Shalom everyone. Please open your Bibles. We are going today to move forward in our study of the book of Micah, Michah, and we are in this ministry meeting dealing with the sixth chapter of the prophet Michah, a very important chapter that shows us the heart of God who appealed to his people Israel before he disciplined them in judgment prior to the kingdom in which he will restore them and bless them. And so chapter 6 of the prophet Michal deals with the dispute that God has with his people Israel. And you can see the heart of God goes out for his nation in this chapter just the same as his heart goes out to you and I today who are part of the body of the Messiah God love us Yeshua the Messiah loves us and he wants the best for us but he has to have a challenge with us when we have gone astray from him and so listen to the verses I'm reading in Micah chapter 6, beginning from verse 1, Hear ye now what the Lord saith, Arise, contend thou.

Before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants, and I have sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, all my people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, consulted, and what Bilam, the son of Beor, answered him, from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God, shall I come before him with burnt offering, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my. Body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good and what does the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name.

Hear ye the road, and who has appointed it? Are there yet the treasure of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances and with the bag of deceitful weights? For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth, therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied, and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee, And thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver.

And that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap. Thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil. And sweet wine, but shall not drink wine, for the statues of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Achav, and ye walk in their counsel, that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing. Therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people. This is verse 16 at the end of chapter 6, verses 1 to 16. In this ministry meeting, beloved brothers and sisters, the topic, of course, is that God has a dispute with his beloved nation, the nation of Israel.

He has a controversy. He has a challenge against them. He has a problem. In Hebrew, we call it Riv, Riv Adonai. In other words, Jehovah has a controversy against his people Israel, and he wants to bring it out to the open. In fact, chapter 6 in the book of Micah is really the message of the Lord to Israel, but presented before the nations of the world. You know, Israel became like an open book before all the nations of the world. You know, most of the time when people condemn Israel and people find some faults in our nation Israel, because they have the document, they have the Word of God, and to see the whole history of our people is found in this Bible, in this book.

And therefore, many in the world find faults in Israel because they see all the disobedience and rebellions and so on that existed in the history of our people. But I can assure you that if the nations of the world will have an open book written such as this book, as the Bible, they will also discover of their own faults, and their own mistakes, and their own sins, and their own disobedience. But the way the Spirit of God is given to us is that he have a whole book, if you will, most of the Scripture, including the New Testament, to deal specifically with one nation, namely the nation of Israel, for good and for bad, for that which is right and that which is wrong and God now display he likes spreading before everyone in this world.

Let me put it this way the dirty laundry of his own beloved nation of Israel why because he doesn't hide it underneath the carpet he presented and yet he shows his love to this nation he shows his commitment to this nation he shows his grace towards this nation and that's what we find out here in this chapter now there are three points that we can divide this sixth chapter the first thing is the first five verses you notice the dispute or the controversy that God that the Lord have with his people Israel and you know what he does just the same like he did in chapter one if you remember if you turn back to chapter one he began chapter one of his book Micha with a call to the people he said to them hear ye all people hearken or earth the Hebrew word is shimo amim he calling the nations of the world to listen to the existing conditions among the people of Israel this is chapter one and chapter two you notice in chapter three he does the same.

Thing and this time he's calling to the heads and the princes of Israel and he says in chapter three verse 1 and i said here i pray thee o heads of Jacob and ye princess of the house of Israel the same word it is the word shimo in Hebrew listen hearken hear ye in chapter 6 he does the very same thing but this time you notice he's calling the nation to be as a testimony it's like you are going into a courtroom and you have those that are sitting and listening to the controversy between the one who is the accuser and the one who is the accused in this case God accuses Israel is the accused and the nations are represented by the mountains and the hills and he began in verse one listen to this he entered into the court with the nation of Israel and the court session began verse one shimo here ye now what the Lord says arise contend thou before the mountains and let the hills hear thy voice first thing he does is calling.

