Pardoned

You might have heard that President Biden in the US pardoned thousands of people just a few days ago.

So over 7,000 people that were previously convicted of possession of marijuana since it became a crime back in the 70s were cleared of their convictions.

You might be relieved to hear that tonight's sermon is not about marijuana.

That is not the aspect of the story that we'll focus on, especially because you can even buy cannabis moisturizers at your local Holland and Barrett these days.

So not a straightforward topic, but it's a concept of pardon that ties in with tonight's passage.

These people in the States had been found guilty of a crime.

Imagine there had been a trial and they'd been sentenced.

And now all of a sudden they've been declared innocent by way of being forgiven by the president himself, just out of the goodness of his heart.

It's remarkable. It's a remarkable process.

And all presidents do this, pardoning some hundreds, some thousands of people during their presidencies.

And I believe most countries have something similar.

Now, of course, there are always political reasons behind a U.S. president pardoning people.

But still, we see a similar sequence of events in chapters 6 and 7 of Micah.

There's a trial to begin with where Israel stands accused and then declared guilty.

And then there's a sentence to serve.

And while the sentence is being served, the pardon arrives.

And so we'll look at the passage in these three sections.

The trial in chapter 6, the sentence and the pardon both in chapter 7.

So trial, sentence and pardon.

So why a trial?

At the start of chapter 6, Micah asks God to speak and bring his case against Israel.

With nothing less than God's own creation as witness.

This is solemn.

Read verse 2.

Hear, you mountains.

Listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.

I don't know if it's the same for you, but I can very easily read these more poetic introductory verses in the Old Testament.

The ones that normally come before a prophecy.

And just gloss over them.

Go through them very quickly.

Just, you know, in a rush to get to the actual juicy part of God's message.

But these two is God's message.

And I'd like us to try and sit with it for a moment or to try and see what it's trying to achieve.

Now, God made the mountains.

And I'd like you to picture some really tall, grand mountains.

With all due respect for the beautiful British landscape, I think mountains are not its forte.

Back home in Sicily, my hometown is some 60 miles away from Mount Etna.

And that is farther than Edinburgh is from Glasgow.

And yet on a clear day, you just see it there sitting in front of you as if it was a 10 minute drive away.

Two and a half times as tall as Ben Nevis, no man ever built something like that.

And certainly not something that spits ashes and lava half the time.

God made mountains like that.

And even twice as tall as that, as we know, in other places in the world.

And God made the foundations of the earth.

And so he's calling on them.

He's calling them as witnesses to remind Israel of who he is, of his power.

And that is how serious Israel's sin is to God.

And in fact, that's how serious anyone's sin is to God.

And I want us to sit with how uncomfortable, hopefully, that feels.

And so in verse 3, we have God's charge against Israel.

What have I done to you?

How have I burdened you?

Do you feel the heartbreak in those sentences which are asked rhetorically, of course?

What have I done to you?

Isn't that what we ask people when we feel like we're being treated unfairly?

What have I ever done to you to deserve that?

And then he goes on to remind them of everything that he had indeed done for them,

but all the good things that he'd done for them.

I brought you out of Egypt, away from slavery.

I put leaders in place to guide you through the desert with Moses and Aaron and Miriam.

He mentions them in verse 4.

And when Balak, king of Moab, asked the prophet Balaam to curse you,

I made him bless you instead.

That's what that story refers to.

Balak was expecting a curse against his enemy, Israel,

and was angered by the prophet's blessing that he gave them instead.

But Balaam answered in Numbers 23, 26,

Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?

And the Lord had said, bless Israel.

And so God is basically telling them, I would never curse you.

I didn't do it back then.

I wouldn't do it now.

So if you feel cursed right now, that's because you have brought curses on yourselves.

And he goes on reminding them of how he took them from Shittim to Gilgal at the end of their journey in the desert,

before getting to the land that he had set aside for them.

And Shittim, the place where the people had broken the covenant, but God renewed once again.

So what more could God have done?

Now that's the accuser's charge.

And then it's the defendant's turn.

And you'd expect them after this to come to their senses and admit that they're at fault.

But no.

In verses 6 to 8, they too use rhetorical questions.

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?

Burnt offerings?

Maybe with calves a year old?

And so far, it sounds reasonable in the context of sacrifices back then.

But then it escalates.

Thousands of rams?

Or maybe 10,000 reavers of olive oil?

