Miquéias 6
Samuel Johnson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Miquéias 6
Johnson comments - But as is so often the case, they kept on offering the sacrifices long after they had lost their personal relationship with the Lord God. They kept on going through the motions. One doesn’t have to be much of an applier of Scripture to know exactly how that applies to us. There are people in the Christian church who’ve gone through all the motions, but have never had a personal relationship to the Lord. In the NT the parallel idea is seen in the phrase "obedience of faith," the obedience that emanates from a genuine faith. The obedience is the fruit of real faith. The fruit proves their is a root. And so Paul opens and closes the gospel treatise with this phrase... Ro 1:5-note through Whom (Jesus Christ) we have received grace and apostleship to bring about [the] obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name’s sake Ro 16:25-26-note Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, [leading] to obedience of faith; See Obedience of faith - Roman 1:5, 16:25 - What does it mean? He has told (05046)(nagad - נָגַד) means to tell, report, make known or declare something, to make it conspicuous. "To speak information for any purpose, used in such contexts as a message, a verdict, a warning, etc." (Swanson). The basic idea was “to place a matter high, conspicuous before a person." TWOT adds that "The Arabic nagada means “be conspicuous” and the noun nagdn means “highland” Usually the “matter” was previously unknown or unknowable to the object." The first use of nagad is found in Ge 3:11 where God asks Adam "Who told you that you were naked?" The Septuagint (Lxx) translates nagad with the verb anaggello/anangello used in secular Greek for proclamations of kings, reports of envoys, etc. It had the primary idea of to bring back word and then to announce or report. Anagello is common in the Septuagint (Lxx), often with a religious sense as exemplified by these passages in Isaiah... Isaiah 40:21 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared (Hebrew = nagad = to be or make conspicuous; Lxx = anaggello) to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?" Isaiah 42:9 "Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare (Hebrew = nagad = to be or make conspicuous; Lxx = anaggello) new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim (Lxx = deloo = to make known what was unknown or not previously communicated; especially of something divinely communicated) them to you." O man, what is good - This is a common theme in the OT (Isa 1:11–20) Isa 1:11-20-note - “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, And the fat of fed cattle. And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. 12 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? 13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies– I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. 14 “I hate your new moon [festivals] and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing [them.] 15 “So when you spread out your hands [in prayer,] I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. (THE REMEDY?) 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. 19 “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; 20 “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Jer 7:21-23 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. 22 “For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Hos 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Amos 5:15 Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Micah says Israel had been told how to walk, so she knew the truth, but by implication refused to do the truth! Sounds familiar doesn't it! How often do we sin willfully, refusing to humble ourselves? Note that Micah is not saying what a man does will save a man. In fact, the truth is that only a saved man can do these things. S Lewis Johnson on the meaning of good - the term “the good” is a technical term for the stipulations of the covenant between the Lord and Israel. And so when he speaks here in Micah, “He has showed thee what is good,” he is saying “He has told you the things that enable you to satisfy the stipulations of the covenant that exists between the Lord God and the nation Israel. (cp Hos 8:1-3 note "they have transgressed My covenant, And rebelled against My law...Israel has rejected the good") (What Does God Require)
Miquéias 6
Johnson has an interesting observation on the offering of "year old calves" - A calf could be offered from the time that it was about seven or eight days old. (Ed: It's eight days = Lev 22:27 - "ox" = bull). But obviously, if the calf is allowed to live for one year, it has become considerably more valuable. And so to offer a sacrifice of a calf that is a year old is a more valuable sacrifice than just an offering of a calf. So when he says “with calves of a year old” he expressing not only a burnt offering, but a burnt offering of an animal that is of some value. Then he says, “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams?” Can you imagine an individual, convinced of his sin, bringing to the court of the tabernacle thousands of rams? Is that what we have to do in order to bow before the Lord or in order to come before him in order to worship Him? (Micah - What Does God Require) Butler - Expensive offerings are not impressive. Christ confirmed this when he noted the widow’s offering in contrast to the rich men’s offerings (Luke 21:1–4). Henrietta Mears - God’s Chosen People had ignored Him. So He told them to remember how good He had been to them and how He had kept His covenant with them (see Micah 6:3). The people, suffering from a guilty conscience, asked how they could please God. Frantically they asked if burnt offerings would do (see Micah 6:6–7). Men and women are always trying to get back into the good graces of God with some outward religious service or some worldly rather than spiritual thing. But remember, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). God wants righteous conduct and a real personal experience of Him in each life. Because of unrighteous conduct, the people had to suffer unbelievable consequences. God is a righteous Judge (see Micah 1:3, 5; 3:12). What does the apostle Paul tell us to do in return for God’s mercies? Read Romans 12:1–2. The best way to get back into God’s graces is to accept God’s grace. (What the Bible Is All About: Bible Handbook) Micah 6:7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? pleased 1 Samuel 15:22; Ps 10:8-13; 50:9; 51:16; Isaiah 1:11-15; 40:16; Jeremiah 7:21,22; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:22 shall Judges 11:31,39; 2Kings 3:27; 2Ki 16:3-4; 21:6; 2Ki 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5; Ezekiel 16:20,21; 23:37 body - Heb. belly. Philemon 1:12 Barker - The worshipers “up the ante,” so to speak, by wondering whether a greater quantity of offerings would please the Lord. “Thousands” and “ten thousand” are examples of hyperbole Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams - Is He pleased with the quantity of our offering independent of the quality? Answer? No! He is pleased primarily with the quality of our offering! Man looks at the external, but God looks at the internal, at the heart (1Sa 16:7). Rams were acceptable for sin offerings (Lev 5:15, 6:6, 16:3), but they did not replace the offerer first "offering" his heart and mind and will to God (cp 2Cor 8:5, Heb 13:15-16). As Samuel explained to disobedient Saul “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams." “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from [being] king.” (1Sa 15:22-23, for context read Saul's reply to Samuel's accusation of disobedience - 1Sa 15:19-21). Worship that doesn’t produce a godly life is not true worship at all. -W. Wiersbe Delight (07521)(ratsah = רָצָה) means to be pleased with, well-disposed toward, favorable toward (Ge 33:10; Am 5:22), to take pleasure, to favor, to accept (see this sense in Lev 7:18). The Septuagint (Lxx) translates ratsah with the verb prosdechomai, which means to accept favorably, to receive one into companionship, to give access or receive to oneself. It depicts one "putting out the welcome mat" so to speak, something God does not do despite the magnitude of their offerings (e.g., first-born child). Ratsah is used in the context of sacrifices to describe them as acceptable - "And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf." (Lev 1:4) Thousands...ten thousand - These large quantities are exaggerated in order to emphasize the futility of sacrifice without obedience. Dr. S Lewis Johnson on ten thousand rivers of oil (Lev 2:1, 4, 15) - Now, this is not another offering, but this is embellishment of the one offering, because it is customary to pour oil on offerings. So here we have thousands of rams, and we have ten thousands of rivers of oil. And then finally he reaches the climax, and it’s a “hysterical ghastly crescendo” someone has said. The acme of religious zeal is to offer someone of myself, “Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” So he has talked about burnt offerings. He has talked about a calf of a year old. He’s talked about thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers of oil, and then at the climax of this, the gift of his own firstborn, the fruit of his body as a sacrifice for his sin. That’s astonishing, and it’s meant to be. What the prophet is trying to show is that no matter how you think of sacrifice, no matter how many animals you think about, no matter what the value of the sacrifice may be, it’s insufficient alone. So he wants it to be astonishing. (Micah - What Does God Require) Shall I present my first-born for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? - In these question beginning in Micah 6:6, we see an increase in the things offered finally culminating in the most precious, one's first-born! While they may be asking that if we could offer the most precious thing in the world (first-born), would even that be enough to allow them to come to the LORD and bow? Clearly the answer is an emphatic divine "NO!" Even such an extreme measure could never please God, because He prohibited child sacrifice (Dt 12:31). For them to even raise this hypothetical possibility shows how far from the truth Israel had wandered, for such an abomination was expressly prohibited (Lev 18:21; Deut 18:10, cp Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:32). The Ammonites sacrificed their children to their god, Molech (Lev 20:2–5; 1 Kgs 11:5). The detestable practice spread to Phoenicia, Canaan, and even to the Israelites themselves on occasion. Indeed tragically, some of the leaders actually did offer their sons, which imitated the pagan practice of human sacrifices the abominable idol Molech; Moloch. But he (Ahaz King of Judah the Southern Kingdom) walked in the way of the kings of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the sons of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. (2Ki 16:3-4, cp 1Ki 3:27, 16:3, Isa 57:5) And he (Manasseh) made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking [Him to anger.] (2Kgs 21:6) Pusey - “They would offer everything (even what God forbade) excepting only what alone he asked for, their heart, its love and its obedience.”
Miquéias 6
Johnson - What does God require of you? To love mercy, to love the loyal love of the Lord God, “This is fundamentally,” one of the commentators says, “The love that will not let me go,” that which George Matheson speaks about in his great hymn, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” This is the love with which God has loved his people, it’s sovereign unconditional love. Do you love that kind of love? Do you love lovingkindness? That’s part of what God requires, to love lovingkindness. Now, of course, he doesn’t mean simply to love lovingkindness as it pertains to me, but also as it pertains to others who are also loved by this same lovingkindness. To put it in New Testament terms, this is the new commandment. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Your commitment to the Lord in the reception of everlasting life is a commitment, my commitment too, I don’t want to preach at you, but our commitment when we believe in Jesus Christ is a commitment to the Lord God, but it’s also a commitment to the Lord God’s people. As he has loved us, that’s a magnificent relationship that we have. So to love mercy, that’s what the Lord requires. (What Does God Require) 2. LOVE KINDNESS Love (0157)(aheb - אַהֲבָה) means to love dearly (above all other loves). Aheb describes love between a man and wife Song 2:4 as well as between friends (David and Jonathan in 1Sa 18:3) spec.: gods 1Ki 11:2, self-love 1Sa 20:17b; d) God’s love for his people 1Ki 10:9;—Hos 11:4 Song 3:10 Sadly aheb is used to describe King Solomon = "Solomon held fast to these in love." (1Ki 11:12 - What is "these?" - not just the foreign women but their foreign gods! He had a strong love for them both. This makes me think of Jesus' warning in Mt 6:24-note. One wonders where Solomon veered off the path of Micah 6:8? Perhaps instead of walking humbly, pride began to "leak" into and corrupt his heart and distort his walk. O but by the grace of God there go all of us. We need to memorize, mediate and practice Pr 4:23-note, one of the verses Solomon himself penned but failed to practice, thus deluding himself - James 1:22-note) The Lxx uses agapao which speaks of unconditional (God-like, God energized, supernatural) love in the present tense (as your lifestyle, again not naturally possible but only supernaturally possible = for believers today this speaks of the indwelling Spirit giving us the desire to love this way and the power to love this way - see this important spiritual dynamic in Php 2:13-note - in fact memorize this verse = it's that important to your supernatural walk!) Finley: the true worshiper of the Lord will love to demonstrate kindness and forgiveness to other human beings. As one who has himself drunk deeply of God’s mercy, he will want to share that mercy with all who are around.