To the mountains and to the hills to hear the voice of God. Now, when you think of mountains and of hills, they are one of the greatest testimony to all what's going on in the world today. A mountain is a fixed place that sees everything that is going on. Whoever passed by, what have happened there from generation to generation, the mountains in that sense, in the context are representing that which is fixed and that which can see and evaluate what was going on throughout history so he's calling the mountains he's calling the hills and by the way he have done that throughout history where God have called to be a witness against his people not only the mountains he have called over the years the heavens and the earth to be a testimony against his people in chapter 4 of the book of Deuteronomy in verse 26 we read I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day calling heaven calling earth and in a sense he's calling.

That which is fixed to be a witness against his people whether they have done good whether they have done bad. In this case, he is presenting that which was wrong in the history of our nation, Israel. And so he's calling them in verse 1. The Lord is entering into the courtroom with Israel. In verse 2, he speaks to the mountains to be his witness. And he says, hear ye mountains, the Lord controversy, and ye strong foundation of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy with his people. And he will plead with Israel. It's like a father that is pleading with his own children. And he wants their well-being.

He wants them to be blessed and to rejoice and to be happy. But he's pleading with them. He's presenting before them that which is right when they have gone astray, when they disobeyed him. So he's calling the mountains. He's calling and he's saying to the mountains and the hill, the Lord has controversy with his people. Again, I want to mention that the word in Hebrew controversy is the Hebrew word riv, when two people fight against each other. The Lord has something against Israel when Israel violated his word and have gone astray from him. So he's pleading, and you notice that he called Israel his people.

You know, that is very precious even though Israel gonna stray even though Israel disobeyed and violated his word i didn't say it the Bible say it the Lord has a controversy with his people the word here is the people that belong to him he still challenges them he still have a controversy with them and he's calling them his people and now beloved brothers and sisters this is very appealing to the heart here in the next three verses concerning the dispute of the Lord with his people Israel. You notice how the Lord in a tender way appeal to his people you know God is so gracious he's holy yes he's just but he's also gracious it's remind me of the truth that we learn about Yeshua Jesus the Messiah we read in John 1 for the law was given by Moses but grace chesed and truth emet came by Jesus the Messiah God is holy and pure but also God is gracious and here you can see this graciousness of God as he appeals to the people of Israel and you notice what he asked him it's like almost condescending to a man Israel is a privileged nation but Israel is a sinful nation all of us have sinned and God condescending coming down if you will and speaking to the nation and he tells them in verse three what have i done wrong to you notice how he's appealing all my people listen to verse 3 what have i done unto you and wherein have i wearied thee testify against me he's saying to them what did i do to you.

That you have gone astray from me what have i wearied what did i request from you do you have a challenge do you have something against me God is saying to the people of Israel now remember brothers and sisters majority of us I presume all of us can say we are believers here in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah but you and I know very well that we are not always walking with the Lord we are not always loving the Lord yes we like to go to heaven we like the promises of God but we don't always like to obey him and to submit to his will and the Lord Jesus today would do the same thing to you and i Yeshua today he will open his arm and he will ask us as believers in Yeshua in the body of Messiah what have i done to you that you refuse to submit to my authority how did i harm you that you constantly live a life of disobedience what is it that in me.

That I have done wrong to you, Yeshua would say to us today, that you reject my word. You don't have time to read the Bible. You don't have time to pray. There is time for pleasure. There is time for business, but no time for me. And yet even more, you are violating my word, he would say to us today, when we disobey him. That's the same language that God, that Jehovah has spoken to his beloved nation again i would like you to notice beloved brothers and sisters that he calling them my people he doesn't call them those who used to be my people only when you obey you are my child no you are my people even when you don't obey but you are still going to be going under the disciplinary action of God because God is holy even though he's gracious and he's appealing to the nation and notice that tenderness brothers and sisters if that doesn't grab your heart all my people listen to this what have i done unto you when i think about this verse it touched.

