Today's Word Radio

Brett Meador: These people are doing the classic thing by saying, we feel wearied and burdened because of God. Lord says, no, I'm the one who eased your burden when I brought you out of slavery out of Egypt. Come to me all you who are weary would be welcome news to the people of Micah's day.

The people were burdened because of their sin. They were burdened because of their own behavior and they were blaming God for it. Same thing humanity does today. Humanity loves to blame God for stuff when it's really their own fault.

Guest (Male): In a court-like scene depicted near the end of the book of Micah, the Lord questioned his people about their objectionable behavior and beliefs that he has heavily burdened them. However, as Pastor Brett Meador examines Micah chapter six in today's word, we'll see more accurately what God requires of both them and us, and what will happen when we fail to follow his word.

Brett Meador: One of the things we learn is that Micah marks his sections here in his book with the little phrase, hear ye or hear. When he says hear, it's almost like you have to say, oh, here's a new section. So really here in chapter six, he starts with hear ye now. That's a sign of this third section.

The first section was chapter one verse two, hear ye all the people. Chapter three he said, I said hear, and then chapter six he says hear ye now. Some people divide the book into those three chunks. We're finishing that final chunk. In this chapter, chapter six, there's an interesting conversation that takes place in a rhetorical way between God and the people of Israel. It's a short conversation, but it is a conversation nonetheless.

I find it interesting that God even wants to talk to these people. Have you ever wondered why does God even want to talk to you or me? Why is prayer even something that works? But it is and God is interested in communicating with his people. We see that in a beautiful way and a heartbreaking way here in Micah. It's because the people have become jaded and have a bad attitude toward God.

But God in his love and his long-suffering and his mercy, he's just going to be patient with these people. I wonder if I were God, would I have crushed these people just getting sick of their bad attitude? Would we have just said, we're done with you? But I love the Lord's long-suffering, his patience toward us and this shows that.

If you're looking at the first part of this conversation, chapter six, verses one through five talks about God's loving question. The Lord's loving question that he's going to ask the people of Israel rhetorically here. Let's take a look. Chapter six verse one: Hear ye now what the Lord saith; arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

Do you remember the mountains and the hills in this context? What are we referring to? The nations. One of the things you can look at in the book of Revelation even and other places and one of the things we talk about is expositional constancy. When you see idioms used by the Hebrew writers or the New Testament writers, you have to realize they used these idioms that they all knew. The mountain speaks of the great nations of the world or kingdoms. The hills speak of the smaller.

That helps when you're trying to discern what the book of Revelation is talking about. So the Lord saying, hear ye now, arise and contend before the mountains. You might say before all the kingdoms of the world and even the small kingdoms when it says the hills. That's what we're talking about, the mountains are the nations and the kingdoms.

Verse two: 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 sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

This is interesting here. When God says I've got a controversy, the idea is that's the King James way of saying I have an issue. I've got an issue with my people Israel and I want to talk with you about that. He wants to plead with them, not squish them, not smash them, but talk with them. Does that amaze anybody?

Micah's seeing a rebellious Israel. These are people who the Lord saved them and blessed them and provided the land flowing with milk and honey and subdued all their enemies. What did they do? Started worshipping idols and pagan deities. By this time, they're already sacrificing babies on the altar to Molech and Chemosh. They're sizzling these babies on these frying hot altars. That's enough to make me want to squish them.

It's sad because we have parallels today in abortion. When we see abortion in this land around the world, millions. It's really amazing because comparatively, the whole sacrificing babies on altars of Molech and Chemosh, that's bad enough, but that might have been thousands of babies that they did that to. But in this world, millions and millions and millions of babies, especially since Roe versus Wade, have been sacrificed for people's pleasure.

That's what it gets down to. I'm not ready for a baby. I want to live without the ball and chain of a child. So we think that it's okay. I have to admit again, if I'm God, I'd be like, okay, I'm done with you guys. There goes Israel. But God is merciful. I have to say as I look at that, I think, oh Lord, I'm thankful for that personally because I should have been squished.

The Lord says I want to reason with you. That's the idea. Isn't it weird that the God of all the universe is willing to reason with puny little humanity? I love the scriptures that talk about this, like Isaiah 1:18 is one of my favorites: Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as white as wool.

