmist says that you make men willing in the day of your power the apostle says it doesn't depend upon men who went run or will but it's ultimately upon god who shows mercy so we have great confidence and expectation that you will save a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe and tongue and people and nation so god we do call upon you and pray to you that you would save in our midst look with favor upon each and every one here and may you indeed cleanse us in that precious blood and clothe us in that righteousness of the savior we ask god in heaven that you would bless other churches in our community and throughout this country these are very needy times a time when the gospel is the the primary emphasis or should be the primary emphasis in in all churches in canada so god bless your faithful pastors use them for your glory and the propagation of your truth and we pray that we would have that that blessed demonstration of what jesus says in matthew 16 that he will build his church and the gates of haiti shall not prevail against it and we know god that there is opposition there is enmity we know that there is an antichrist sentiment that runs rampant in our society certainly we live in days like the prophet isaiah when men call good evil and evil good we see abortion celebrated we see people shouting it and rejoicing in it we see euthanasia practiced on the elderly and the infirm we see just an utter disregard with reference to the sixth commandment in terms of your your prohibition against murder as well that seventh commandment is trampled throughout this land and the sexual perversion and the wretchedness that we see all around us and certainly the eighth commandment in terms of theft and wickedness and lawlessness when it comes to these matters so we pray god in heaven that you would awaken the dead sinners in this land that you would revive your church that we would be a prayerful people and that we would be a people of your word that we would think your thoughts after you that we would shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation and that we would have the courage and the boldness to hold forth the word of truth and god bless not just this nation we pray for the nations of the earth jesus said to his church to go therefore and make disciples of all the nations so god in heaven we pray for evangelism and we pray for missions that you would cause them to be successful cause preachers in other parts of the world to proclaim the excellencies of jesus christ the lord and may you be pleased to bless and save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto you through jesus christ our lord look with favor upon the persecuted church our brothers and our sisters that suffer for the cause of god and truth we just commit them to you into the word of your great word of your grace and pray that you would sustain and bless them and that in the midst of trial and affliction they would faithfully witness to the glory of our lord jesus christ we pray for eastern europe and the very serious conditions facing ukraine and russia and the various things involved we just pray god in heaven that you would have mercy that you would cause there to be a cease fire cause there to be peace in that region and lord all over the earth we see tumult we see all kinds of revolt against the living god man against man we just pray that the prince of peace would indeed be proclaimed and that many would come to a saving knowledge of our blessed savior and god look with favor upon our local church and our churches that we have fellowship with bless the saints in surrey and in vernon bless our brethren in honduras and god continue to look with favor upon this local body and strengthen all of us so that we may indeed glorify you in this lower world and we ask these things through jesus christ our lord amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to psalm 63 be as in bravo psalm 63 be we'll use a familiar tune and we'll stand together is [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] is [Music] uh [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] [Music] well you could turn with me in your bibles to leviticus chapter 19 for our scripture reading as we move through the old testament we find ourselves in leviticus chapter 19. i'll pick up reading in verse 1. and the lord spoke to moses saying speak to all the congregation of the children of israel and say to them you shall be holy for i the lord your god am holy every one of you shall revere his mother and his father and keep my sabbaths i am the lord your god do not turn to idols nor make for yourselves molded gods i am the lord your god and if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the lord you shall offer it of your own free will it shall be eaten the same day you offer it and on the next day and if any remains until the third day it shall be burned in the fire and if it is eaten at all on the third day it is an abomination it shall not be accepted therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity because he has profaned the hollow offering of the lord and that person shall be cut off from his people when you reap the harvest of your land you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest and you shall not glean your vineyard nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger i am the lord your god you shall not steal nor deal falsely nor lie to one another and you shall not swear by my name falsely nor shall you profane the name of the lord of your god i am the lord you shall not cheat your neighbor nor rob him the wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning you shall not curse the death nor put a stumbling block before the blind but shall fear your god i am the lord you shall do no injustice and judgment you shall not be partial to the poor nor honor the person of the mighty in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor you shall not go about as a tail bearer among your people nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor i am the lord you shall not hate your brother in your heart you should surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him you shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people but you shall love your neighbor as yourself i am the lord you shall keep my statutes you shall not let your livestock breed with one with another kind you shall not sow your field with mixed seed nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom for this there shall be scourging but they shall not be put to death because she was not free and he shall bring his trespass offering to the lord to the ra to the door of the tabernacle of meeting a ram as a trespass offering the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the lord for his sin which he has committed and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him when you come into the land and have planted all kinds of trees for food then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you it shall not be eaten but in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy a praise to the lord and in the fifth year you may eat its fruit that it may yield to you its increase i am the lord your god you shall not eat anything with the blood nor shall you practice divination or sooth saying you shall you shall not shave around the sides of your head nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard you shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor tattoo any marks on you i am the lord do not prostitute your daughter to cause her to be a harlot lest the land fall into harlotry and the land become full of wickedness you shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary i am the lord you have no regard to mediums