My heart i think of Yeshua when Yeshua was standing before pilate and pilate said to him what have you done when the leaders of Israel did not want to accept him he says what have you done nothing wrong he had done all what he had done he came from heaven became a man of sorrows lived a life here in this world and now anticipating to go to the cross where the Romans will hang him there between heaven and earth and Pilate asked him what have you done? You have done something wrong? Why did I accuse you? He opened not his mouth through the prophecy of Isaiah as a sheep as a lamb he was led to the slaughter and he opened not his mouth that's the way our God is he's a gracious God he was willing to become a man in the person of the son and to walk all the way to the altar where he will lay down his life and so God appeals to our nation of all Israel he says what have i done to you and in which way have i wearied you you know sometimes we don't like the instructions of the Lord it's kind of too heavy for us you see we want freedom we want to do as we please and how many times we mess up in our lives when we don't submit ourselves to the word of the Lord we know that brothers and sisters we know this by experience you know there is a song that we often sing when we walk with the Lord in the light of his word.

What a shadow he laid in our way when we do his good will he abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey and you remember the theme song trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Yeshua but to trust and obey that is the key but you know like Israel we part of the church of the assembly a very same way we many times just disobey the Lord and carry on in our own way and so he said how did i wear it you what did commandment that i've given you an instruction that i've given you Israel Yeshua says body of Messiah what have i instructed you that is so difficult for you to submit to it so hard did I give you too much hardship he say what have I with you testify against me tell me he's saying to Israel tell me what have I done that I've harmed you if I've done any harm unto you and apparently brothers and sisters no one can say anything.

Wrong against God God is holy he's pure he's undefined and if there's anything happen in our relationship with the Lord, with God, is because I am the sinful, guilty individual. Nothing wrong with God. He always have done everything that was in a just way and in a right way. And so now it's the same language. If you just turn back to Jeremiah, to the prophet Yirmiyahu in chapter 2, we read very similar words there, Jeremiah chapter 2, and the Lord speaking to Israel again through the prophet Yirmiyahu and he said to them in chapter 2 and verse 5 thus says the Lord what iniquity have your fathers found in me that they have gone far from me and have walked after vanity and are become vain see God wants us close to him he wants Israel close to him that's why he saved the nation that's why he brought in he called them to himself so he wanted them close to him and yet they have gone far Yeshua the Messiah wanted the body of Messiah the church to be close to him.

And yet the church have been scattered and have gone away from him that in Revelation chapter 3 Yeshua said behold i stand at the door and knock he's outside and knocking on the door and he says if any man open the door and let me in, I will sup with him and he with me. You see the similarity that existed in the history of our people Israel and in the history of the body of Messiah. So now look at that. After he appealed to them in verse 3, this is a wonderful appealing to grab the hearts of the nation he's then present before the nation what he really did for them and every one of us have to remember what the Lord have done for us and notice what he's saying to them in verse 4 and 5 he's saying a few things about what he have done for the nation of Israel the first thing he says in verse 4 for i brought thee up out of the land of Egypt and i redeemed thee out of the house of.

Servants or the house of bondage he began with Egypt he began for you and I today as believers he began with the world Israel our nation of all have been in the land of Egypt as slaves in bondage and there where they were and it was there that they cried for help you and I were in the world before we became believers we were in sin hopeless without any future our future was just doomed for eternal separation from God but God redeemed Israel he brought them out of the land of Egypt and he says I brought thee up you didn't do it on your own I brought you up out of Egypt and I redeemed thee out of the house of servants of bondage i did it here's the list Israel what i have done for you i have brought you out of the land of Egypt and you notice he continue and in a very precious way he's speaking about the three servants that he raised in their midst brothers and sisters men.