By the way, wool, some are like, wool's an off-white color. When I was in the 4-H as a kid, one of the things we did along with cattle is we also had sheep. I don't know if you guys have ever seen a Suffolk lamb that is all washed. When you wash wool carefully, it is as white as snow. It's amazing how white. Also, you use these shears and you trim their wool just so it's perfect, like a perfect little sheep wool ball.

That's how they graded you, if your shearing and your wool was just perfect. But it was white. When you washed it, it was white. That was the thing. So here's what the Lord's saying, it'll be as white as wool though your sins be like crimson. I love that. But the word there, reason. Come now, let us reason together. The Lord saying, for your salvation, I want to reason with you. The Lord is reasonable.

He's reasonable not just in our salvation but also in our service. Look at Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. So not only in salvation does the Lord reason with us, but he's reasonable in the sense of our serving him as well.

So here in the book of Micah chapter six, we're seeing God simply reasoning with the people and that's this phrase when he says I have a controversy and I want to talk to you guys about that. That's the heart of the Lord. He asks, what have I done to you? What have I done to you guys that makes you come against me or rebel against me?

Some of you recognize this as a parent. If you have teenagers and they've rebelled. If you're a parent who's had a teenager who doesn't really, it's like the mother that's saying, I gave birth to you, and the teenager is like, gross, I don't even want to hear about that. But as a mother, you're like, I went through pain and suffering for you. Until the teenager feels that themselves, they're never going to fully appreciate what you have done for them just giving birth. That's enough right there.

But the Lord is saying, what have I done to you guys? Then he even reminds them, because I'm the one who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. You were slaves for over 400 years in Egypt and I'm the one who did that. I'm the one who freed you. Oftentimes we forget the good deeds that people have done to us. How much more do we forget the good things the Lord has done to us? The children of Israel are no exception.

God had done so many wonderful things and the people were having a horrible attitude against God. He says, I redeemed you out of the house of slavery is the language there, out of the house of servants. I delivered you from slavery. And then he says, and I brought, I'm the one who raised up Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

This is an interesting thing here. This is one of those moments in the Bible I find interesting that the Lord remembers all the things that we do. He lists Moses, Miriam, and Aaron. One of the things about that is Moses and Aaron make sense. Moses was the main head honcho and Aaron was the next in line and sometimes spoke for Moses. But why is Miriam listed here?

I think the Lord acknowledges Miriam and her role, which is interesting because in Bible times, leaving the woman out of the list would have been the normal thing to do. Especially when you look at Miriam. Miriam had her strong points, but she also had a few weak points. If you remember, Miriam was the sister of Moses and of Aaron, so they were brothers and sister. Exodus chapter two, first Chronicles 6:3 talks about that.

Her name is prominent in the history of the Exodus. She's called the prophetess, in Exodus chapter 15 verse 20. She took the lead in the singing and the song after the parting of the Red Sea. Remember that? Everybody crossed through the Red Sea and then Miriam busts out her tambourine and starts singing and dancing and celebrating. That's Miriam who started all that. Moses busted out a song too there, but Miriam goes down in history as the one who was rejoicing in the Lord.

But she also led a rebellion that was almost successful against Moses when she said, Moses, you've married a Cushite wife, and who are you, Moses, to be in charge of us? You're not all that. Her and Aaron started to rebel against their brother Moses. Do you remember what the Lord sent upon Miriam to silence her? Leprosy.

The Lord healed her of that because she repented and got straightened out. But Miriam died at Kadesh during the second encampment at that place toward the close of the wilderness wanderings. That's when she was buried there in Numbers chapter 20 verse one. We read about Miriam's passing. But she was a prominent figure. It's interesting here that Micah the prophet, centuries later, says it was Moses and Aaron and Miriam. That's an interesting thing that he leaves her in.

Part of me is amazed at some of the people that you think about some of these big Bible characters that may not have been a part of the Bible had it not been for a lesser character. Question: if Miriam didn't do all the things she did, would Moses have ever made it to be leader over Israel? No. Miriam's the one who followed him in the basket as a baby and followed in the river's brink there and watched the basket float up to the princess of Egypt where Moses was taken and saved from the slaughter of the Israeli boys. That was Miriam who did that. Then got Miriam's mother to be the nursemaid for Moses. She really did some great stuff there.

It's just cool speaking of God's faithfulness. All that said, it also says in verse three: what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? Some of your newer translations say the word burdened. That's the literal Hebrew translation of the word wearied when it says, wherein have I wearied thee? or literally burdened thee or to put a burden on you.

One of the things that human nature does is acts like God has put a big burden on us, that God is burdensome. Do you remember when the people were getting used to saying, oh, the burden of the Lord, the burden of the Lord? Do you remember what the Lord told the people? Stop saying that. God said stop saying the burden of the Lord. Well, we feel burdened. It's not my burden. Stop saying the burden of the Lord.

The Lord had to tell the people to stop saying that. I remember in the 60s and 70s when I was a kid in the church and there was always the heavy people in the spiritual realm, especially those that were coming fresh out of the pot-smoking hippie thing because our church had a lot of those. Praise the Lord, they were all getting saved, but they were all still getting rid of the cannabis out of their system.

They'd walk around, man, the Lord's just, I just have a heavy burden, man. I'm burdened. I just remember thinking, no, you're just weird, maybe high. The burden of the Lord. Do you remember that? There was a thing back then where it was cool to talk about the burden of the Lord. But it's interesting because Jesus didn't talk like that at all.

In fact, if you recall, Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 through 30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

That's just a human nature thing to say, oh, God has burdened me, or I'm going through such troubling times and it's God. There's a number of reasons why you might feel burdened, but as it turns out, if you're doing what God wants you to do and putting your trust where it needs to be, that burden will be lifted no matter what you're going through. God wants you to have that easy load, that burden that's light. He'll take your burden and he'll make it easy and light. That's what God promises.

By the way, one of the things you and I as Christians are supposed to do is bear one another's burdens as well. It's part of what the church is supposed to do, to try to come alongside of people and bear one another's burdens. So when it says here, the people felt wearied and the Lord's saying, what have I done to thee? and why are you saying that I'm the one who's wearied you? And then he says, testify against me. It's almost like a courtroom scene here. He's saying, what's your testimony here to say that I'm the one who has burdened you?

The truth is, and we know this from reading the rest of the Bible, that the people were burdened because of their stupidity. They were burdened because of their sin. They were burdened because of their own behavior and they were blaming God for it. Same thing humanity does today. Humanity loves to blame God for stuff when it's really their own fault.

Truly that's just human nature. It's immaturity, it's craziness. God is the one who takes burdens. His load is easy, his burden is light. But these people are doing the classic thing by saying, we feel wearied and burdened because of God. Lord says, no, I'm the one who eased your burden when I brought you out of slavery out of Egypt when Moses and Aaron and Miriam were raised up there.

Then he says in verse five, he goes on and he says: O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. He's reminding them of an old story when the children of Israel were there in the days of Joshua. They were there and Balak the Moabite was wanting to curse the children of Israel.

He didn't know how to do that, but he did get a prophet. There's a strange little prophet and if you remember there in Numbers chapter 22 the crazy story of Balaam the prophet. It's a crazy story because the Lord says just go and speak the words that I give you. Balak was saying, I want to hire you, the Moabite prophet, to come and curse the children of Israel.

Balaam finally ends up going and if you remember, he's on his way and he's riding a little donkey and it gets a little misdirected after that. The donkey sees the Lord with a flaming sword standing in front of him and the donkey stops and is like, ah, and Balaam doesn't see it. He starts beating the donkey. And the donkey turns around and says, have I ever been a bad donkey to you?

Now you've got the talking donkey in the Bible. That's an amazing story. Is that too hard for the Lord? That's again where people say Jonah wasn't swallowed by a whale. Lord made a donkey talk. Again, I don't have a problem with that. And then the guy starts talking like a horse because remember, the donkey says, have I ever been unfaithful to you? And Balaam says, nay. At least in the King James it says that. Nay. That's all Balaam says.

It's just an amazing story. Balaam's just this weird prophet who's just wanting to do his own thing, but he's still called a prophet. Instead of cursing the people, whenever he'd stand up and Balak would say curse them, there they are down in the valley, they'd get up on a mountain and he'd try to curse them and only blessing would come out. Wouldn't that be great if you had that problem?

When you're wanting to curse people, you're driving down there and somebody cuts you off: Hey, may the Lord bless you and keep you and may his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. Wouldn't that be great if you're trying to say bad things? Well, that was Balaam. He just couldn't say a bad word. They tried different mountains to try to say a curse several times.

But finally Balaam does something. He says I can't curse the people, but the people can curse themselves. He says here's what you do Balak: get your young beautiful Moabite women. Get them all spiffed up, have them put on makeup and brush their teeth and have them all sexy and come down the mountain with their little idols in their hands and say, hey big boy to the Jewish guys.