and familiar spirits do not seek after them to be defiled by them i am the lord your god you shall rise before the grey-headed and honor the presence of an old man and fear your god i am the lord and if a stranger dwells with you in your land you shall not mistreat him the stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you and you shall love him as yourself for you are strangers in the land of egypt i am the lord your god you shall do no injustice in judgment in measurement of length weight or volume you shall have honest scales honest weights and honest efa and an honest hin i am the lord your god who brought you out of the land of egypt therefore you shall observe all my statutes and all my judgments and perform them i am the lord amen well i think the title that is supplied by the translators at the beginning of chapter 19 is fitting moral and ceremonial laws as we've considered the law of god we know that it's divided in three ways you have the moral law which is the ten commandments abiding on all men at all times irrespective of the covenant you find yourself in you have the judicial law which were laws given to the nation of israel for their tenure in the land of of promise and then you have ceremonial laws laws that set apart the nation of israel laws that that made them distinct and laws that prefigured and typified the coming lamb of god who would take away the sin of the world and so as we look at these books of moses he doesn't have chapter you know 10 his moral law chapter 11 is judicial law and chapter 13 is ceremonial law sometimes they're all just sort of thrown together and i think you see that here in chapter 19. the ceremonial aspects are to keep them distinct from the nations around them many have referred to this as the holiness code it is to separate israel and keep them from defilement with the nations around them but you certainly see the emphasis on moral law you see the emphasis on the second great commandment you shall love your neighbor as yourself and as jesus was questioned about the greatest commandment in matthew's gospel he goes first to deuteronomy six he goes to the shema he says love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength and the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself so those two summarize the ten commandments on those two hang all of the law and the prophets so if there is a summary of that moral law then that means that the moral law is still binding upon the people of god in this new covenant era so it does us good to understand especially what he says not especially in the sense that we don't need to dis regard the rest of the chapter but this emphasis on love to one another we're to love people with our possessions we're to be a sharing people the laws of gleaning here you don't get every grape you don't get every bit of wheat but rather you leave some so that others can benefit from your increase we are to love with words we're to tell the truth we're to love with our actions we're to be kind-hearted to one another and then we're to love in a manner that is consistent with what we find in verse 17 you shall not hate your brother in your heart you shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him it is simply unconscionable for us to treat others in the christian church as lesser beings or persons that that we don't have regard for john makes the argument how do we love god who we don't see if we don't love our brother who we do see and so this emphasis on love or charity is very much in the forefront in this particular chapter and then notice in verse 18 you shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people but you shall love your neighbor as yourself i am the lord so with reference to the moral observations within this particular chapter love one another in terms of the ceremonial aspect we see a distinction among israel from the nations that they were surrounded by and then in terms of the larger context remember the central chapter leviticus 16 is the day of atonement so that was the day when the high priest went into the holy of holies he made atonement not only for his own sins but he made atonement for the sins of israel and then on the heels of that chapter comes the holiness code we see a parallel in the new testament justification always leads to sanctification god's having dealt with the sin of israel in chapter 16 now demands that israel live in light of that redemption live in light of that atonement live in light of that blessing and live in the manner that god calls them to now obviously there would be a need for the next year and the day of atonement and then subsequent to that so they would never master this they would never become perfect but it would always show them their need ultimately for the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world well let us pray our father we thank you for your word we thank you for the connection between the covenants the old and the new we thank you that our lord jesus christ came and he didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it and we rejoice in that not only in terms of his act of obedience not only in terms of all that was written of him concerning priestly office but as well he confirms it he tells us that it's good it's right it's something that the church needs in terms of of their pattern for conduct help us to express love for you and love for one another in a manner that is objective as it's defined in leviticus chapter 19 and we ask this in the name of the lord jesus christ amen well you can turn with me in your hymn books again to 476 476 and we'll stand as we sing hmm [Music] yes [Music] is [Music] [Music] yes [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] yes [Music] yes [Music] sir [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] well you can turn with me in your bibles to micah the prophet chapter seven micah chapter seven so with our study in habakkuk last sunday night in the psalmist this morning this completes our mini series on how to focus on god so that we don't lose our minds micah 7 is somewhat similar to the prophet habakkuk that we saw in habakkuk 3. i'll explain the connection i'll explain the differences but i do want to read first of all micah 7 beginning in verse 1. woe is me for i am like those who gather summer fruits like those who glean vintage grapes there is no cluster to eat of the first ripe fruit which my soul desires the faithful man has perished from the earth and there is no one upright among men they all lie and wait for blood every man hunts his brother with a net that they may successfully do evil with both hands the prince asks for gifts the judge seeks a bribe and the great man utters his evil desire so they scheme together the best of them is like a briar the most upright is sharper than a thornhedge the day of your watchmen and your punishment comes now shall be their perplexity 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 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 therefore i will look to the lord i will wait for the god of my salvation my god will hear me do not rejoice over me my enemy when i fall i will arise when i sit in darkness the lord will be a light to me i will bear the indignation of the lord because i have sinned against him until he pleads my case and executes justice for me he will bring me forth to the light i will see his righteousness then she who is my enemy will see and shame will cover her who said to me where is the lord your god my eyes will see her now she will be trampled down like mud in the streets in the day when your walls are to be built in that day the decrees shall go far and wide in that day they shall come to you from assyria and the fortified cities from the fortress to