And women notice that he said in verse four and i sent before thee Moshe aaron and Miriam Moses aaron and Miriam by the way these are two brothers and a sister this is the godly family that God raised in the midst of a condition that Israel have been in desperate condition in bondage and slavery and hopelessness he raised this family notice he began with Moshe and then Aaron and then Miriam you know that tells us a lot do you remember when was a time that Miriam rebel against Moshe and said to him who made you the leader now don't forget Miriam was the oldest sister we just study in the book of Exodus in our Bible classes in Exodus chapter 6 and seven we are studying there that really Moses was 80 aaron was 83 and Miriam the older sister and God raised the three individuals for the nation of Israel Moshe aaron and Miriam everyone in his sphere Moses was the leader of the nation of Israel aaron was the high priest.

HaKohen HaGadol and Miriam she had responsibility over the women the responsibility to lead the women if you remember that it was Miriam who led the dance when Israel came out of Egypt in Exodus chapter 15 and verse 20 and Miriam she was a prophetess the sister of Aaron she took timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dance and Miriam answer sing ye to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider hath he thrown unto the sea he taking back now Israel first of all in Egypt that's the bondage and slavery and then coming out and he's reminding them of their deliverance out of bondage and how it was Moshe aharon and Miriam the three individuals that he raised in their midst to lead the nation to the promised land but he doesn't stop there beloved brothers and sisters he doesn't only talk about Egypt and talk about the delivers the redemption and the leaders notice what he does in.

Verse 5 he's speaking and he's asking them to remember other things that happen on their journey in the wilderness he's telling again notice the word oh my people by the way this is four times that he used the word my people in the book of Micah in chapter 6 the last time using it it's verse 16 he's saying to them in verse 5 oh my people remember now what balak the king of moab consulted and what Bilam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal now that is very interesting he is now reminding them of how he led them in the wilderness you know you and I just like Israel of all are going through a journey in the wilderness and you and I are going through trials and challenges.

I'm sure you are facing challenges today that you wonder whether you will ever going to be able to get over these challenges. And yet, when you pray to the Lord, and when you go on your knees before the Lord, and you beseech the Lord for mercy and for. Grace to help you, then by the grace of God, he helped us to pass this exercise, this challenge that we have faced and then you can look back and you can say Lord you have been so faithful to me you have helped me through this challenge in my life so here balak you know what he did this man balak apparently he was the king of moab he wanted to curse Israel when Israel came out of the land of Egypt balak actually called bilam and he asked bilam to curse the people of God and he says in Numbers chapter 22 in verse 2 and balak the son of tzipor saw all that Israel have done unto the amorites and then we read in verse 5 he sent messengers before bilam the son of beor of to Beshor which is by the river of the land of the children of his people to call him saying behold there is a people come out of Egypt behold they cover the face of the earth and they abide over.

Against me notice verse 6 come now therefore I pray thee curse me these people Balak wanted to curse the people of God balak wanted to oppose the people of God and he called him because he wanted to curse the people of God and yet God reminding Israel through the prophet micha do you remember Israel the history when you came out of Egypt you walk in the wilderness there was a man by the name of balak who wanted to curse you he called a false prophet by the name of bilam and Bil'am sought to curse the people of Israel and every time Bil'am opened his mouth instead of cursing came blessing instead of the ability to curse the nation of Israel instead of successfully cursing the nation of Israel he ended up actually blessing the nation of Israel in chapter 23 of the book of Numbers we read how shall i curse whom God has not curse and how shall i defy verse 8 of chapter 23 whom the Lord has not defied in other words God had been faithful to his people Israel.

In Egypt he delivered them from Egypt he gave them leaders Moshe haron and Miriam he sustained them through the opposition that they have experienced through Balak and Bilam and he maintained them all throughout their journey all the way to the promised land of Canaan you notice in verse 5 at the end of verse 5 of Micah chapter 6 he said from Shittim unto Gilgal that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. You notice that the word Shittim is the place where Israel stood on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Gilgal is the place where Israel entered into on the western side of the Jordan River. In other words, Shittim is on the side of the wilderness.

