Are we taking the time to remember and applaud the kindness God has shown us, or are we taking His kindness for granted? Today we are reminded how God’s goodness to us should impact how we treat others.

_______________

Micah was an Old Testament prophet (a man who spoke for God), telling the Hebrew people some things they really didn’t want to hear, but things they NEEDED to hear.

They had been told to LOVE GOD with every fiber of their being. The supernatural spillover is to… 

LOVE PEOPLE, to care for their neighbors like they cared for themselves.  

Rather than loving Yahweh God with all their heart, mind, & soul - they followed false gods (Micah 1:7; 5:12). NOT loving God like we should spills over into NOT loving people as we should.

People laid in bed thinking about sin they could commit when they woke up (Micah 2:1). 

Leaders stole from their own people (Micah 2:2) & businesses cheated people (Micah 6:11). 

Judges accepted bribes and cheated people out of true justice (Micah 7:3). 

The land was full of liars (Micah 6:12) and murderers (Micah 7:2).

When we don’t LOVE GOD like we should, we won’t LOVE PEOPLE like we should. If we disobey the God who created people, we will devalue the people God has created. 

Micah means “Who is like Yahweh?” (YaHWeH = Hebrew term for Lord in your Bible). However, most of the people in Micah’s day didn’t act like Yahweh was awesome, so God calls on Micah to testify against His people. 

God brought the people out of slavery from Egypt, giving them leaders who cared & helped provide for their needs. 

Balak king of Moab paid Balaam to CURSE the people, but God told Balaam to BLESS instead (Num 22-24).

God moved the Hebrews across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land at Gilgal = “to roll”.

God brought them to the Promised Land & provided for them (water, meals, clothing, & HIS PRESENCE). God is asking, “Who has treated you like I have?”

God created you. Think about that for a second…there was a time that...YOU DID NOT EXIST!!! But Yahweh decided that HE would FORM inside your mother’s womb.

God provides for you. He put people in your life to care for and provide for you. He has healed your wounds and provided your meals.

God paid for you! Jesus was beaten, spit on, made fun of, scourged, crucified and took on OUR SIN on Him!

Yahweh God CREATED US, PROVIDES for us, and PAID for us… “Who is like YaHWeH?!!!?”

What can the people do to pay God back? This is the question they are asking.

Maybe God will forgive us if we bow down. Or we could offer calves a year old, our most valuable animals to sacrifice. Maybe God will accept lavish sacrifices - thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil.

OR maybe we should give him our firstborn child as a sacrifice? Some wondered, “Can my child's death pay for my sin?” (This is what pagan nations did, but this is NOT what God wants?

ACT JUSTLY

We are to treat people fairly and with value. Sadly, some people treat others poorly.

Matthew 7:12 (NET) In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.

We want to be treated with VALUE, therefore, we should treat others with VALUE, regardless of their abilities. 

We don’t want to be CHEATED, so…we should never CHEAT others.

When we treat people poorly it communicates 1 of 2 things: 

1. The God we serve doesn’t care about them…OR

2. We are hypocrites - not living what we say.

Matthew 23:23 (NIV) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Their lack of justice & mercy to others and their faithfulness to God revealed their messed-up motives.  They didn’t Act Justly, Love Mercy, nor Walk Humbly with God.

People who long for God’s JUSTICE will treat people fairly. We won’t cheat, lie, steal, or slander.

People who love God’s MERCY will extend mercy…like it’s been extended to us.

This Hebrew word translated mercy is hesed, like a diamond with many glittering edges and angles brilliantly reflecting the characteristics of God - mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, loyalty, & faithfulness. It is this kind of mercy that we are to LOVE and LIVE.

Do you have a story of a time that you NEEDED God’s hesed? (Check out the Discussion Starters and share this with some others.)

HOW we BEHAVE shows WHO we BELIEVE. When we show mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, loyalty, & faithfulness it shows others WHO our God really is.

When confronted with the reality that we haven’t been acting justly, do we LISTEN to God’s correction to change our behavior to start treating others with VALUE and FAIRNESS?

When confronted with the reality that we haven’t been loving mercy, do we LISTEN to God’s correction by seeking His MERCY and extending that same MERCY to OTHERS?

John warned that God has NO GRANDCHILDREN. You’re either his child…OR you’re NOT. GOD’S CHILDREN - those who actually belong to Him - will produce fruit that proves genuine repentance. Those who do NOT produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 3:10–14 (NET) So the crowds were asking him, “What then should we do?” John answered them, “The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none [MERCY], and the person who has food must do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He told them, “Collect no more than you are required to.” [JUSTICE] Then some soldiers also asked him, “And as for us—what should we do?” He told them, “Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation [JUSTICE], and be content with your pay.” [MERCY = Grateful for God’s provision]

* brackets are insights, not Scripture

Appreciate & Applaud God’s Justice & Mercy.

Start your day by thanking God for His Justice & Mercy in your life! God has treated you with VALUE & shown us MERCY through the Lord Jesus’s death on the cross! Our sins are forgiven because of God’s Justice & Mercy!

Show God’s Justice & Mercy to others. Look for opportunities to treat others with value & fairness. Extend mercy to those in physical or spiritual need. Take the opportunity to impact others for eternity!