the river from sea to sea and mountain to mountain yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it and for the fruit of her of their deeds shepherd your people with your staff the flock of your heritage who dwell solitarily into in a woodland in the midst of carmel let them feed invasion and gilead as in days of old as in the days when you came out of the land of egypt i will show them wonders the nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might they shall put their hand over their mouth their ears shall be deaf they shall lick the dust like a serpent they shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth they shall be afraid of the lord our god and shall fear because of you who is a god like you pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy he will again have compassion on us and we'll subdue our iniquities you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea you will give truth to jacob and mercy to abraham which you have sworn to our fathers from days of old amen well let us pray our father thank you for the written word of the living and true god thank you that you've given it to us by inspiration of the spirit that it's profitable to us for doctrine reproof correction and instruction in righteousness and in these unsettled times these chaotic times in which we live may you fortify our hearts and strengthen us and cause us to focus upon god most high to take the cue from the prophets from the apostles and may we indeed focus on that one who is sovereign who has absolute and unrivaled authority and the one who is over all things for the good of his church forgive us now for our sins and fill us with your holy spirit and we pray these things through jesus christ our lord amen well the prophet micah hailed from the southern kingdom of judah and he prophesied to both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom he was a contemporary of isaiah in the south and hosea in the north if you read micah 4 right alongside of isaiah 2 you will see the similarities his prophecy ultimately helped shape the nation's policies and his prophecy spared jeremiah's life about a hundred years later you can read about that in jeremiah 26 verses 17 to 19. most likely his career was from about 730 bc to 690 bc that means that he lived during the assyrian siege of the northern kingdom of which he prophesied as well he lived during the assyrian attack upon jerusalem that happened in 701 bc which also he prophesied now chapters six and seven are the third cycle of prophecy in micah and micah is another man who is an example of the just who lives by faith we saw that in habakkuk habakkuk asks questions of god he wonders about god's plan in terms of the nation god tells him i'm going to send babylon to decimate the nation and so then the the prophet habakkuk is told the just shall live by faith and in chapter 3 we see that psalm wherein he praises god and shows his dependence upon god so habakkuk is looking at the absolute devastation of the southern kingdom that will come as a result of god's judgment and he's using babylon now the psalmist this morning was focused on the nations outside of israel remember uh psalm 46 at verse 4 6. it says the nation's rage the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice the earth melted so while psalm 46 he's thinking about the external threat to the people of israel what we find in micah 7 similar to habakkuk the problem is with his own nation but even more focused in the effect that it would have upon the faithful remnant at the time that the prophet micah lived habakkuk shares that as well but habakkuk's concern is a bit bigger in terms of the decimation of the southern kingdom micah's is more practical in nature he starts off with his own lament he starts off with his own woe is me why does he do that well we'll look first at the prophet's lamentation for the church in verses 1 to 6 we'll notice secondly the prophet's counsel to the church in verses 7 to 13 and then finally the prophet's prayer to almighty god in verses 14 to 20. so the correction always is and the corrective always is to look at god verse 7 i think is key to the chapter he says therefore i will look to the lord i will wait for the god of my salvation my god will hear me let's first look at what predicated this statement on his behalf notice in the first place the lack of godly fellowship that affected the prophet in the nation of israel he didn't see leviticus 19 in play he didn't see obedience to that second great commandment he didn't see the camaraderie and the love that is to be expressed among the people of god notice in verse one woe is me and then he gives this illustration of a frustrated farmer he says i am like those who gather summer fruits like those who glean vintage grapes there is no cluster to eat of the first ripe fruit which my soul desires by the time summer comes along there's only a few things left there's slim pickens and so the frustrated farmer laments that particular condition so micah says that he is like that man he too is frustrated notice the explanation that he gives in verse 2a he says the faithful man has perished from the earth and there is no one upright among men now i think he's speaking hyperbolically isaiah was a contemporary as was hosea so those were two righteous men godly men but he didn't have contact with that as far as he was concerned and as far as he could judge the covenant community was bankrupt in the prophet isaiah for instance in chapter five the prophet condemns those who call evil good and good evil well that same sort of a mindset was operative at the time of the prophet micah and so micah looks around and finds nothing in terms of horizontal relationship the church lacks love the church lacks fellowship the church lacks connection the church is not being what it ought to be and micah doesn't just sort of write that off he doesn't just sort of say like people did in canada for two years well i don't need that no we desperately need community we desperately need the people of god we desperately need those covenant blessings that the lord has given to his people so that evokes from him this cry this woe is me it does show him that the the frustrated farmer is a good parallel for his particular condition and the explanation again the faithful man is perished from the earth and there is no one upright among men and then notice he goes on to highlight the corruption in society so yeah he's got to reckon with the reality that judgment is ultimately going to come but it's not near his lifetime the southern kingdom will be devastated but it's not in his wheelhouse he has to deal with the problems of living in a faithless age and he responds by exhibiting great faith the just man justified by grace through faith in jesus christ lives by faith steadfast trust in our blessed yahweh so notice his general statement concerning corruption in society at 2b it says they all lie and wait for blood every man hunts his brother with a net now the reference is not necessarily to physical acts of murder most likely what is in view is exploitation the sinful oppression of one another that the prophet has already condemned look back at chapter 2 in verses 1 and 2. micah chapter 2 at verse 1. notice 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 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 same sort of emphasis in verses 8 to 11. lately my people have risen up as an enemy you pull off the robe with the garment from those who trust you as they pass by like men returned from war the women of my people you cast out from their pleasant houses from their children you have taken away my glory forever arise and depart for this is not your rest because it is defiled it shall destroy yes with