Gilgal is already in the promised land. Really, beloved brothers and sisters, what God is really saying to Israel is this in Egypt you needed me I help you in the wilderness you needed me I help you when somebody wanted to curse you I help you I brought you all the way to the shore of the promised land but even more nation of Israel my people I brought you all the way into the promised land to the place that is called Gilgal that you may know the righteousness of God by application to us today is very similar. God has brought us out of the world of sin and darkness.

Yeshua the Messiah has led us already through this journey that we have here. Some of us are older, some of us are younger. He led us so many years faithfully in this wilderness, and he's going to bring us into the Father's house in a soon coming day, the righteousness of God and the faithfulness of God. So the dispute of the Lord with his people Israel God has a controversy with Israel and he is challenging them in verses 1 to verse 5 so this is the climax of the sixth chapter of the book of Micah now in verses 6 7 and 8 the Lord really shows us what are the requirements from his people Israel and you can see here that in a sense the people are speaking now in verses 6 and 7 and then God answered to them in verse 8 and so in verse 6 and 7 Micah challenges Israel in a sense is the language of the people he's approaching the people of God and if an Israeli speaks to one another and speak like this and he says wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high God shall i come before him with burnt offering and kelp for a year old this is verse six notice verse seven will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oil shall i give my firstborn for my transgression.

For the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul so what really here we see in these two verses is The nation is questioning. It says, look, so many years I've been brought sacrifices and all this, and they said, wherewith will I come before the Lord? How will I approach the Lord and bow myself before the high God? Should I come before Him with burnt offering and calves of a year old? In other words, they're saying, I've been bringing sacrifices all along. We have been offering sacrifices again and again, the burnt offering and the meal offering and the peace offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering they have been offering sacrifices all along so they say in a sense will the Lord be pleased with the burnt offering then you notice in verse 7 he says will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams even if i'll bring a lot of rams and bloodshed sacrifices will the Lord be pleased with this by the way the liberals use these two verses to say to us who believe that we need salvation through the precious blood of the Messiah you see we don't need the blood of the Messiah we don't need Yeshua the Messiah even the sacrifices of all did not suffice God they were not sufficient for God then notice that they are saying here in those two verses six and seven notice shall i give my firstborn for my transgressions the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul in other words they were asking should i even offer my firstborn child.

As a sacrifice in order to have my sins forgiven they are asking these questions and they are speaking in a sense they said we have been offering sacrifices all the time you know we have been offering sacrifices all our life it didn't seem to please the Lord you see the problem with what they are saying is that they thought that God want a merely ritual without reality by saying this they are really saying God just wanted those blood sacrifices we have gone already through these rituals but it didn't seem to help but then the Lord answered them. And in verse 8, we have the answer of the Lord to the nation with a Micah point to what really the Lord is requiring.

And you notice three things in verse 8. The Lord requires justice, the Lord requires mercy, and the Lord requires humility. Notice those three points found in verse 8. He hath showed thee, O men, what is good, and what does the Lord require of thee. But notice the three things, to do justly, and secondly, to love mercy, and thirdly, to walk humbly with thy God. Those three things that the Lord is requesting. Now, again, I want to repeat what i just said earlier in fact the rabbi is saying today to messianic believers such as myself they say here mister you see look at our prophet Micah Micah says really you don't necessarily need to bring sacrifices and bloodshed on the altar but really the Lord want to do the right thing to do justly to have mercy and to be humble and that's why by the way you will notice when it's come to our people, they are really committed into showing mercy.