Or should I offer my firstborn even, the fruit of my body?

Israel have completely misunderstood how this relationship with God works.

And so they get all snarky with this sarcastic answer,

because they think that God is just impossible to please.

He's too perfect.

No amount of sacrificing could ever make up for their sins against him.

But their answer betrays a fundamental lack of understanding,

because they seem to think that their sacrifices should actually somehow pay for their sins,

rather than being an outward demonstration of repentance

that God would mercifully accept to forgive them.

And so on the one hand, given their comments,

they have realized that something isn't quite working.

And so they push back on God because of how impossible it is for them

to become acceptable to him through sacrifices.

Not even the sacrifice of a firstborn would be enough.

Not that God would ever want that.

And on the other hand, they are still missing the point.

And their lack of understanding is completely exposed in verse 8.

No, people, no.

Verse 8 says, he has shown you.

He doesn't want your firstborn.

He has shown you, oh mortal, what is good.

What does the Lord require of you?

It is your question.

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.

And so far from their legalistic view of a relationship with God,

where they're able to pay an entry fee in the form of a sacrifice

to get access to his presence,

God tells them,

I want you to prove that you hate sin by acting justly.

That you are kind to others and forgiving of them by love and mercy.

And I want you to walk with me in humility.

So God isn't saying that he expects them never to sin,

but he does demand that they hate sin and that they love what is right.

And what's most beautiful is that God isn't telling them to stay away from him in terror

and only approach him through sacrifices,

but he wants them to walk with him in fear.

That fear that stems from humility,

from looking at those mountains,

even Ben-Nemis,

and recognizing that he created them.

That fear that results in love and respect and admiration for God.

God, it's impossible to please you.

You're too perfect, they say.

No, it's just that you don't love me.

And I'm making up excuses, he replies.

You're afflicted, not because I neglected you,

but because of your own sin.

And what I require of you, you know it,

but you simply won't do it.

And then in verses 9 to 12,

after their response, God goes back to his charges.

And if in the first verses of the chapter,

the focus was on everything that God had done right for his people

by delivering them from captivity,

by blessing them,

by getting them out of the desert,

into their promised land,

now the focus is on what they have done wrong.

And then the same sins that we saw exposed a couple of weeks ago

at the start of the book with Jonathan.

So if you look at verses 10, 11, and 12,

you'll find greed,

find wickedness,

find theft,

dishonesty,

lying,

violence.

These people are out of control.

And remember,

act justly,

love,

mercy is what their God is asking of them,

but dishonesty and personal gain

is what they're all about.

So at this point,

the accuser has brought his charges,

the accused have laid out

their pathetic defense,

and the verdict comes,

and it's guilty.

Because a just God,

a holy God,

cannot not condemn

the unrepentant sinner.

He cannot ignore

unrepentant sin.

And so in verse 13,

we read,

I have begun

to destroy you,

to ruin you

because

of your sins.

And we get this list

of illustrations

that show how Israel

is going to get

the exact opposite

of what they were trying

to achieve

with their wickedness.

They yearned for wealth,

regardless of how

it was acquired,

and

God will make sure

that they're left

empty-handed.

They'll eat,

but stay hungry.

They'll store up,

but save nothing.

They will plant,

but not harvest.

They will press olives,

but have no oil.

They will crush grapes,

but have no wine.

The verdict is guilty,

and the punishment is,

in the second part

of verse 16,

I will give you over

to ruin,

and your people

to derision.

I love how,

and I'm being sarcastic,

whenever I read

about Israel's conduct,

I invariably catch myself

looking down on them.

I don't know if it happens

to you.

Just from up here

on my beautiful

21st century pedestal

where we got everything

figured out,

we know who all

the prophecies were about,

and we kind of

pitied them

for not,

you know,

believing that

they would get

to the promised land,

for not understanding

everything that God

says about the Messiah,

and then it always

takes a few minutes

to catch up with me,

the realization

that thousands

of years later,

we are not

that different,

really.

So let's reflect

in a moment

on this tendency

to use God's

perfection

as an excuse

for our sins.

My question

for us tonight

is,

do we ever

find ourselves

giving up

on resisting sin

because we could

never attain

God's perfect

standards anyway?

Do we ever

find ourselves,

catch ourselves

thinking on the lines

of,

I've already

messed up today,

I might as well

not bother

for the rest of the day

because I won't

achieve anything anyway,

I will never

be good enough.