utter destruction if a man should walk in a false spirit and speak a lie saying i will prophesy to you of wine and drink ever even he would be the prattler of this people so there was a horrible condition at the time of the prophet so back to chapter 7 at verse 2b he gives this brief explanation they all lie and wait for blood every man hunts his brother with a net then he moves on to the corruption of the leadership he's not indicting the leadership in nineveh he is not indicting the leadership and you know among the amorites or the jebusites or the hittites or the hivites or assyria he is dealing with the leadership in the covenant people among the covenant people notice that they may successfully do evil with both hands verse 3 the prince asks for gifts the judge seeks a bribe and the great man utters his evil desire so they scheme together the best of them is like a briar the most upright is sharper than a thornhedge a thornhedge the day of your watchmen and your punishment comes now shall be their perplexity you see what he's doing woe is me i live in a messed up generation i live in a generation that's been given the blessed law of leviticus chapter 19 but they have repudiated it they have rejected it there is no love in the hearts of my fellows there is no companionship there is no faithfulness there is no camaraderie one with another it is the case that even the leadership is corrupt but it's not just society in general it's not just the leadership particularly but it also extends to the family in israel at that particular time notice what he says in verses five and six he says 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 see this is a desperate condition that the prophet finds himself at this is a horrific situation and it's and it's obvious why he says in verse one woe is me i am frustrated i am destitute the corruption in the society the corruption among the leadership and then the the lack of love and camaraderie in the home it would be too much to take i mean as messed up as things may be presently we do have one another there is a sense where we can apply that well-worn well-worn term we're all in this together we still have the church we still have family we still have camaraderie we still have fellowship micah didn't have that that's why he says woe is me notice he goes on in verse six a passage cited by our lord jesus her 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 so as we look at the prophet's lamentation for the church we see how comprehensive it is we see how extensive it is we see just how bad the situation was at the time that he lived so with habakkuk he knows that babylon is coming to devastate the southern kingdom so what does he do he focuses on god with this particular prophet micah he knows that ultimately judgment is going to come because the nation has been unfaithful and god will visit them with covenant curses but it's a ways off for him but nevertheless he looks around society he looks around at his people and he finds that they're their enemies he looks at his people and he finds that they're strangers he looks at his government and he finds that they're corrupt he looks at the bench in israel brethren there is a lot of legislation in the old testament concerning the bench we saw it there in leviticus chapter 19. don't show partiality to a poor man don't rule based on emotion don't rule based on appearance don't rule based on your heart strings being bold rule based on the law of god most high that's why justice is is blind that's why lady justice has a blindfold over her eyes it reflects the prophet isaiah chapter 11. there were persons that had an expectation of messiah that he would be blind and deaf from isaiah chapter 11. but it was metaphorical it was an analogy it was to demonstrate that his judgment will be accurate it will be according to justice and it will be according to the law and so the prophet micah sees judges in israel taking bribes he sees the princes asking for gifts most likely they were asking with teeth think princes today do they just simply ask no they confiscate they take they steal they breach the eighth commandment without any regard whatsoever to private property the thought that they could have confiscated or closed our accounts is horrifying brethren if anyone should have this evocation of woe is me it ought to be us in the western world at the thought that our private property can vanish like that at the behest of government because we spent it in a way that they don't approve of woe is us we need to start taking notice of what is happening so the kinds of things that we see are the kinds of things that the prophet saw now that moves us to the prophet's counsel to the church in verses 7 to 13. yes he is speaking in the first person but then he opens that up and he then includes the remnant he includes the faithful again he was speaking hyperbolically there's not the case that there was no one god's always had his remnant he is making a general observation about the condition of society so notice the two pieces of counsel he gives to the church first the believer must look to god verse seven and then secondly the believer must trust god's promises in verses 8 to 13. so notice verse 7 therefore therefore it's an implication right when you ever whenever you see that you've probably heard hokey bible teachers tell you that whenever you see a therefore ask what it's there for that's not altogether bad advice or bad counsel why is the therefore there well because he's just lamented he's just described the woeful conditions obtained in judah and now he says therefore i will look to the lord because if i look to this society if i look to the princes if i look to the judges if i look to the wife of my bosom if i look to family members i will be discouraged i will be bankrupt i will be left empty so where does he look of course he looks to god god never leaves god never forsakes if there is no godly companions in a society that doesn't mean that god has ceased god doesn't stop being that god to the person that's in that particular situation so he says therefore i will look to the lord that's where my help comes from society leadership and family do not care one wit about him so he goes to the one that does and that is god most high calvin says the prophet points out here the remedy to preserve the faithful from being led away by bad examples and that is to fix their eyes on god and to believe that he will be their deliverer that's the point in micah 7. that's the point in habakkuk 3. that's the point in psalm 46 that's the point from genesis 1 to revelation 22 fix your eyes on god the just shall live by faith that's what the prophet is com commanding to us notice he not only looks to god but he waits for god i will wait for the god of my salvation see there's not this impetuousness on the part of the prophet there's no deals on his part god if you don't give me a friend if you don't fix my wife if you don't get these corrupt judges and princes out of the mix then then i'm not going to follow you anymore no i will wait on the god of my salvation what does peter tell us he tells us or james tells us we need to humble ourselves in the sight of god and in his time he will lift us up there is this idea that whenever we pray whenever we say god he is duty-bound and obligated to answer us right now i'm sorry but that's just not how it works and i i fear at times in the christian church we don't think no is a sufficient answer noah is a most sufficient answer you parents know that right you have told your children on many occasions no now if they said well that's not an answer what would you say to that oh really it's not an answer it is most certainly an answer but the point is is that we wait for the