Many of the Jewish people will give a lot of support to all kind of agencies that have many needs. They will also seek in many ways to, at least externally, to do things justly and rightful. And then thirdly, the rabbis again will teach Orthodox people that they are to be humble before the Lord, to be broken before the. Lord. That's why you notice Yom Kippur, our people are broken before the Lord and confessing their sins and to seek to be humble. And if they have sinned throughout the years, they repent and confess over this. But they do say, just like many others say today, you don't need the blood atonement, but you only need to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

But beloved brothers and sisters, what we learn from these verses, it is not telling us here that God now reject the sacrificial system and we don't need blood atonement that is not what we learn from this passage what we learn from this passage that it is not enough to have an external relationship with the Lord and not an internal relationship with the Lord in other words it's not enough the appearing you know we are much like Israel of all we oftentimes have the appearing the outward appearance we go to church meeting we dress properly we pay our dues we do a lot of things externally correctly and rightly but oftentimes we neglect to have a proper attitude on our hearts to seek justice to have desire to love mercy and grace and to be humble before the Lord instead of exalting ourselves in other words it's not either or it is both God demand the blood atonement of an animal but he also demand just mercy and humility in the life of the people.

Of God so let's assume for a moment there are many people who are very honest much more honest than many of us and they are much more gracious and are much more just but yet they refuse to accept the Lord Yeshua as their Lord and Savior when they're going to stand before the Lord in the day of judgment and they're going to say to God God listen i have been pretty decent i have lived my life in an honorable way and God's going to say yes you did but what is the reason that i will allow you to enter into the presence of God into heaven on what basis on a basis of your goodness on a basis of the good things that you have done there's no way because even if we do a lot of good and there are many who do a lot of good the basis of being justified with God is always on a basis of a sacrifice of the bloodshed of an innocent animal in our case today is on a.

Basis of the blood of Yeshua Jesus the Messiah so it's not enough merely to do the routine the external God want men to recognize that we need the blood atonement on the one hand but also we need to have a heart that is right with the Lord to seek to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God you remember the jailer in act chapter 16 asked Paul what must i do to be saved Paul Shaul answer him believe on the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you shall be saved salvation a relationship with God is on the basis of the sacrifice but the attitude and the life of that person is seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly with the Lord there are many many verses that we can go through I just want to give you two verses if you will just make a note out of it in Leviticus chapter 17 in verse 11 God said to our people Israel the blood shall make an atonement.

For the soul Leviticus chapter 17 in verse 11 in Hebrews chapter 9 new testament passage in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22 the apostle wrote to the Hebrew believers without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin blood must be shed of an innocent individual to make an atonement for another for a sinner for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God so brothers and sisters here in Micah we have in the sixth chapter first of all the dispute that the Lord have with his people Israel secondly the Lord have a requirement from his people it's not enough to come to the altar and just offer sacrifices while you turn back and you're going back home and you have constantly lack of justice constantly lack of mercy and constantly pride and lack of humility it is not right he's saying to Israel what does the Lord require of thee just one more point he says in verse 8 he has showed thee all men the word men in Hebrew is Adam he's not only talking.

To the general nation but he's telling us individually he spoke to Israel all men Adam individual you he's speaking to us individually not to look around and to see what does the other think and do. It is an individual responsibility that the Lord have already showed Israel his people, and they are to submit to that at that time. Well, apparently they didn't, and that's why now he is telling them, sadly, he's showing them their fault, and he's pronouncing the coming punishment. And that is the last verses of this chapter, verses 9 to verse 16. He is crying now, God first of all to the city of Jerusalem and he says in verse 9 the Lord's voice cries unto the city this city is none else but the city of Jerusalem where the leaders of Israel are where the temple was where the religious activities have been where the sacrifice have been offered where the leadership have come forth where there was all the privileges to be near the place where.

God was in the midst of his people he's crying now in verse 9 unto the city and he says there and the man of wisdom shall see thy name hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it he's crying out to Jerusalem and he's using that word hear ye he says hear ye the rod and who is the one that appointed the rod why do we have a rod a rod God has is an order for discipline and we think of David who said in Psalm 23 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me the staff speak of leadership the rod is the rod of correction and here we can see God is saying to Jerusalem Jerusalem he said to them now I want you to hear ye the rod the chastisement the judgment that the Lord has appointed for you here is the judgment that is coming and verses 10 11 and 12 he shows them the reason why he had to punish the nation because Israel failed in those three areas.

