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Micah - Toby
Sermon Summary
Toby continues our series in the book of Micah: describing God’s courtroom case against the Israelites for their corruption and injustice, reminding us that God desires not elaborate sacrifices but that we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him, and calls us to return to Him through repentance and faith in Jesus who has redeemed us all.
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We began at the Table, remembering Jesus’ body broken and blood poured out, and then stepped into a courtroom. The scene of Micah 6—God bringing a case against His own people. Israel’s leaders were buying up land, rigging scales, bribing prophets, and squeezing the poor. In response, God didn’t thunder first with wrath; He reminded them of His rescue: Egypt, the wilderness, Moses, Miriam, and even Balaam—the long record of His faithful love. The people’s reply, tragically, showed how far they had drifted: “What if we bring more sacrifices? What if we bring everything—even our firstborn?” When hearts are captured by power and excess, even worship becomes a transaction.
God’s answer is beautifully clear: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. He then asks piercing questions: Can He overlook dishonest weights and lying tongues? He will not, because love refuses to bless what destroys us. The “judgments” Micah describes sound like punishments—eating without satisfaction, work without harvest—but they are actually the fruit of the path Israel had chosen. Greed creates a hunger that will not be fed. Exploitation multiplies toil without joy. Corruption cannot deliver the life it promises.
This is our mirror too. We live in a culture discipled by grind, hustle, and self-advancement. We chase more and feel less. God’s case against Israel exposes the fault lines in us: our hunger for control, our habit of inflating self-importance, our subtle compromises. Yet the same God who indicts also invites. He is not seeking repayment but return. Jesus—our Redeemer—has paid the price in full. Grace is not a loophole; it is new life. God’s kindness leads us to repentance, and His Spirit forms a people who reflect His heart: justice that protects the vulnerable, kindness that costs us something, and humility that walks with God rather than performing for Him. This is the good life He offers—His life, with Him.
Key Takeaways
1. Judgment that aims to heal: God’s charges in Micah 6 are not revenge but love’s refusal to bless what destroys His people. He cannot ignore crooked scales because they deform community and harden hearts. Divine discipline removes false power so we can return to the only One who satisfies.
2. True worship: justice, kindness, humility: God rejects transactional religion—lavish offerings without changed lives. He wants our hearts aligned with His character, expressed in everyday fairness, compassion, and a quiet, dependent walk with Him. Micah 6:8 is not a slogan but a way of being formed by God’s presence.
3. The path of greed never satisfies: Micah names the emptiness of grasping: eating without fullness, working without harvest, saving without security. Greed promises control but delivers restlessness. Only God can turn labor into fruit and desire into joy.
4. Remember redemption and return home: God rehearses His saving acts to train our memory: you were rescued before; you can trust Me now. Remembered grace loosens our grip on self-salvation and opens us to repentance. The God who delivered from Egypt still leads us into freedom today.
5. Grace is not a loophole: Jesus has paid our debt in full, but grace never licenses old patterns—it liberates us into a new obedience. “By no means” is the gospel’s answer to using forgiveness to excuse sin. Grace empowers the Micah 6:8 life we could never manufacture on our own.
Daily Hope Devotionals
New Year's Day BONUS: What will be Your Focus for 2026?
Scripture:
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
'He has shown you, O mortal, 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. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MIC.6.8
Devotional:
As we step into the New Year, it’s a perfect time to pause and reflect on where we stand before God. The prophet Micah reminds us that God is like a judge calling His people to account—not to shame them, but to show them the way back to life and peace. Just like the Israelites, we can get caught up in chasing after power, success, and possessions, thinking these will satisfy our hearts. But God’s message is clear: these things leave us empty and restless.
What better way is there to honour and follow God this year than to 'act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God'
Reflection:
As you consider the year ahead, how might you change your behaviour or focus to be more like God?
What things in your life are leaving you empty and restless, how could you replace them with what God commands to bring life and peace?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your kindness, mercy, justice, and love. Help me to grow to be more like You every day so that I might be a reflection of who You are to the world around me. Help me to replace the empty activities and desires I have with those that will bring life and peace to me and those I interact with. Amen.
Day 1: God Desires Justice, Kindness, Humble Walking
Scripture:
Micah 6:1-8 (NIV)
'Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. “Hear, you mountains, the Lord ’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against His people; He is lodging a charge against Israel. “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.” With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, 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. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MIC.6.1-8
Devotional:
God calls for the heart, not elaborate offerings—what God truly wants is a people who pursue justice in their dealings, love kindness with action, and walk humbly with Him rather than chasing power, wealth, or image; this is the posture that undoes the pollution of corrupt worship and the grind that never satisfies.
Reflection:
Identify one recent decision or relationship where you chose gain, comfort, or reputation over justice or kindness.
What is one concrete action you will take today to choose justice or show kindness instead (a phone call, correcting an unfairness, or offering help)?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to identify relationships where I haven’t chosen justice or shown kindness. Please be with me whilst I put things right and pray that all my relationships will be a reflection of the example You have set. Amen.
Day 2: Grace Frees, do not Continue Sinning
Scripture:
Romans 6:1-2 (NIV)
'What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.6.1-2
Grace is not a loophole for self-led living. Being under grace calls for a transformed life that leaves the patterns of sin behind, because Christ's sacrifice invites a new way of living, not permission to keep repeating old ways of selfishness, damage, and deceit.
