The Seventh Sunday of Easter (OT)

Micah 6:1-8

Hear what the Lord says:

       Arise, plead your case before the mountains,

and let the hills hear your voice.

²    Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord,

and you enduring foundations of the earth,

       for the Lord has an indictment against his people,

and he will contend with Israel.

³    “O my people, what have I done to you?

How have I wearied you? Answer me!

⁴    For I brought you up from the land of Egypt

and redeemed you from the house of slavery,

       and I sent before you Moses,

Aaron, and Miriam.

⁵    O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,

and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,

       and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,

that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

⁶    “With what shall I come before the Lord,

and bow myself before God on high?

       Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

⁷    Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

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?”

⁸    He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

       but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

It is Judgment Day. God will call his witnesses of your actions. He will have them testify to your misdeeds. He will call forth the Laws of Moses, and they will review your case. How many sacrifices will be required to pay the debt you owe? Will ten thousand sacrifices make up for your horrible mis-deeds.

Justice must be done. It is time for justice to be done. The Lord provided justice for his people by delivering them from the Land of Egypt. The Lord provided justice for his people when he killed them in the desert. The Lord provided justice for the land of Canaan when Israel conquered the Land. God will provide you with Justice. He will judge you for all your misdeeds.

This judgment will not only claim your life, but the life of all sinners. The way verse 7 should strike us, is a picture of the true price. "Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" You will not give your firstborn, nor the fruit of your loins. It is the fruit of Mary's womb. It is the only Son of God. Jesus Christ will pay the price for your transgression, and the sin of your soul. It is Judgment Day, and God is providing Justice for his people.