To do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly before their God notice that in these verses 10 11 and 12 he says first of all in verse 10 are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked and the scent measure that is abominable. See, he's saying, look at existing there the treasures of wickedness. Things have been done in a wrong way in the midst of the nation of Israel. Then verse 11, shall I count them pure with a wicked balance and with a bag of deceitful weights? In other words, how can I call you pure? When there was wicked balance. You know, the balance is where you weigh a scale.

It's a scale. And a bag of deceitful weights. I mean, things have been not right among the beloved nation of the Lord. In verse 12, he says, For the rich men thereof are full of violence. There was violence in the midst of the nation. And the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies. And their tongues is deceitful in their mouth. You know, the condition that have existed at that time. There was violence. There was deceitfulness. There was deceitful weights. There was treasure of wickedness. There was an abomination. You know, all these things existing among God's people. It hurts the heart of God. And I would say, beloved brothers and sisters, this is exactly why the apostle in the epistles, Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and we can go on throughout the whole Brit HaChadashah.

There are many, many verses that tell us, for example, lie not one to another. Colossians tells us. And humble yourself in the mighty hand of God. Peter tells us this in 1st Peter. And we can go on and we can love the brethren you know by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples John tell that if you have love one towards another these are the things that are old testament Tanakh to Israel new testament to us as believers in the present day dispensation it's not different and how we fail like Israel of all our people how the church today is in the same condition like the nation of Israel and so he tell them you know look at this here is verse 10 11 and 12 Israel did not do those three things.

No justice no mercy no humility at that period of time of their history that's why there was coming soon the judgment and at that time of course if you remember there is a prophetic aspect to these passages and there is an immediate aspect the Assyrian came and took the northern tribes to Assyria the Babylonian came and took the southern tribes to Babylon and all because of these conditions that prevail there in these verses notice that now the punishment itself look at the sad it must have grieved the heart of God when he had to punish his very own nation and look what he said to them in verse 13 14 and 15 three things the first thing in verse 13 God will send sickness and desolation it says in verse 13 therefore because of that I will make thee sick and I will smite thee in making thee desolate because of thy sins now do you remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 to the assembly at Corinth?

He said, therefore, some of you are sick, some of you are weak, and some of you are even falling asleep, died. A judicial judgment of God upon his beloved nation because of their rebellion against him. The same thing in the church today. God sends judgment upon his people when his people violate his word willfully he does discipline his people whom the Lord loves he chasten us and he scourges every son whom he has received Hebrews tell us this so notice that he said therefore because of this i will send sickness the Hebrew word and the word for smiting the Hakotech, it's come from the word, I literally spank you in making thee desolate.

You know, when the armies of the Assyrians came, and when they took the northern tribes, the land was desolate. They were a wicked nation. When the Babylonians came and took Judah down to Babylon, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The temple was destroyed and burnt, and the nation will carry it. Can you imagine the people of God? It must have hurt the heart of God, but he sent them to judge his very own people. Notice in verse 14, not only that he will send sickness and desolation, but he will send dissatisfaction in the life of the people. In verse 14, thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied.

Thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee. Thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver. And that which you deliverest, will I give up to the sword. See what he's saying? Dissatisfaction. In other words, you're going to eat, but you are not going to be satisfied. How is it possible? You know, you eat food, and you're still not satisfied. God sent his judgment upon his people, Israel, because of their sin, and he says, you know, you're going to eat, but you're not going to be satisfied. You know, the food we read in 1 Timothy chapter 6, God had given us all things to enjoy, but sometimes, in a judicial way, because of our rebellion before the Lord, God does send us leanness into our hearts.