god of our salvation this is what faith is about brethren justified freely by his grace through faith in our lord jesus now that we're justified now that we're saved now that we're living the christian life now that we're in this arena of sanctification we have faith in god we have faith in his promises we have faith in his provision and then notice he speaks to god so he says i will look to the lord i will wait for god and then the last part my god will hear me that's a confident expectation he may not deliver me right now he may not fix my wife right now he might not depose these wicked judges and princes right now but i know my god will hear me we have that surety we have that blessed confidence we have that reality turn to luke 18 where jesus underscores this lesson in a most blessed way luke chapter 18 specifically at verse 1. then he spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart you see that close parallel and connection men always ought to pray and not lose heart what happens if you don't pray yeah you're right you're going to lose heart you see there is a close connection in this particular passage that men always ought to pray and not lose heart and he said there was in a certain city a judge who did not fear god nor regard man now there was a widow in that city and she came to him saying get justice for me from my adversary and he would not for a while but afterward he said within himself though i do not fear god nor regard man yet because this widow troubles me i will avenge her lest by her continual coming she weary me those are not good motives but hey she gets her verdict that's not you know the the the cry of the noble judge that is simply i don't want her to keep hassling me and bugging me but nevertheless he gives her the response that she is after now notice in verse six then the lord said hear what the unjust judge said and shall god not avenge his own elect to cry out day and night to him though he bears long with them it's not always the case that you pray and the next day you get the pony or you pray and the next day you've got plane tickets to rio that's just not the way it happens there is a perseverance most of the commentators refer to her as the importunity widow she would not stop till she got the verdict she asked she sought and she knocked and god avenges his elect who cries to him day and night back to micah 7. so the believer must look to god but then the believer must trust the god the promises of god notice in verses 8 to 13 8 tells us that the remnant will rise judah and israel before her the northern kingdom had a lot of ups and downs right i mean 722 was the final down for the northern kingdom when the assyrians came and obliterated that 586 would be the final down for judah when babylon would come to obliterate them now there would be revival there would be restoration judahites would return back to their land in preparation for the coming of the messiah so there's this pattern of rising and falling but notice the confidence of the prophet with reference to the church verse 8 he says do not rejoice over me my enemy when i fall i will right arise when i sit in darkness the lord will be a light to me john gill makes this observation he says into outward afflictions and distresses which come not by chance but by divine appointment or into the temptations of satan he's describing what does this fall and arising look like could be outward afflictions and distresses could be the temptations of satan and by them which sometimes is suffered for wise purposes or into sin there's times obviously we fall into sin and by god's grace we arise out of that sin if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness my little children i write these things so that you do not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even jesus christ the righteous so he says or into sin which even a good man a truly righteous man is frequently left unto but then he does not fall from real goodness from true grace nor from his justifying righteousness which is everlasting and connected with eternal life he may fall from a lively exercise of grace from a steadfastness in the faith and a profession of it but not from the principle of grace nor a state of grace or from the love and favor of god he may fall but not totally or finally praise god for that he may fall but not totally or finally or or so as to perish everlastingly nor is he utterly cast down the lord upholds him and raises him up again he rises as the church here believes she could out of his present state and condition into a more comfortable one not in his own strength but in the strength of the lord under a sense of sin by the exercise of true repentance for it and by faith in christ and in a view of pardoning grace and mercy so this is a blessed reality for the people of god that though we may fall we don't fall in god protects us god rescues us god keeps us and god enables an arising out of that mess notice the second promise the reality that they're not all together innocent when they fall they're not all together perfect it's not the case that the remnant the godly can say i don't know why any of this is happening to me i mean i i'm so upright i'm so good i'm so morally pure no that's leftism that's not biblical christianity this prophet knows the reality that sometimes we fall because of god's chastening hand look at verse 9 i will bear the indignation of the lord because i have sinned against him until he pleads my case and executes justice for me he will bring me forth to the light i will see his righteousness you see the prophet is a realist the prophet understands much of the problems that had obtained in judah at this time wasn't just the external threat of foreign enemies it was the internal reality of defection and apostasy from god almighty and with reference to the remnant they had to deal with that they themselves would have sinned they themselves would have been chastised they themselves would have undergone a degree of suffering matthew henry says when we complain to god of the badness of the times we ought to complain against ourselves for the badness of our own hearts right it's not just wow i can't believe how messed up everybody else is out there i can't believe there's no godly companionship i can't believe these princes and these judges i can't believe my beloved i can't believe my sister or my brother i can't believe myself i can't believe that blood-bought children of the living and true god are still prone to wander and still prone to leave the god that we love i can't believe that so often and so frequently we have to make good on jesus teaching about seven times 70 in terms of forgiveness remember that peter says if my brother comes to sin against me seven times do i forgive him in the day peter's probably thinking he's extremely large-hearted i've got this sort of pain in the neck for a brother and he's got this problem in terms of sin and he keeps coming to me and wearing me do i forgive him up to seven times what does jesus say seven times seventy the point that jesus is making is not to count them it's not to take out your phone app oh there's you know 213. that's not the point the point is forgive one another even as god in christ has forgiven you you see brethren as persons conquered by sovereign grace as persons washed in the precious blood we ought to be persons that recognize our own sinfulness and we ought to have a large heart in terms of giving forgiveness to others in need god has forgiven us and he does so up to seven times 70 in a day notice as well another promise in verse 10 the remnant will be vindicated the remnant will be vindicated look at verse 10 then she who is my enemy will see and shame will cover her who said to me where is