That feeling

that we've let

got down

so much

that there is

no sacrifice

if you're

an Israelite,

but maybe in our

day and age

there's no amount

of prayer,

there's no amount

of reading your Bible,

there's no amount

of,

investing time

into a church

ministry that can

make up for

what I've done,

that can make me

right with God

again.

Do we fall into

the same legalistic

trap?

Because all sin

is serious

to God

and no sacrifice

of any shape

or form

is big enough,

no sacrifice

that we could make

is big enough

to buy us

his mercy.

But at the

same time,

no sin

is too big

for God.

And so if we

find ourselves

overcomplicating

things in our

head,

despairing

at that thought

of being unable

to undo

our sins

ourselves,

then let's go

back to the

basics.

Back to verse

8.

What God

wants

is for us

to act

justly.

Wanting what

is just

means that

we hate

sin.

He wants us

to love

mercy,

and love

in mercy

means committing

to being gracious

and kind

to our

neighbors.

And God

knows we're

fallible.

He knows

we can fail

and often

will fail.

But he wants

us to hate

what is wrong

even when we

do it.

And he wants

us to love

what is right

even when we

don't do it.

And still in

verse 8,

he wants us

to walk

humbly

with God.

And it's

ironic,

I think,

that the

creator of

the universe,

he comes

to tell us

that he

wants to

walk with

us.

And we

say no

because we're

not good

enough.

Who am I,

who are we

to tell God,

no, I don't

want to walk

with you

because you're

too perfect.

He wants

us to walk

humbly

with him.

And that

also means

learning to

accept every

day that

God loves

us.

And even

though he

is perfect,

he isn't

demanding

perfection of

us.

He wants

us to

love him

and hate

sin.

And accepting

that in

itself is

humility.

And I

think the

sooner we

make

peace with

this, the

more we'll

be able to

enjoy the

beauty of

walking with

God as

his children.

So the

trial is

over and

the verdict

was guilty.

And now

it's time for

Israel to

serve its

sentence.

And this

is our

second section

for tonight.

The first

six verses

of chapter

seven, the

sentence to

be served.

And we

won't spend

too much

time on this

point, but

I'd like us

to try and

see the

similarities

between the

condition of

Israel and

the condition

that our

world is

in as

well.

God's

punishment for

Israel really

is the

result of

Israel's

self-inflicted

misery itself.

And what

is this, if

not the

description of

a world that

is under

the grip of

Satan, just

like ours, a

world where

most have

turned their

back on

God?

God.

And so

verse one

of the

second chapter

shows us

Micah's

anguish at

the realization

that he's

the only

godly person

left.

There's no

grapes to

eat, there's

no early

figs.

Grapes and

figs are a

beautiful image

of how sweet

living in a

community that

loves God

would feel.

But there's

only sorrow and

emptiness left

for him.

There's people

constantly turning

against each

other.

In verse

two it says

in wait to

shed blood,

hunting each

other with

nets.

These are

apocalyptic

images.

There's abuse

of power as

the ruler

demands gifts,

the judge

accepts bribes,

the powerful

dictate what

they desire,

that's in

verse three,

and these

three they all

conspire together,

the rulers,

the judges,

the powerful.

And I

had to say

this one really

hit home for

me, because

rulers demanding

more from

their people,

judges,

accepting bribes

so that the

powerful can

keep going

about their

life, doing

what they

desire.

It kind of

just sounds

like when I

was watching

the news

earlier.

And of

course, when

that is what

happens at the

top of any

society, then

at the bottom

there can be

nothing but

mistrust and

fighting with

every man and

woman for

themselves,

fighting over

the scraps.

We see that

in verses

five and

six.

They cannot

trust a

neighbor, they

cannot trust a

friend, they

cannot trust a

partner, they

cannot trust

their own

children.

This is

Israel, this

is the

people of

God, the

chosen people,

they turned

their back on

God and

ended up

here.

But if we

are honest and

if we look

around ourselves,

we're there

too.

Because these

are the images

of a world

that's turned

its back on

God and the

world we live

in has done

that too.

Because we

too are reaping

what we sowed

as descendants

of Adam and

Eve ourselves.

angels.

And so as we

keep sin in

ourselves, our

world is just

as broken,

perverted, full

of evil and

conflict.

And sure, there

are faithful

Christians just

like Micah.

