November 1, 2011

PLEASE LOOK AT ME

Micah 3

Miah Oren
Tuesday's Devo

November 1, 2011

Tuesday's Devo

November 1, 2011

Central Truth

God reminds us of our depravity and His righteous anger.

Key Verse | Micah 3:4

Then they will cry out to the LORD,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time
Because they have practiced evil deeds.
(Micah 3:4)

Micah 3

Rulers and Prophets Denounced

And I said:
Hear, you heads of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel!
Is it not for you to know justice?—
    you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin from off my people 1 3:2 Hebrew from off them
    and their flesh from off their bones,
who eat the flesh of my people,
    and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
    and chop them up like meat in a pot,
    like flesh in a cauldron.

Then they will cry to the LORD,
    but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
    because they have made their deeds evil.

Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
    when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
    who puts nothing into their mouths.
Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
    and darkness to you, without divination.
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
    and the day shall be black over them;
the seers shall be disgraced,
    and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
    for there is no answer from God.
But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the LORD,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
    and to Israel his sin.

Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
    and make crooked all that is straight,
10  who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11  Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
    its priests teach for a price;
    its prophets practice divination for money;
yet they lean on the LORD and say,
    “Is not the LORD in the midst of us?
    No disaster shall come upon us.”
12  Therefore because of you
    Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
    and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

Footnotes

[1] 3:2 Hebrew from off them

Dive Deeper | Micah 3

God has a perfect standard and expects complete righteousness, and I will never meet His standard no matter how hard I try. I am unable to atone for my own sins.

How awful to live in a time when God would hide His face from me because of my evil deeds. This is what I deserve, yet what wonderful grace God has given to me. This passage makes God's reconciliation in the New Testament through the death of His Son even more beautiful.

Jesus came to earth as a man and experienced our injustice and persecution. We tore His flesh apart, as the rulers do to the very people they were to serve (verse 3, ESV). But God is the perfect leader who does not "[d]etest justice and make crooked all that is straight" (verse 9, ESV), but loved us so much that He sent His Son to humble Himself "by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8).

With Christ's death, His blood has covered our sins so that God no longer hides His face from us. The curtain has been torn (Mark 15:38), and we can now have access to God directly. I am so thankful that I serve a God who no longer hides His face from me and my sin, even though He knows me fully (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Discussion Questions

1. How can you give grace resembling the grace that has been shown to you?

2. How often do you use God's gift of complete access to Himself?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

MICAH 2-6 (OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 4)

Read Micah 6:8.

What has God told us is good?

What does it mean to act justly/do what is right?

What does it mean to love mercy/kindness?

What does it mean to walk humbly with God?

Read Romans 3:21-28.

How did God act justly toward sin? How did He show mercy to us?

Read Philippians 2:5-11.

How did Jesus walk humbly with God? In light of what God has done for us, how can we act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God? (Refer to Luke 10:27.)

ACTIVITY: Have each member of your family think about a way this week to live out the greatest commandment. How will you love God first this week? And then think about the 2nd commandment -- what can you do to love your neighbor as yourself this week?