the lord your god he says my eyes will see her now she will be trampled down like mud in the streets curious language for somebody emasculated and effeminate he's not emasculated and effeminate the church militant speaks in that kind of language not in a vindictive spirit not in a in a pick on people sort of a mindset but in light of the righteous judgment of god most high we've seen many texts recently i'm not going to duplicate that effort now revelation 6 revelation 19 2 thessalonians 1 joshua 21 and the impres imprecatory psalms of david and the anathemas of paul this is a sin cursed world people do wicked horrible things we ought to be large-hearted and we ought to forgive but there are those instances and occasions where persons are vicious and when god judges them or takes them out the righteous see it and they rejoice solomon says as much in the proverbs that is to image god we have a longing and a yearning for justice and righteousness if that occurs why wouldn't we praise god for it and so the psalm the prophet here understands that the righteous will be vindicated but then notice the fourth promise in verses 8 to 13 is that the remnant will be increased it's not just the case that she'll be vindicated it's not just the case that her her enemies will be trampled down like mud but it is the case she's going to be built up it is the case that there is a glorious future for the people of god notice in verse 11 in the day when your walls are to be built in that day the decree shall go far and wide in that day they shall come to you from assyria in the fortified cities from the fortress to the river from sea to sea and mountain to mountain go back to micah chapter four it's the same sort of an emphasis micah 4 prophesying of the time of messiah verse 1 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 people shall flow to it many nations shall come and say come let us go up to the mountain of the lord to the house of the god of jacob he will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his path a paths for out of zion the law shall go forth and the word of the lord from jerusalem he shall judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations afar off they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks nations shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore but everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree what that means it's used in other places in the old testament it needs peace it means tranquility it means that god is so good that it's not just the spiritual it's not just heaven that he secures for his people the psalmist blessed god for loading him daily with benefits do we do that we have lots of benefits we have a lot of good things so this idea of verse 4 everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree it was set at the time of the the reign of solomon an effect of solomon's reign and no one shall make them afraid for the mouth of the lord of hosts to spoke it for all people walk each in the name of his god but we will walk in the name of the lord our god forever and ever so back to 7 11 and 12 he prophesies that zion is going to be built up the church is going to grow people from outside of israel will come to israel for their god for their messiah and then in verse 13 those who do not will be vanquished those who do not will be punished those who do not will be dealt with in strict justice yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it and for the fruit of their deeds so we've seen the lamentation we've seen the council now let's look finally at the prophet's prayer to almighty god he has two sections here first the petitions verses 14 to 17 and then doxology verses 18 to 20. notice his petitions in the first place he wants god's leadership he wants god's leadership that's not a surprise is it the princes want gifts and judges want bribes so what does he want he wants god to lead notice the language in verse 14 shepherd your people with your staff the flock of your heritage who dwell solitarily in a woodland in the midst of carmel let them feed invasion and gilead as in days of old as in the days when you came out of the land of egypt i will show them wonders so god's leadership is spoken of here in terms of faithful shepherding something that the prophet's already done go back for just a moment to chapter 2 at verse 12. chapter 2 at verse 12. i will surely assemble all of you o jacob i will surely gather the remnant of israel i will put them together like sheep of the fold like a flock in the midst of their pasture they shall make a loud noise because of so many people the one who breaks open will come up before them they will break out pass through the gate and go out by it their king will pass before them with the lord at their head he uses the same convention in chapter 4 beginning in verse 6. so this image or idea of shepherding is what the prophet wants and you can completely understand this urge on his part he has seen defective leadership he has seen apostasy he has seen sin and rebellion he has seen them call good evil and evil good so shepherd your people with your staff he uses the language that he votes the exodus notice in verse 15 as in the days when you came out of the land of egypt i will show them wonders that's a great parallel god shepherded israel israel right out of egypt through the infliction of plagues upon their oppressors and then the second petition is in verses 16 and 17 it is for god's intervention he wants leadership in israel by yahweh himself but for those nations outside of israel he wants justice he wants judgment he wants god to deal with that notice in verse 16 the nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might they shall put their hand over their mouth their ears shall be deaf they shall lick the dust like a serpent they shall crawl from their holes like this like snakes of the earth they shall be afraid of the lord our god and shall fear because of you see for the psalm for the prophet here he doesn't think this is untoward he doesn't think this is inconsistent he doesn't think that this is somehow not christian no it is absolutely positively christian the christian engages in love to god and love to man and there's a sense wherein generally we love and have a benevolence for all men everywhere but that does not mitigate the desire in the christian heart for the eradication of wickedness and for the vindication of the most high and is in his righteousness brethren abortionists need to be stopped and that is god's prerogative god is able to do that i'm not advocating we go out and we see for them into the next world but i am suggesting that it's not ungodly and it's not unrighteous to pray that the lord stops this barbarism that is celebrated interesting over the last two years the countries of the earth were all caught up in the mitigation of a virus and all the while the wholesale slaughter of babies kept on in intact unabated that is absolute horrific or absolutely horrific and if we cry out to god for his justice that is a christian disposition that is legit and that is okay even if the gospel coalition tells you it's not so the nations will be thwarted the nations will suffer the fate of their leader don't miss the illusion in verse 17 to the garden they shall lick the dust like a serpent they shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth they shall be afraid of the lord our god and shall fear because of you genesis 3 14 so the lord god said to the serpent because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field on your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life that prophecy in genesis 3 14 and 15 displays victory on the part of the the man born of the sea born of the woman in verse 15 but it