The Jewish boys would go, whoa, these are hot girls. And so they'd marry them with their idols. This is Balaam's idea. It worked like a charm, sad to say. The men of Israel, they loved these Moabitish women and started taking in their idols and they cursed themselves by doing sinful evil deeds.

The Bible talks about this all the time. That's the thing that's interesting. It's a little story of the Old Testament that you may have colored when you were a kid. But the Bible talks about, in fact, it's going to talk about that as far as the church, the context of the church in the last days. Would you keep your finger here and go with me to Revelation chapter two? I want to show you where this story of Balaam comes up again.

It's Revelation two and it's when the seven churches of Asia Minor are being addressed by Jesus himself. The church that he's addressing here in chapter two right around verse 12 is Pergamos. That word Pergamos is an interesting name for a church because if you break it down, per-gamos or gamos, gami, anybody know what the gamy thing is, like when you talk about polygamy or monogamy?

It's marriage or relationship between a man or a woman. And per is where we get our idea of perverted. So it's a, the word Pergamos means objectionable marriage between two things. That's this church called Pergamos. It says here in Revelation 2:12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

And here's where Jesus gets down to the nitty-gritty of what's wrong with this church: But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

This technique seems rare in the book of Numbers where the story of Balaam, he got them to mix it up with the Moabitish women. But all this to say, this happens even today where we have an objectionable marriage. The church, if we're not careful, can be guilty of the Pergamos objectionable marriage. We could be guilty of mixture is the idea. The doctrine of Balaam is that of mixture with the world. Mixing it up with trying to be godly people mixing it up with godlessness.

That's really what is being referred to here in the book of Revelation and it's also what we're referring to here in our text in Micah chapter six when it says you've consulted of what Balaam the son of Beor answered. That is mixture, compromise in our faith. I hope we're not doing that.

Guest (Male): Pastor Brett Meador, recognizing more the church in the last days has in common with the nation of Israel of Old Testament times in our today's word look into the book of Micah. And I trust you'll stay right there as Pastor Brett will join me in a moment. Today's Word is the radio ministry of Athey Creek Church just outside of Portland, Oregon, where Pastor Brett Meador is the senior pastor.

Our vision on Today's Word is to proclaim the hope of salvation and help people know Jesus through careful study of the Bible. We invite you to find out more by going to todayswordradio.com. If you've missed any portion of this study, you'll find all of Pastor Brett's messages online at todayswordradio.com.

Pastor Brett has joined me now. Brett, as this Today's Word radio program continues to expand across the nation, there are more people who want to know how this community at Athey Creek Church has grown like it has.

Brett Meador: When people ask me that question, I chuckle because the verse that comes to mind is where scriptures say the Lord uses the weak and the foolish to confound the wise. We chuckle because the Lord really does use very imperfect people. So we really can't take any credit for what the Lord's doing here.

But in short, I think what we're seeing at Athey Creek is simply the power of the word of God. I believe people are seriously hungry for the Bible. There's been a trend in churches and I don't want to sound critical, but I think there's a pressure on young pastors to teach exciting, new topicals. Sadly, in some circles it's become a TED talk format of churches.

In my humble opinion, we need to get back to the whole Bible. Acts 20:27 is where Paul told the elders at Ephesus, he said, I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. So what we're seeing at Athey is just verse by verse, chapter by chapter through the Bible. People, when they come and they realize I'm not trying to be flashy or come up with anything new, but kind of old school J. Vernon McGee.

People think I'm coming up with something new going through the Bible verse by verse, but it's actually really old what I'm doing. I think our culture, I think that's what people really are hungry for. So that's what I think one of the big reasons we're seeing growth in our church and really exponential growth because of his word.

Guest (Male): Absolutely, Pastor Brett. Thank you for that. And if you'd like more information about Athey Creek Church, Pastor Brett Meador, or Today's Word, you can visit our website at todayswordradio.com. That's todayswordradio.com. Well, that's all the time we have for today. Next time, Pastor Brett will see how in response to God's people and their rebellious attitude, God called for the people to simply walk humbly with him. Today's Word with Pastor Brett Meador is an outreach of Athey Creek Church in West Linn, Oregon.

Brett Meador: God bless you.

Guest (Male): Goodbye.