Micah 1:5-7
5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression? Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place? Is it not Jerusalem?
6 ‘Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards.
I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations.
7 All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.’
Yesterday, we heard Micah warning the people that their God was coming in awesome and earth-shattering judgement. But it’s easy for God’s people to hear warnings about judgement and think ‘It’s OK. He doesn’t mean me. God’s judgement is a problem for other people, but not for us.’ The nation of Israel was very used to God’s judgement falling on their enemies. ‘God’s coming’ could easily have sounded more like a promise than a threat. But then comes v5!
Shockingly, we hear that the judgement is not heading for the pagan nations, as we might have expected. It’s not some foreign city that’s going to be destroyed. It’s Samaria – capital city of the Northern part of the kingdom of Israel. And why? Because of their sins. Samaria is full of idols and images of false gods. Her people have been unfaithful to their God, who has loved them with all the passion and faithfulness of a devoted husband. And they have thrown his kindness back in his face by giving themselves as worshippers to his rivals.
If you know much about the history of Israel, you might not be entirely surprised to hear that the Northern Kingdom is in trouble with God. They had had a succession of terrible kings, who led the people in idol-worship and encouraged sacrifices on the ‘high places’ instead of at the temple in Jerusalem as God commanded. They might have called themselves God’s people, but they’ve behaved like the pagan nations. Of course God’s going to judge that.
The Southern Kingdom, however, did worship in Jerusalem. They looked like the good guys, compared to the North. Sure, they’d had some bad kings but they’d had some good ones too. Maybe they’ll be OK. But v.5 tells us that Jerusalem, far from being a shining example of proper worship of God, is a ‘high place’ – it’s just another site for idol worship, and totally deserving of the destruction that is coming. What was intended to be the place where God lived in the heart of his people has become just another location for worshipping other gods. Destruction is coming right to the very heart of Israel, because at its heart, Israel is unfaithful to her Lord.
Idolatory kills. Whatever blessings the people had hoped to gain from their false gods, all they will end up with is rubble and devastation. The same is true today. There is only one God who is worthy of our worship and praise. It’s bad enough that those who don’t know God worship worthless alternatives. But when his own people, who have been given every reason to trust and adore him, turn away that’s much, much worse. So let’s repent of the ways that we replace him with other things, allowing idolatory into hearts that ought to be his alone. And let’s praise him for Jesus, the only one whose heart was ever perfectly faithful.