also underscores the decimation of the devil himself verses 15 and 14. and that is evoked by the prophet as a good thing in terms of god's dealings with the nations and don't you love what he says at the end of verse 17 they shall be afraid of the lord our god and shall fear because of you do you ever just kind of wish the church feared god more than they do i mean not even the pagans or the heathens i mean certainly i'd like them to be afraid i'd like them to understand that our god is a consuming fire but there is an absence and a lack of the fear of god in the churches of god today we treat god as if he's a fellow we treat god as if he's a body we treat god as if his only purpose in this world is to make sure everything goes great for us we relegate him to the position of a coca-cola we relegate him to the position of of a of a fellow we have these chatty pastors with their hands in their pockets and their latte in the other hand we have chatty people that are more consumed with just the the very basic principles of how to how to get along with one another along with one another versus the knowledge of god most high and the fear that that inevitably promotes in the person who knows their god the fear of the lord is the beginning of life solomon says and those who are absent of or have no fear of god they need to believe the gospel they need to look unto the lord jesus christ so micah prophesies a time when the nations will be afraid of god that's something we ought to pray for for sure but we certainly ought to pray that the churches of christ today would show something of that fear and this is a concept that you see in deuteronomy but you also see it in in hebrews chapter 12. the same language in deuteronomy 4 that our god is a consuming fire is the same language in hebrews 12 that our god is a consuming fire in fact the apostle in hebrews 10 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god when did we lose this concept of the fear of the lord for the people of god when did we get to this levity in this sort of surface level approach those who know their god fear their god now notice finally his doxology that simply means praise worship and he brings this about by first asking a question notice in verse 18. he makes a play on his own name because the name micah means who is like the lord that's what micah means who is like the lord so he asks that question verse 18 who is a god like you he's consistent with the song of moses in exodus 15 11. who is like you o lord among the gods who is like you glorious in holiness fearful and praises doing wonders he's like the prophet isaiah have you not heard have you not seen have you not pondered the greatness of yahweh who has the stars named who has the the knowledge of every star that he has created i read the facts about this one time i'm not a scientist i am a fool when it comes to such things so i had to write something in my bible here in the margin my my my very generous margin in my cambridge bible here but in isaiah 40 verse 25 to whom then will you liken me or to whom shall i be equal says the says the holy one lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things who brings out their host by number he calls them all by name by the greatness of his might and the the strength of his power not one is missing i read that there's a hundred billion galaxies that each contain about a hundred billion stars that's staggering brethren i mean that that just wow we are really nothing we are really miniscule we are really tiny in fact that's exactly what he says prior notice in verse 15 in isaiah 40. behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the scales you see we see what's going on in the nations of the earth right now and it's sort of scary it's kind of terrifying especially when we consider the type of leadership that's leading us through it but when we look at a passage like this behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the scales look he lifts up the aisles as a very little thing and lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor it's be sufficient for a burnt offering all nations before him are as nothing and they are counted by him less than nothing and worthless now that's not a commentary that god doesn't care for his creation it is the commentary that god is so sovereignly glorious over his creation it is the infinite over the finite it is the creator over the creature the emphasis in the prophet isaiah when he asks these questions is to draw out the mind to this god because that's what settles the soul and that's what the prophet micah does notice who is a god like you and now he fleshes it out particularly he rehearses what god has done there is no other god like you because you're the only one that does things like this notice in the first place he is the god who pardons iniquity verse 18 notice he doesn't say who is a god like you who judges the nations who holds them in contempt who brings his enemies to frustration dashes them down that's not a perplexing question it's not a perplexing question at all the c.s lewis wrote the the the problem of pain john gerstner a few years later said that's not a problem sinners deserve pain there's actually a problem of pleasure that sinners actually get to eat a steak or get to drink water or get to have conjugal relations with their their spouses that's what's surprising i think that that that's the tact that micah is taking here who is a god like you again it's not a a huge perplexing thing that a righteous god punishes sinful man but it is perplexing that that righteous god provides forgiveness for that man and that's what the prophet is drawn out with notice who is a god like you pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage we sing amazing grace how how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me i once was lost but now i'm found was blind but now i see think about what newton calls grace there he calls it amazing has the church lost sight of the amazingness of grace micah didn't micah pondered that micah reflected upon that micah rehearsed that and micah utilized it as a means to praise god because you pardon iniquity and you pass over the transgression of the remnant of your heritage notice he shows compassion to his people verse 19 he will again have compassion on us that is a most blessed promise a most blessed commitment on the part of our covenant god he is the god who subdues iniquity look at that and we'll subdue our iniquities if you have problem with remaining corruption cry out to god don't try to hide it don't try to fake it don't try to deny it god actually is in the business of sanctifying his people he not only justifies us freely by his grace but christ is our sanctification as well and so the lord god most high is well able to subdue our iniquities and then notice he is the god who casts all our sins away and the language at the end of verse 19 is truly glorious you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea again john gill i think his comment is very appropriate here he says never to be seen anymore though they are seen with the eye of omniscience it's not as if god actually does forget when it speaks of him forgetting god doesn't have that capacity god doesn't have memory one day and the absence of memory another day that's accommodated language to show us or tell us something about god's great mercy it is as if he forgot our sin he goes on to say so though they are seen with the eye of omniscience and taken notice of by the eye of providence yet not be held with the eye of avenging justice that being satisfied by christ besides all the sins of god's people have been removed from them to christ and by him carried away into the land of oblivion so that they are no more