As Micah the prophet ended
the LORD's reminders of His deliverance of Israel from Egypt and
Moab, we were left with reasons why Israel should not have been able
to “testify” against the Lord as to what He had done to
them or where He had wearied them. In chapter six and verse six of
Micah's prophesy, the people of Israel begin to question how they
should approach the Lord where we read:
Wherewith shall I come
before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God?
shall I come before him
with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
The
verse begins, “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before the high God?” After
all the testimony they have heard from the Lord, we can imagine the
people wondering “Wherewith shall I come”
which means “meet, be in front of, confront and go before”
“the LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah”. They
wonder, “and bow” or
“bend, bend down, bow down, be bent in a humble manner”
“myself before the high” or
“height or elevated place” “God”
which is the Hebrew word “elohiym” which means “ruler, judge
and high one”.
The
verse goes on to say, “shall I come before him with burnt
offerings, with calves of a year old?” Not only did the people
of Israel wonder how they should come and make obeisance to the LORD,
but they asked, “shall I come” or “meet, be in front of,
confront and go before” “him with burnt offerings” or
“whole burnt offerings such as would be placed upon an altar”.
They specified, “with calves of a year old” or “very
young calves” which would denote sacrifice and the best of
offerings. The people realize their relationship with the LORD had
been severed, and now through sacrifice and offerings they were
attempting to reestablish their relationship with Him.
While
we meditate upon Micah's words, we can place ourselves in the
position of the people of Israel as they heard the Lord question them
concerning His care for them. As they thought upon the LORD and His
provision for them even while their backs were turned upon Him, they
were driven to wonder how to approach Him. Their sacrifices and
offerings seemed inadequate as they began to prepare to meet with
Him. The wonderful character of God Almighty is that He simply
desires that we come to Him just as we are. Jesus Christ made
provision for us that we might “come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). May we begin to understand that
the LORD has indeed given protection and provision to us, and we may
humbly approach Him at any time through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Next
time the people continue to ask how they are to approach the LORD,
so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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