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Micah 7 - Trampled by Turtles

I recently ran across a bluegrass band with the rather oxymoronic name of Trampled by Turtles. They have a pretty good sound. But the name made me think about the absurdity of the word picture. I'm guessing that the only living thing that could ever be trampled by an actual turtle might be a snail or slug. Anything else would surely escape the path of the turtle's without too much difficulty.

The last chapter of Micah talks about something being trampled.

Micah 7:18-19 Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins of the survivors among his people? You cannot stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing mercy. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

God Himself will pardon our sins and trample them under His feet. There is nothing in heaven or earth; imagined or created that can escape the path of God. Yes, when He says that He will trample our sins under His feet, He will do it. Not only that, He will not just leave the flattened, destroyed evidence of our former failures and sins lying around to torment us and remind us of our past. No, He promises to throw the remains into the depths of the sea. Hallelujah! They are destroyed and gone.

Heavenly Father, thank You for You mercy and compassion. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Trampled by God. Jan
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Micah 6 - What God requires

I absolutely love the following verses. They embody the totality of the Gospel. Our following of Christ is not a tedious list of things to do and not do - no it is quite simple. I'll the verses below speak for themselves.

Micah 6:6-9 What can we bring to the LORD to make up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the LORD? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad?

No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

To do right means to give people justice. However, justice sometimes demands penalty, that is where mercy comes into play. And how do we offer mercy, but understanding our own weaknesses and that we too deserve judgment and penalty. Therefore we must be be humble before God.

Lord, thank You for Your righteousness, mercy and the fact that Jesus humbled Himself on my behalf. May I ever be grateful. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Do, love, walk. Jan
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Micah 5 - Weapons, Horses, and Chariots oh my!

At first glance, the following verse might seem a bit confusing.

Micah 5:10 At that same time," says the LORD, "I will destroy all your weapons—your horses and chariots.

Why would God destroy the defensive and offensive capability of Israel?

It is because Israel was expressly commanded by God not to amass any of these weapons - horses and chariots. God was to be their weapon - their superior technology. However, they decided to rely on themselves; to be like the neighboring nations, and not rely solely on God. The result was destruction and pain. Yet, God promises in this chapter to raise up a ruler in Bethlehem. We all know who He is. And this ruler will not need any weapons of warfare. According to the book of Revelation, the very word of God proceeding from His mouth is weapon enough to destroy all of the armies of Satan.

Lord, thank you for defending us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

He is my strength, my shield. Jan
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Micah 4 - Peace

What is peace? If you ask a military strategist, I think they would reply that it is when you have defeated all of your enemies. If you ask a mother, she would reply that it is that blissful period when the little ones take their naps. Somewhere in between lies the truth.

Micah 4:4 Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD Almighty has promised this!

I really like the second part of the sentence, "for there will be nothing to fear." If there is no fear, then a soul can rest at peace.

Lord, thank You that Your perfect love casts out all fear. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Peace, Jan
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Micah 3 - One Nation Under ?

The next to last verse of this chapter just reminds me so much of America today.

Micah 3:11 You rulers govern for the bribes you can get; you priests teach God's laws only for a price; you prophets won't prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim you are depending on the LORD. "No harm can come to us," you say, "for the LORD is here among us."

Just think about all of the corruption and "kick-backs" that we hear about in the press. Look at the televangelists on TV that look like they have a dead raccoon on their heads - grubbing for money. "In God We Trust", is on all of our money. It is our national motto. However, our children are not allowed to pray openly in school. Yup, sounds like America.

Lord, please forgive us for letting it go so far. This nation was founded on the principle of freedom to worship You in any way we choose. Help us to fight the tide and proclaim Your name. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Peace, Jan
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Micah 2 - Pickled

A few years ago, prior to marrying my wonderful bride, I was experimenting with cooking soup. I had used some wonderful stock to make Cream of Potato soup. Then I noticed it. I spied the gigantic pickle jar that I kept on my counter. I thought to myself, "Self, you like pickles. Why not grind some up and mix them into the soup?" I don't know why I listened to myself. The person who has himself for a counselor is certainly a fool - I was. I thought I was going to be explosively ill from the vile concoction that I actually managed to swallow! I had completely ruined my wonderful soup.

Micah 2:10 Up! Begone! This is no longer your land and home, for you have filled it with sin and ruined it completely.

Israel inherited a good land; a land flowing with milk and honey. However they filled it with vile sour things. They ruined it.

Lord, may I remember the lesson of the pickle and not ruin the good things that You give me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Blessings to you, Jan
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Micah 1 - Don't make me come down there!

Have you ever had children ride in the back seat of a car? Things usually start out nice, but as the length of the ride increases, slowly a balkanization of the rear of the vehicle occurs.

"That's my side!" "Dad, he's touching me!", and similar cries start to emerge from the formerly contented children. Soon there is open warfare.

Other times the children are in league and begin taunting or making gestures at passing vehicles or ones that you pass. Eventually, when the parent can no longer take it, a frustrated bellow from the front seat erupts, "Don't make me stop this car and come back there!"

Rarely does the parent need to enforce that outburst. It is because the children have stopped what they were doing and now are busy enjoying the crimson color on their parents' neck and counting how quickly the veins in their neck can pulse. Sometimes, sometimes though the parent must stop the car...

Micah 1:3-4 Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.

Disobedience has a price. I wonder how many people believed Micah and changed their ways? In Jonah I saw that a very similar message was preached, and everyone repented. As a result, God spared them. I suspect that if those Micah preached to likewise repented, God would not have had to come down there.

Heavenly Father, may I obey You the first time. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Don't make God come down there. Jan
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