“Micah's Challenge to Be Just & Kind”
Micah 6:1-8 October 30, 2005 Play
video
Challenged but Hopeful
• now possible to ‘Make Hunger History’
• Micah challenged those finding pleasure but sinning
Corruption All Over
• military & economic success in 8th Century BC
but ‘wound incurable’ (1:9)
• cities centred out as source of sin (1:5b)
• rulers, judges unjust & corrupt (3:1f; 7:3)
• passersby exploited; wrong to trust in chariots,
strongholds (2:8; 5:10f)
• wealthy landowners covet & seize fields, e.g.
Ahab / Naboth (2:1f,9; 7:3; 1Kings 21)
• merchants dishonest in trading - false weights
(6:10f)
• religious leaders out for profit; witchcraft
allowed (2:11; 3:5,11; 5:12)
• not one upright person left; hunt brother with net,
no trust in family (7:2,5f)
• parallels in our society: Gomery, Clinton, Stewart,
NAFTA, BSE, occult
• family breakdown; assaults on police up dramatically
Sam(aria) I Am
• international imbalance in loans received / debt
repayment; trade rules
• only 12/22 donor countries on track for 0.7% of GNP
to aid by 2015, not incl. Canada
What God Requires
• courtroom argument: unfair treatment in view of
God’s provision (6:1-5)
• inappropriate to just offer animals or sacrifice
offspring like pagans (6:6f; 2Kings 3:27; 16:3; 21:6; 2Chron 28:3; Lev
18:21)
• act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God (6:8)
• concern for brother / neighbour expected since Abel
(Gen 4:9f; Lev 19:18; Mt 22:39)
• law of Moses emphasized cutting slack for poor /
alien / fatherless / widow (Deut 24:10-22)
Being a Blessing
• Economist Jeffrey Sachs: 2005 pivotal year,
breakthroughs possible
• pray, spend time with God: satisfied by spiritual
rather than material
• act justly: MicahChallenge.org or
MakePovertyHistory.ca – better aid, trade justice, debt relief
• love mercy: e.g. World Partners Relief &
Development projects; foodgrainsbank.ca
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