WITNESSED

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

“Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.”

Micah 1:1-2

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Watch any courtroom drama, real or fiction, and you will typically find witnesses, people called forward to testify about knowledge they might have pertinent to the case being tried. Sometimes, the witnesses will tell about something they heard; other times they may talk about something they saw which makes them eyewitnesses as they provide an account of what they viewed.

Why all the talk about witnessing?

Because it is central to the opening verses of the Book of Micah as we start to look at a new prophet today. Look again at these verses:

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

“Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.”  Micah 1:1-2

Micah is counted among the minor prophets in the Old Testament, not because he was necessarily lesser when compared to say Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel but rather because the accounts of his work were smaller than the others as is the case with many other prophets we have covered and a few we have yet to look at. As we look at the scriptures, we do see some things revealed about him.

First, like other messengers chosen by God, Micah received the “word of the Lord”. Note that he is not the originator of the words he would speak. No true prophet is. Rather, the very fact that he was receiving a word from the Lord is what made him a prophet by definition.

Second, we know that Micah lived in Moresheth, also referred to as Moresheth-Gath. It was in the southern kingdom of Judah, just to the southwest of Jerusalem and nearly due west of Tekoa, the hometown of Amos.

Third, since Micah lived in Judah it only makes sense that he would have served as God’s servant during the reigns of kings of Judah, specifically Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Delivering God’s prophecies at the same time as Isaiah, it’s believed Micah lived from 737 to 696 BC.

Finally, we know that Micah’s prophesy, the vision God provided, dealt with the locales of Samaria and Jerusalem.

With this backdrop, let’s look again at what Micah had to say as he introduces himself to his audience:

“Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.”

Micah commands the attention of everyone who is within earshot of what he is saying. He calls them to hear his words and listen, not just the people of Israel and Judah but all those who live on the earth.

Why such an all encompassing group?

Because the Lord had something to say to them, to all of them, as He bore witness against them from His holy temple in the heavens.

Think about this for a moment and it should bring you to a place of trepidation and anxiousness.

For the God of all creation, the Maker and Master of all things, the One with unmatched omnipotent power ready to be wielded to do all things, this Lord was the Lord who was bearing witness against the people of the world.

And when God witnesses, he doesn’t miss anything. Period.

Nothing goes unnoticed.

Nothing happens outside of His view.

Nothing.

Let that sink in as you think about everything and anything you have done in life. Then consider that every sin has been witnessed by the Lord.

Every wrong action.

Every wicked word used.

Every evil thought that has come to mind.

The Lord has seen it all and is always ready to bear witness against us.

Doesn’t paint a pretty picture, does it?

This is why we need a Savior in Jesus because we have no hope of surviving an indictment of our sins when the perfect witness who has seen everything we have done is prepared to testify against us. We would all be destined to receive the death penalty had Jesus not already paid that price for us. He bore the punishment we deserved so that instead of being condemned and destroyed, we can be justified and saved.

For when God testifies against any Christian, showing them the depth of their transgressions on judgment day, Jesus will step forward and announce to His Father that He has already paid the price, bearing the cost of the Christian’s iniquities.

Truly, it is a story of amazing grace, a story of salvation and deliverance from the wrongs witnessed by the God who sees everything, the God who we will see continuing to speak through Micah in tomorrow’s devotions and others to follow.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com