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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for January 21, 2009
“Micah of Moresheth”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I love the book of Micah in the Bible.
First of all, did you know that he was actually “Micah of Moresheth”?
Sounds like a character from “Lord of the Rings” or something: Micah of Moresheth.
He was just a little man in a little country, but the Lord Almighty spoke through him with power.
And listen to the size of his audience. Micah 1:2 says, “…listen, O earth and all who are in it…”
Micah came on the scene when true prophets of God were not highly regarded. In fact, there’s kind of a funny moment in Micah 2:11 when he pointed out what kind of prophets were highly regarded. It says, “If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!”
Yes, Mr. Prophet, tell us there will be plenty of wine and beer, otherwise, keep your big mouth shut.
But that was definitely not Micah’s way, which is why he ended up in the Bible.
Micah 3:8 tells us what kind of prophet Micah was. Listen to this:
“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.”
I love that! He was filled with power; filled with the Spirit of the Lord. And for what purpose? To declare to the people their sin.
As for a lot of the other prophets, Micah 3:5 indicates that all you had to do was feed them and they would prophecy peace, or probably anything else you wanted them to prophecy.
Because of this crookedness, God pronounced this judgment on them:
“Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets… The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God.”
And it wasn’t just the prophets who were crooked. Micah 3:11 says the leaders judged for a bribe and the priests taught for a price.
Micah 6 says the businessmen were corrupt, the rich men were violent, and the people were liars.
In verse 19 the Lord delivered this ominous statement: “Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.”
He said, “You will eat but not be satisfied… You will store up but save nothing…”
So through Micah the Lord tried to get the people to repent.
Micah 6:9 says, “Listen! The Lord is calling to the city…”
Then I love this line: “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.”
God was bringing the rod down on the people because of their sins.
What could be done to turn back the Lord’s judgment?
Micah 6 says, “…Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings…? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn…?”
What kind of sacrifice will make things right with God; to get Him off our back, so to speak? That’s what the people wanted to know.
And the answer is in Micah 6:8: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
I don’t know about you, but I see parallels with our nation today. We put up with plenty of prophets and spiritual people – except anyone who talks about sin.
Our headlines tell us about crooked leaders and corrupt businessmen.
This sounds like our country to me – in all of our prosperity, it seems like we eat but are not satisfied. We store up but save nothing.
And I wonder if this line is true about America today: “Therefore I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.”
As we continue to use worldly methods to put the lid on our economic meltdown, I think we need to “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.”
Now listen to some of Micah’s closing comments:
“…as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”
“Who is a God like You, who pardons sin…?”
“You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
I can’t say for sure how the Lord is dealing with America right now. But I know that God never winks at sin, and I believe He brings His rod down on nations that do.
I don’t want be part of the problem. I want to be one who acts justly and loves mercy and walks humbly with my God.
I want to be filled with power, filled with the Spirit of the Lord, just like that prophet of old…
Micah of Moresheth.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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