The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 6:9-12,
"Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
'Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah, which is accursed?
Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
with a bag of false weights?
Your rich people are violent;
your inhabitants are liars
and their tongues speak deceitfully."
The Lord's indictment of Israel points to certain things that demonstrated the nation had abandoned her God. They had appropriated "ill-gotten treasures", cheated one another by using dishonest measuring, they had been violent and become liars and deceivers.
If Israel had not done these things, would the Lord be happy with them? What if they somehow retained their same heart but stopped resorting to violence, to cheating, lying, deceitfulness? Would that provide them a secure position with the Lord?
I am reminded of an insightful passage in Isaiah 29:13, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me..."
The Lord is all about our hearts. He points to the things we think do and say to illustrate just what it is that is in our hearts, the condition of our hearts. Jesus, in defining the law said this about adultery, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The lust within the heart makes one just as guilty of breaking the seventh commandment as the act of adultery itself.
How often I have heard sermons on the imperative to stop committing sinful acts as if modifying our behavior is the prize in God's eyes. The fact is we sin because we have corrupt hearts and God's indictment of those outward acts is his proof of an inner heart problem. We read in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Our own inability to understand just how deceitful our hearts are requires the commands of God to show us our heart condition.
You cannot engage in what God condemns and claim to have a good heart toward God, certainly not in that moment - and it is our hearts that the Lord is looking at. Yes, he will judge mankind for all the things each individual has thought, said and done, however, it is from within our hearts those sins are spawned. Jesus said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." Mark 7:20-23.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
'Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah, which is accursed?
Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
with a bag of false weights?
Your rich people are violent;
your inhabitants are liars
and their tongues speak deceitfully."
The Lord's indictment of Israel points to certain things that demonstrated the nation had abandoned her God. They had appropriated "ill-gotten treasures", cheated one another by using dishonest measuring, they had been violent and become liars and deceivers.
If Israel had not done these things, would the Lord be happy with them? What if they somehow retained their same heart but stopped resorting to violence, to cheating, lying, deceitfulness? Would that provide them a secure position with the Lord?
I am reminded of an insightful passage in Isaiah 29:13, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me..."
The Lord is all about our hearts. He points to the things we think do and say to illustrate just what it is that is in our hearts, the condition of our hearts. Jesus, in defining the law said this about adultery, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The lust within the heart makes one just as guilty of breaking the seventh commandment as the act of adultery itself.
How often I have heard sermons on the imperative to stop committing sinful acts as if modifying our behavior is the prize in God's eyes. The fact is we sin because we have corrupt hearts and God's indictment of those outward acts is his proof of an inner heart problem. We read in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Our own inability to understand just how deceitful our hearts are requires the commands of God to show us our heart condition.
You cannot engage in what God condemns and claim to have a good heart toward God, certainly not in that moment - and it is our hearts that the Lord is looking at. Yes, he will judge mankind for all the things each individual has thought, said and done, however, it is from within our hearts those sins are spawned. Jesus said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." Mark 7:20-23.
Likewise, it is from within our hearts we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. God has decided to bring into his family all those who choose him over whatever else this life has to offer. Paul says in Romans 10:10, "It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
I can be the best do-gooder, but unless I give my heart to God, then I am merely practicing religion to no avail.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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