There's millions

of us all over

the world.

But even

then, not one

of us doesn't

commit these

sins that we

see listed

here.

the first

time I read

this passage,

I had

kind of

Hollywood-style

apocalyptic

images in

my mind of

these people

hunting each

other.

But then as I

kept reading

it, I kept

finding similarities

between these

dynamics that

were written

about of

mistrust and

selfishness and

greed and our

own society.

And so I

found myself

wondering if we

have maybe let

the kind of

Western 21st

century way of

doing things

proper, kind

of cloud our

judgment and

become a bit

desensitized to

sin.

Because we might

tendentially as a

society be

superficially nice

to each other at

least.

We might have

laws that protect

our rights and

the most vulnerable

that allow our

society to function

in an orderly

way for the most

part.

But sinfulness

is in us and

around us.

We might have

learned to dress

it up individually

and as a

society.

But those few

expressions of

selflessness that

we do see around

us, they should

not fool us into

thinking that the

situation is not

that bad.

Because wherever we

turn we see a

society here as

well that is

focused on greed.

We see loneliness

and disinterest in

other people's

well-being.

We see a social

and an economic

structure that

rewards the

greedy and

marginalizes the

disadvantaged.

Verse 4 says

now is the time

of your confusion.

And if it isn't

confusion that we

see all around us

and our friends,

family, colleagues

that do not know

God and seem to

be constantly in

search for something

that is worth

living for.

So I think these

six verses are like

a slap in the

face that wakes

us up if we've

become accustomed

to our way of

life in this

world.

Sin is sin,

no matter how

camouflaged,

no matter how

not in your face

it is or

politically correct,

because greed is

greed, even if we

justify it by saying

that that's just the

way that our

economy works.

what misery is

mine, says

Micah, and

what misery is

ours.

But here comes

the but.

Micah doesn't

just observe

all this, sits

in a corner and

cries while waiting

for his end.

Micah does what

all godly people

in the Bible tell

us, teach us to

do.

He looks around

himself, he does

recognize the

state of need

of the world.

There is

certainly grief,

but then he

looks up with

the confidence of

those who trust

in the true God.

Verse 7, I

read it this

morning as well

at the end of

the service,

but as for me,

I watch in hope

for the Lord.

I wait for God,

my Savior.

My God will

hear me.

And this is the

verse where our

evening changes.

This is the verse

where Micah reminds

us that the

same holy and

just God that

will condemn

the sinner is

also a

merciful God,

an infinitely

merciful God

that will save

the repentant

from their own

sin.

And so our

third section is

all about God's

pardon.

did you notice

that in verses

8 to 13,

that same God

that acted as

the accuser at

the beginning of

the passage,

he's now the

liberator.

In fact,

verse 9 even

says that God

will now plead

Israel's case

and uphold

its cause.

That's the God

that was bringing

the charges

against them.

He's now

pleading their

case.

through Micah

in verse 9,

Israel admits

its sin and

repents.

Because I have

sinned against

him, I will

bear the

Lord's wrath.

Israel now

does see God

for who he is.

Not a God

that asks for

the impossible,

but a God

that, verse 9,

will bring me

out into the

light.

A God that

is righteous,

they say.

And so Israel

once again

enjoys the

favour of

its God,

is victorious

over its

enemies and

is a place

of life in

contrast with

the desolation

around it.

That's in

verses 11 to

13.

And so these

last verses of

the book

describe an

awesome display

of power and

love on the

part of God.

Of God the

shepherd looking

after its flock

in the pasture

land and forest.

That's a beautiful

image that we

have there.

Everything that

was grey and

bleak is now

alive and

green again.

The enemies

that were a

threat to

Israel before

are now the

ones that have

been humiliated

by God.

But even for

them, in

verse 17,

there's hope.

In seeing God's

power at

display, they

will turn in

fear to the

Lord our God

and will be

afraid of you,

says Micah.

And so

finally, Israel's

praise can

burst out with

Micah's in

verse 18.

Who is a

God like you

who pardons

sin and

forgives

transgression.

You do not

stay angry

forever, but

delight to

show mercy.

Now Micah's

prophecies have

been fulfilled

as far as the

people of Israel

of the time

are concerned.

Israel was

destroyed by the

Babylonians and

then the kingdom

of Judah was

restored after

the exile.

However, as we

saw in chapter

5 with Alistair

last week, his

prophecy goes

beyond the

people of

Israel of

the time.

It goes

beyond the

restoration of

Judah all

the way to

the restoration

of God's

relationship with

all of his

children as

included in

Jesus.

And if

chapter 5

specifically

mentioned Bethlehem

as the place

where the ruler

of Israel would

come from and

shepherd his

flock in the

strength of the

Lord, so very

clearly referring

to Jesus, in

today's passage

too, especially

in the very last

verses of the

book, we have

explicit references

to Jesus and

his work in

our lives.

Because what is

the ultimate

demonstration of

the fact that

God does

delight to show

mercy, as

verse 18 says,

if not that he

sent his only

son to take

our own sins

and die with

them so that

we could be

reconciled with

God?

Verse 19 says

you will tread

our sins under

foot, which

kind of evokes

God's own words

in Genesis 3

15 when he

says that Jesus

will one day

crush Satan's

head with his

heel.

And still in

verse 19,

and hurl all

of our iniquities

into the depths

of the sea.

And that is

what Jesus has

done once and

for all with

his death.

Because that's

what happens to

our sins.

If we repent

and ask him

for forgiveness,

they are

forgotten forever.

And so Micah

is confident in

his hope that

God will be

faithful to

Jacob and

Abraham as he

pledged to with

his promise to

them.

See in verse

20.

And what did

God promise

them?

That Israel

would go to

the promised

land, that

Israel would

become a big

nation, but

also that through

Israel the whole

world would be

blessed.

And Micah knew

that his prophecy

went beyond his

here and now all

the way to us

because we are the

recipients of God's

promise to Jacob

and Abraham too

because we've been

blessed through one

of their descendants

Jesus in a way

that we can't

even fully

comprehend.

There isn't a

sin, not one

that you or I

committed, not

today, not

yesterday, not

ten years ago,

not ten years

from now, that

will ever be able

to separate us

from God if we

accept Jesus'

work of salvation

on the cross

because we have

been pardoned

just like Israel.

And so if on the

one hand we do

want to look

around and

grieve as we

acknowledge the

condition that our

world is in,

broken by sin that

keeps fueling God's

wrath, on the

other we will not

despair.

We cannot despair

because there is a

way out in Jesus

and Jesus' death

and resurrection

shelter us from

God's wrath and

give us eternal

salvation.

So for any of us

that haven't

accepted Jesus

yet, God's love

for you, for all

of us, is bigger

than our

rejection of

him so far

and of our

sins because

nothing is too

big for him.

And so God

asks us in this

passage to go

before him

repentant and

to commit to

hate and sin,

to love and

mercy and to

walk in humbly

with him.

And Jesus is

the only one

that did that

perfectly during

his life on

earth.

And so

ultimately that

is the message

of Micah,

be like Jesus.

And when the

apostles asked

Jesus in

John 6, 28,

what must we

do to do

the works that

God requires?

Jesus answered,

the work of

God is this,

to believe in

the one he

has sent.

And so let's

do that.

Let's believe in

Jesus' plan of

salvation for us

and accept his

forgiveness and

walk humbly with

him.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Father, we

thank you because

you are a

holy God

and you are a

just God,

Father.

And that is

because you're

perfect, you're

sinless.

And Father, we

ask for

forgiveness for

our sins, for

all the ways in

which we

offend you in

the way we

relate to each

other and to

you.

At the same

time, Father,

we're here ready

to receive

your forgiveness.

And we thank you

so much because

we know you

will forgive us

because of your

immense mercy.

And we can't

thank you enough,

Father,

other than

all we can do

really is

accept it.

And so,

Father, we pray

for every one

of us tonight

that whenever

Satan tries

and convinces

us that

we're not

good enough,

Father,

we'll be

ready

because of

what we read

tonight to

say that we

know we're not

good enough for

you and we

can never be,

Father, but

we don't need

to because we

have Jesus.

So, Father, we

thank you for

his death and

his resurrection.

We thank you

for how he

has defeated

the devil,

Father.

We thank you

because it's

through him

that we are

pardoning you.

Father, help us

tell anyone

around us that

doesn't know

this, Father.

Help us

tell them

about it.

May your

spirit really

work in our

lives so that

as we go out

into the world

every day,

Father, we

really want to

share this

amazing,

life-changing

news.

Be with us,

we pray in

Jesus' name.

Amen.