At the End of the Day

by: Mark Fackler

If you read this alongside the story of Noah’s flood, be grateful for that ancient promise that God will never again destroy the earth. It seems certain here that Jerusalem is bound for destruction.

If you heed Micah’s warning, you will flee far from Jerusalem. Or better, find a heart that has not been bruised by the indifference to God, the crooked business practices (v. 11), the violence and lies and immorality (v. 12). But behind the ominous judgments spoken here is a Father who wishes it were not so. The heart of God wants to walk with his people in love and joy. The will of God is always to seek the lost. But first, the lost must learn how lost they are.

One of the big dilemmas of the Christian church is to take seriously God’s judgment without appearing to be self-righteous, hypocritical, old-fashioned, rancorous, or just ugly. How to hear God’s judgment? Listen to God’s heart, spoken by this prophet. It’s so plain. Our proper response is admitting the truth of it, realizing the pain of it, and changing. Stop doing evil. Stop it now.

To our great advantage, the “stop” part, so hard to do, is enabled by God’s Spirit, always ready to turn us wholeheartedly toward the Father.