There is dissatisfaction with what you do. I don't know if you feel sometime. I know when I disobey the Lord, I cannot be happy, cannot be satisfied. Because God sent something into our life to cause us not to be happy. Why? Because we rebel, because we disobey His word. And notice that He sent it. You might blame your neighbor, you might blame your friends, You might blame your children, blame your husband, blame your wife, but it is not an issue of anybody else. It is the sending of God against his beloved people whom he has to discipline. He has to give them that rod of his chastisement.

Verse 15, God will send inability to benefit from labor. Can you imagine if you work and work and work and work and you're not able to produce and to bring fruit out of all your labor? And so he says here in verse 15, thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap. Thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil. You shall tread the sweet wine, he says, but you shall not be able to drink the wine. Now, again, here is not only that there will be a desolation and sickness, verse 13, not only a dissatisfaction, but also there will be inability to benefit. You work hard, but you have like a pocket with a hole that everything is going right outside.

You labor and you labor and you labor and you want to have some fruit and nothing coming. Everything is somehow diminished and being destroyed. And you know, when I think about that, just by application, you know, God worked so hard in the life of Israel. And he wanted Israel to be a nation as an example, to be a testimony for him. And all the labor and the labor and the labor. And he looked and he sees the rebellion and disobedience. And he looked at himself and he said, I work so hard and I don't see fruit. Parallel in the church age the Lord Jesus the Messiah labor and labor and labor and he want to see the body of Messiah growing but then because of disobedience there are brokenness and divisions and scattering of the saints and sometimes he send judgment upon his people and how many places today when they used to have a church meetings or congregation is no longer there why it's not there because God have judged his people just the same like Israel of all they were no longer in the land why because God has sent them to the assyrian and to Babylon because of their rebellion and disobedience and finally beloved brothers and sisters he's closing that chapter with mentioning again what hurt God the most is idolatry and you notice what he says here in verse 16 for the statues of Omri are kept in all the works of the house of Achav, and ye walk in their councils, that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing.

Therefore. Ye shall bear the reproach of my people. Now, who is Omri? You know, Omri was one of the most wicked Kings of the northern tribes of Israel. He had a son by the name of Ahav. Ahav was the wicked one. Ahav was the one who married Jezebel. Jezebel was the one who introduced to the people of all Israel. You can read it, by the way, in 1st King chapter 16, and you can read it how the introduction of all sort of idolatry in the midst of the nation of Israel. And they all followed, of course, the first king of Israel who introduced idolatry. You remember the two calves that had been placed there in the northern tribes and Israel, instead of coming to worship in Jerusalem, end up to worship in the north there.

An abomination had been introduced in the midst of the nation of Israel. What you call false worship. When God says to Israel, look, Chukat Omri, the statues of Omri, you're keeping it. They probably had the two golden calves still there. And they're still bowing and saying this is your God and then the house of echab teaching all kind of things among our people Israel and Israel end up instead of following the truth ending up led through these wicked Kings who have led our people of old in the wrong direction and God says here is the reason why there is a desolation and the inhabitants are hissing they're talking they see wow this is the nation this is the Israel this glorious nation of Israel they're speaking with each other they're saying wow these are the people of God is it possible they are mocking the people of God hissing and saying all kind of things concerning the people of God the people of Israel And then we have, of course, therefore, because of that, ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Israel is God's people, but God disciplined his beloved nation because he loved them. He had to discipline them before he's going to restore them. So the sixth chapter, really, we have God's judgment upon his people, Israel, before the blessings that will come in the Messianic kingdom, which we're going to see later on in the seventh chapter. But here we can see judgment before blessing, discipline because of disobedience, and the heart of God goes out for his beloved nation, the nation of Israel. And I'm going to close with this. Brothers and sisters, the Lord Yeshua's heart is going out toward us as well. We need to respond to him.

We need to say, Lord, help me that I will have a tender heart and a desire to live for you here in this world. And when I fall, when I go astray, help me to be restored, that I will confess my sins and there is cleansing on the basis of the precious blood that our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, shed for us on the tree.