to be seen on them who are through his blood and righteousness without fault spot or wrinkle or any such thing and being out of sight they are out of mind never remembered anymore and like things cast into the seed destroyed and lost perhaps there may be some illusion to the egyptians drowned in the red sea i think there is and what is cast into the sea especially into the depths of it is irrecoverable not to be fetched up again nor does it rise more and so it is with the sins of god's people forgiven for christ's sake even all of them for they have all been born by christ who are and are covered blotted out and pardoned not one remains unforgiven that is enough to make the people of god do a holy jig until jesus comes again and then he ends with the covenant faithfulness of our god notice in verse 20 he will give truth to jacob and mercy to abraham which you have sworn to our fathers from days of old very often psalmists and prophets evoke the god of covenant it is to show us the stability it is to show us that this relationship is impenetrable to show us that nothing can destroy those who are in christ jesus well in conclusion we see first the depravity of man when you look at micah chapter 7 you realize there's nothing new under the sun i mean the sorts of things that we see in our own generation lo and behold generations before us saw him as well we're not the delicate snowflakes that we like to think that we are people who have gone before us have gone through very hard and very trying circumstances but they have demonstrated the maxim that the just shall live by faith secondly the confidence of the believer is in god the therefore in verse 7 underscores that reality very powerfully you can ultimately only trust in god i know that sounds bleak because we're all or most of us are married and we like to think we can trust our spouses and we can but in a time of decay that was uh existent at this or like micah saw it was a horrible situation mark twain makes this observation he says if you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you this is the principal difference between a dog and a man men don't always treat each other as they ought that's the grim reality so where is the confidence ultimately to be placed it's in god most high the psalmist says do not put your trust uh trust in princes nor in a son of man in whom there is no help happy is he who has the god of jacob for his help whose hope is in the lord his god we sang that at the outset of our worship tonight psalm 146 and then finally the triumph of faith the triumph of faith was micah just an op optimist you know you kind of meet those people right you've got i mentioned asaph this morning asap to me strikes me as a pessimist he's the the cup half empty guy and i've always found that pessimists want to defend themselves i'm not a pessimist why not if you are that's okay i mean that's not the case that everybody's happy peppy bubbly all the time it's not the case that everybody walks around with smiles on their faces it's not the case that everybody is a cup half full sort of a guy it is the case that there are some among us that are half cup empty sorts of guys and asap certainly seems to be that kind of a fellow i of course am right in the middle i'm a medium i'm not optimist or person i'm kidding i probably am the half empty sort of a guy as my wife is probably going yeah yeah for sure but was micah just an optimist did he just have that grit and determination i doubt it the josh shall live by faith not by optimism dale ralph davis in a comment not on micah 7 but somewhere else makes this observation he says with reference to the situation it was in first samuel 14. he says the circumstances did not stimulate optimism but this is not optimism it is faith some people are naturally optimistic they don't know any better but faith can arise even when no reason for optimism exists see he doesn't live by optimism he doesn't live by pessimism he doesn't live by realism he lives by faith in the son of god who loved us and who gave himself for us thomas makomsky says to close one's eyes to the working of god no matter how small the evidence may be is to open the door to despair in other words micah had that proper perspective in the midst of societal collapse where shall i go it's like jesus says to peter do you want to leave as well peter says lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life in john 6 68. i think it was luther who said if he bears a sword at me i'm still going to come to him that's what faith does and in the prophet chapter 7 of micah we see that faith looks to the god of our salvation verse 7 faith understands that though that man may fall he will by grace arise verse 8. faith recognizes one's own sin and lays hold on god's forgiveness according to verse 9. faith knows there is vindication coming for the people of god verses 10 to 13. and that keeps a a bounce in his step he knows that everything he sees presently isn't the end of the story he knows that the enemies of god will ultimately meet their just end faith submits to the rule of god verses 14 to 15. he doesn't cry out shepherd us but for the fact that he wants to submit to god most high and faith particularly focuses on the being and perfections of god most high in verses 18 to 20. again makomsky says like a day that begins with a dark foreboding sky but ends in golden sunlight look at the passage woe is me and then he ends how he does woe is me and then he ends on that rehearsal of the god of abraham isaac and jacob the god of infinite mercy and grace the god whose compassions are new each day the god who has the power and the love for his people that he will subdue their iniquity so like a day that begins with a dark foreboding sky but ends in golden sunlight this chapter begins in an atmosphere of gloom and ends in one of the greatest statements of hope in all of the old testament clouds of gloom have rolled in on the horizon of the prophet's life because of disobedience of the people and the somber fate that awaited his nation but rays of hope such as the affirmations in verse 7 shone through the gloom it is in the great affirmation of faith that concludes the book verses 18 to 20 that the darkness is completely dissipated one may wonder why the prophet did not succumb to utter pessimism in view of the conditions of his day the answer is in this chapter it was because of the triumph of faith the prophet speaks here as a representative of the godly remnant while most of the chapter is written in the first person a corporate concept begins in verse 8 that cannot be limited to that prophet alone so he starts with woe he ends up in joy and that because the just shall live by faith that is what the prophets commend to us that's what the psalmist commands to us that's what the new testament commands to us so in the midst of chaos trial and despair we walk by faith in the son of god who loved us and who gave himself for us well let us pray our father in heaven we thank you so very much for what the prophet teaches us concerning who god is and lord i pray that all of us would focus upon you that all of us in our individual lives and as families and as a church and workers and as citizens in society just give us that proper perspective to realize that what we see happening now isn't the end of the story and that if it is and christ comes in glory to judge the living and the dead we will be most blessed we thank you for the the glory of the gospel of our salvation we thank you for our blessed savior and champion and god help us to extol him help us to praise and glorify you and help us to be faithful in this world and we ask these things through jesus christ our lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation you