The Divine Lawsuit
(Message delivered by Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at True Life Church on Nov 4, 2007)
Text: Micah 6:1-8
“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.” (Mic 6:2).
Lawsuits seem to be commonplace today, not just in the world but also in the church. You read of a Christian suing another Christian in 1 Corinthians 6 which earned a stern rebuke from the Apostle Paul, “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law even before the unjust, and not before the saints? … I speak to your shame” (1 Cor 6:1, 5). We know of church members who have no respect nor regard for authority, and will even go to the extent of taking their pastor to court for daring to rebuke or discipline them for sin or error (cf. 1 Cor 5:2-6).
We hear of man suing man, but have you heard of man suing God? Well, this happened not too long ago, on September 18, 2007 in the United States. Let me read an Associated Press report of this incredible thing: “State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week … Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused ‘widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants. … The Omaha senator … often criticizes Christians, … He’s seeking a permanent injunction against the almighty.”
We are truly living in the last days aren’t we, when man has no fear for God whatsoever, just like in the days before the Flood when “God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). God in His justice had to punish that world by a global deluge. Is not the time ripe for God to judge this world by a global blaze (2 Pet 3:7)?
In Micah 6:1-8, we find a God who is not only holy and just, but also patient and kind. In His righteousness, He issues a lawsuit against the people, but at the same time, offers to them salvation if they will repent of their sins, and be reconciled to Him.
God’s Complaint (6:1-2)
Apostasy and compromise were rampant in Israel in the days of the Prophet Micah (8th century BC). The people worshipped Jehovah by means of idols and foreign gods. The hearts of the people were dulled and hardened by sin, and they refused to hear the preaching of the prophets and considered themselves right in their own eyes.
Jehovah is the Righteous Judge. He issues a divine lawsuit which is called “the Lord’s controversy” (v 2). He summons His people to His law court. He has a complaint against Israel for the people have violated His laws and rebelled against Him.
The Lord calls upon the mountains and the hills to be His witnesses. God is not only a Judge here, He is also the Prosecutor. He calls the mountains and the hills to be His witnesses. The mountains and hills which have stood for generations have witnessed the many crimes of Israel against their God. Israel cannot run away from her sins. The mountains and hills do not forget and can bear witness to the fact that Israel has sinned against God. By using the mountains and hills to be witnesses God is indicting Israel for her iniquity and folly. God had repeatedly spoken to them by His servants the prophets, proving and reproving their sins, and calling them to repent, but they would not listen, even denied that they had sinned. By calling the inanimate mountains and hills to be His witnesses, God is in effect telling the Israelites: “The mountains and the rocks which do not have eyes and ears have more knowledge and understanding than you who are so utterly blinded and hardened by your own sinfulness and stupidity.”
God’s covenantal relationship with Israel is the reason for the lawsuit. The lawsuit here is not vengeful but loyal in nature. It is not meant to abrogate the covenant but to convict Israel of her waywardness.
God says, “There is none righteous, no, not one: … all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:10, 23). All of us stand guilty before God who is our Prosecutor and Judge. Unless we confess and repent of our sins, He will sentence us to the eternal damnation in the lake of fire. Although the God of the Bible is a God of holiness and justice, yet He is also patient and kind, and “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Unless there is true repentance, we cannot be saved from the fiery judgement to come. Of course, God takes no delight in doing this, and He pleads with sinners right now to be reconciled to Him and make peace with Him. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
God’s Faithfulness (6:3-5)
Having proved the people’s sinfulness, the Lord now reminds them of His faithfulness. He now speaks to them not as a Judge or Prosecutor but as a Father or Husband who loves His own. For instance, the term “my people” (vv 3, 5) is an endearing term indicating an intimate and familial relationship that God has with His people. He is their Covenant God and has always been faithful to His covenant promises.
When the Lord addresses the Israelites as “my people,” He is drawing the people back to the time of the Exodus. In Exodus 6:7, the Lord promised the Israelites, “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” The Lord not only delivered them out of bondage by a powerful hand against the might of Egypt, He also gave them His Word through Moses, Aaron and Miriam. He provided them with good and true prophets and priests, and protected them from wicked kings like Balak and false prophets like Balaam, from Shittim to Gilgal (i.e. before they entered and after they entered the promised land).
On account of His faithfulness and longsuffering towards His people, He now enquires of them what wrong He had done to deserve their treacherous attitude towards Him. He now offers them the opportunity to make public their allegations against Him. Of course, there was none, they had no excuse and no reason whatsoever to treat the Lord the way they did. The Lord Himself had done no wrong whatsoever and was utterly blameless in all His ways with them. God was very good to them, but they returned His goodness with evil and wickedness.
The Israelites stood utterly guilty before God. Their treachery towards God was exposed through and through. Now that the Israelites have been proven guilty, is there any hope of forgiveness for them? There is hope and forgiveness only if they will repent of their sins.
God’s Salvation (6:6-8)
Although God as Judge and Prosecutor has every right to condemn and destroy Israel, He chooses to offer a way out for her, so that she might be saved from her sins. The way out is not through rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices. God is not at all impressed with an outward show or display of religion or religiosity, but inward sincerity and sanctity of true faith and repentance. In 1 Samuel 15:22, God says, “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
Israel as a whole, and the people individually are now called upon to do that which is good. And the good involves performing these three duties: (1) to do justly, (2) to love mercy, and (3) to walk humbly before God. In other words, they were to believe and obey the Law and the Prophets, i.e. the Holy Scriptures. Jesus commands, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt 22:37-40).
It is vital that we examine ourselves, our lives, to make sure that we are truly born again, that we have true faith. Many today go about like the Israelites, thinking they are saved just because they are born into a Christian family, or were baptised as infants. Know that water baptism simply does not save whether adult or infant, sprinkling or immersion; only faith saves. Although there is a profession of faith from such, there is no evidence of a possession of faith. They may participate in all the activities of the church (attending the services and tithing their possessions, etc.), but there is no genuine conversion of the heart, and there is no godliness or Christlikeness in conduct and attitude. “Faith without works is dead” as James says (Jas 2:20). True faith begets true repentance; they are two sides of the same coin.
In order to be saved from God’s wrath and judgement to come, we need to repent of our sins. What is true repentance? Micah 6:1-8 teaches us that true repentance begins with an awareness of sin for we all stand guilty before God in His law court, and the whole creation is witness to our sin and rebellion against Him (vv 1-2). True repentance requires us to respond to the love of God in Christ Jesus, to believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and rose from the dead according to the Holy Scriptures (vv 3-5). Finally, true repentance demands a loving obedience to God’s Word leading to a changed life that is not just outward or superficial, but inward and spiritual (vv 6-8). “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
On Ministry of FEBC Graduate
(Email from Dr P Hoole, Sri Lanka)
Yesterday, Sunday 28 Oct 07 was a blessed day. In both services VJ [Vijayenthiran, BTh 07] preached with power and clarity. We must be thankful to God He has raised men like him to serve the Lord.
Reformation Outreach in Brisbane
(Email from Rev Hien)
Thank God for blessing our gathering tonight. We watched the video on Martin Luther (a gift from bro Herbert) as tomorrow is Reformation Sunday. Thank God that Jade and her husband Michael (a Roman Catholic) could come. We had an opportunity to talk with Jade’s husband, and he had a desire to know about the Reformation. He borrowed the DVD and a book on the Reformation.
