9/17/2013法庭上的爭辯

經文:彌迦書6－7章

中心思想:彌迦書6：1-8

提要

        在審判長面前，天地同證彌迦對以色列人的控訴：三心二意的敬拜，虛有其表的儀式，經常的悖逆、欺騙、虛偽、貪婪、拜偶像等。這些罪狀的判決是百姓將被擄到巴比倫，流亡一個世代。不過彌迦尚有後續的信息：上帝的憐憫、恩典是豐盛的，「上帝啊，有何神像祢，赦免罪孽，饒恕祢產業之餘民的罪過，不永遠懷怒，喜愛施恩。」（彌7：18）彌迦深知因上帝的大愛，祂才管教百姓，祂的怒氣源於祂的仁慈和饒恕。

每日與主同行

        彌迦書六章八節中，彌迦扼要的闡明上帝對祂子民的三個基本要求：「行公義、好憐憫、存謙卑的心，與你的上帝同行。」在今天的生活中，你能否設法實踐這個教訓？
        下面有幾個待完成的句子，可以幫助你開始去實踐，不要只滿足於「造句」，而要付諸實行。
        為要對我的上司或員工「行公義」，我要_________。
        為要彰顯上帝「好憐憫」的特性，今天我對家人要_________。
        為要高舉上帝，我要謙卑的與主同行，這個主日我在教會要_________。

默想

不公平的天平，詭詐的法瑪
        彌迦時代的生意人全是奸商，他們用兩種不同的秤錘欺騙顧客，我們看看上帝對這「雙重標準」的反應如何？（彌6：10-16）

金言

聖經中你實際遵行的那部份才是你真正相信的。

Controversy in the Courtroom

Scriptures:Micah 6-7

Heart of the Passage:Micah 7:18

Overview

        Controversy erupts in the courtroom as Micah describes God's people on trial. Heaven and earth comprise the jury as the charges are leveled against Israel: halfhearted worship, empty ritual, persistent rebellion, deception, hypocrisy, greed, idolatry. The verdict can only be "guilty as charged." The sentence: a generation of exile in Babylon. Yet the message of Micah is not complete until he preaches the richness of Gods forgiveness and grace. "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy" (7:18). Micah knows that God's discipline only comes within the context of His everlasting love. The aftermath of His wrath brings mercy and forgiveness..

Your Daily Walk

        In one verse (6:8), Micah succinctly sums up God's three "minimum daily requirements" for His people: "What doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Can you think of one way in which you can fulfill each of these requirements in your walk with God today?
        Here are some sentence completions to get you started. Don't be satisfied until you've made Micah's words your marching orders!
        "In order to do justly with my employer/employees today, I will be careful to____________."
        "Because God's love is reflected when I love mercy, today in my family relationships I will ____________,"
        "Because God is exalted when I walk humbly with Him, the next time I go to church I will __________."

Insight

Wicked Balances, Wobbly Scales — 
        Merchants in Micah's day were so dishonest that many of them carried two sets of balance weights for their business transactions: a heavier set to be sure they got more than they paid for, and a lighter set to ensure that their customers received less than they expected. Read about God's response to this "double standard" in 6:10-16.

Adage

The only part of the Bible you truly believe is the part you obey.