Reflection:
What one habitual practice or excuse have you been using to justify continued sin in your life? Name it now and decide on one immediate, specific step you will take today to break that pattern. (Confess to a trusted person, remove a trigger, or set an accountability plan).
Prayer:
Lord, as I look at the habitual practices and excuses in my life that stop me from living in freedom, please help me to be honest and to name them up. Also, please be with me as I decide on an immediate action to break the patterns and set in place replacement, Spirit-led practices. Amen.
Day 3: God's Kindness Leads us to Repentance
Scripture:
Romans 2:4 (NIV)
Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.2.4
Devotional:
God's patient kindness is intended to awaken repentance, drawing the heart back in love rather than crushing it with shame. His loving correction points to restoration, inviting a humble return rather than hiding in defensiveness.
Reflection:
Where have you hardened your heart against God's kindness or resisted His correction?
Ask God to show you one specific area you need repentance. Write one sentence confessing your sin and take one immediate step toward reconciliation (apologise, repair, or remove what tempts you).
Prayer:
Oh Lord, I confess there have been times where I have resisted Your correction, I ask You to show me a specific area of my life when I need to repent. I ask You to help me to move towards reconciliation and remove sin from my life. Amen.
Day 4: Christ's Sacrifice Calls for Remembrance and Surrender
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (NIV)
'and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1CO.11.24-25
Devotional:
The broken body and poured-out blood of Jesus were given to wash away sin and shame; remembering His sacrifice is not mere ritual but an invitation to surrender everything back to Him and to live in the freedom and humility His death purchased.
Reflection:
At a meal or a quiet moment today, take a piece of bread or a bite of food and intentionally thank Jesus for His body given for you. As you do, name one area of your life you will surrender to Him and state one practical step to begin that surrender: a habit to stop, a gift to give, or a relationship to restore.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I ponder Your death by taking the bread (Your Body) and wine (Your Blood), help me surrender an area of my life which will help me to stop a bad habit or restore a relationship. Thank You, Lord Jesus for all you have done. Amen.
Day 5: Remember God's Deliverance and the Warning in History
Scripture:
Numbers 22:18 (NIV)
'But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/NUM.22.18
Devotional:
Remembering God's past saving acts — the exodus, faithful leaders, and even the story of Balaam — is a spiritual defence against corruption and false counsel.
Calling to mind what God has done grounds trust and exposes the ways people are tempted to bribe or follow destructive counsel.
Reading the Bible stories of God's rescue of His People and Disciples gives us hope in our situations. Reading God's discipline of His People and disciples helps us to remember His power and justice and that He is a God of love and grace to those who seek Him.
Reflection:
Write down one clear way God has delivered or provided for you in the past year.
Consider sharing that story with someone today (a message, a call, or in conversation) as a way of remembering and testifying to God's faithfulness.
Prayer:
Father as I look back over my life, I ask You to remind me of all the times You have provided for me. Help me not to be quick to forget but to testify to Your goodness and provision in my relationships. Amen.
Day 6: Justice, Kindness, and Humility — The Heart of God’s Call
Scriptures:
Colossians 3:12 (NIV)
'Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.'
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/COL.3.12
Micah 6:1 (NIV)
The LORD's Case Against Israel
'Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MIC.6.1
Devotional:
In the courtroom scene of Micah 6, God puts His people on trial—not to condemn them, but to reveal the corruption in their hearts and call them back to what truly matters. The Israelites thought that elaborate sacrifices or even child sacrifice would please God, but God’s desire was far simpler and deeper: justice, kindness, and humility, as echoed in Colossians 3:12.
This call is just as relevant for us today. We can get caught up in the grind for power, money, or status, but God asks us to clothe ourselves with compassion and humility, reflecting His heart in how we live and treat others. Justice isn’t just about fairness in courts; it’s about living rightly in our daily relationships and communities. Kindness is more than a feeling—it’s a deliberate choice to act with mercy. And humility means walking with God, recognising our need for Him and setting aside pride.
Reflection:
Are you living out these qualities of justice, kindness, and humility? Or are you distracted by the world’s promises of success and gain that never truly satisfy?
God’s justice and kindness lead you to life, not emptiness.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with You every day. Teach me to reflect Your heart in all I do. Amen
Day 7: God’s Kindness Leads Us to Repentance
Scriptures:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2CO.5.17
Revelation 12:10 (NIV)
'Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/REV.12.10
We often find ourselves on trial before God, because we have become caught up in our own desires and distractions.
Satan is the accuser, not God!
The good news is that Jesus has already paid the price for our sin. We are invited to be new creations, freed from the old patterns of selfishness, greed, pride, and corruption.
Repentance isn’t just feeling sorry; it’s a turning point—a fresh start to walk humbly with God and live in His justice and kindness. God’s kindness is patient and persistent, always calling us back to Himself.
Reflection:
What do you need to repent of today?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You now in repentance and worship. Thank You that You are kind and never give up on me! I lay my life at Your feet and pray You would reveal my sin so that I may cleanse myself and draw closer to You. Amen.
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