Micah 6:9-12
9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city –
and to fear your name is wisdom –
‘Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah, which is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
with a bag of false weights?
12 Your rich people are violent;
your inhabitants are liars
and their tongues speak deceitfully.
Yesterday we heard what the Lord requires of his people: they are to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with him. And we said that this wasn’t intended to be a tick-list of things they must do to get right with God. but rather a reflection of the hearts of people who recognise the undeserved love and mercy that God had shown to them. It’s a description of how God’s people ought to live, but it’s not an accurate description of Israel in Micah’s day. If we’re still in the courtroom, then this is the moment where the evidence is presented.
Exhibit A - One set of dodgy weights and measures, used to cheat a customer by giving them less than they paid for. An ephah was a measure for dry goods like grain. We can imagine the prosecution holding up a measuring cup of the correct size, alongside one that is smaller than it should be. The dishonesty is obvious. Then they get out a set of weighing scales, and compare the defendant’s false weights with an accurate set. It’s immediately obvious to everyone how the defendant got so rich. Every single transaction left them a bit better off and the customer a bit worse off. It’s blatantly unjust. The evidence cannot be argued with. The judge is not going to turn a blind eye.
So the defendant must face the verdict: “Listen!” God says to the people. “Recognise my authority as the judge. Prepare to face my rod - the sentence is about to be passed” We’ll hear the sentence in the remainder of this chapter. But before we get to that, imagine that the defendant has a moment to think. What will they do next? Will they accept the authority of the judge and hear what he has to say, or will they jump out of their seat, shaking their fist at him and arguing back?
Verse 9 tells us what the wise would do. They would listen. They would fear the name of the Lord, recognising that only he has the authority to judge. Let’s pray today that God would make us wise, so that we would rightly fear and honour him.
