Micah 6:3 “O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me.”
Have you ever had someone ask you, “What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” Sometimes this question forces us to deal with a problem that we have with someone else. Sometimes the question comes to us “out of the blue.” We really don’t have anything against that person, but we’ve been ignoring them without realizing it.
Here in Micah 6, God asked His people the same question: “O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me.” This is not something we would expect to hear from God! His own people were ignoring Him and acting as if He had somehow wronged them and wearied them. In verses 1-2, God asks the surrounding mountains to hear and to act as the jury. In verse 3 He invites His people to speak up and level their complaint against God. The Lord reminded His people of all the things He had done for them-He redeemed them from the hands of the Egyptians, He sent them strong leaders, He protected them from enemies, and the list goes on. God reminds them of these things “that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.” (verse 5)
Our God never fails, and everything He does is righteous. No complaint against God could ever be valid. Yet we act as if He has wronged us in some way. We ignore Him and His counsel and harbor sin in our hearts. In answer to God’s question, we could say we have nothing against Him. So why do we act as if we do?
Many times, it is a matter of being unthoughtful. We don’t think about the statement our lives make about our Heavenly Father. I was speaking at a church a few years ago, and two men were visiting in the service. They looked like they perhaps did not know the Lord or were far away from the Lord. As I came to find out, the men were brothers who had grown up in the church. Their parents were good people who I happened to know and like. As my family and I drove away from the church grounds, a car pulled up behind us with loud, pulsating rock music for the whole neighborhood to hear. I looked back in my mirror to see these brothers driving that car.
My first thought was, “What do they have against their dad?” It is one thing to choose to go against what your parents have taught you, but it is even worse when you showcase your rebellion in front of your parents’ guests. That showed no thought for their parents whatsoever. Do you ever stop to think what your life says about your God? Do you acknowledge Him and love Him? Do you avoid things that displease Him, or do others think, “What does he have against his God?”
During the Roman Empire, there was a faithful pastor named Polycarp. Jealous of his allegiance to God, the Roman rulers demanded that he curse the Lord Jesus and pledge his allegiance to Caesar instead. If he refused to do so, he would certainly be killed. Polycarp responded by saying, “Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and He has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” Polycarp was killed-but he was faithful. Look at your own life from God’s perspective. Have you been treating Him the way He ought to be treated? Does God have reason to ask you, “What do you have against Me?” Today, be careful not to be unthoughtful or unthankful.
Prayer Requests: – New York City Evangelistic Outreach next month (Jan. 5-9, 2009) |