Micah 1:5 (ESV)

[5] All this is for the transgression of Jacob

and for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what is the high place of Judah?

Is it not Jerusalem?

[6] Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,

a place for planting vineyards,

and I will pour down her stones into the valley

and uncover her foundations.

[7] All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,

all her wages shall be burned with fire,

and all her idols I will lay waste,

for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,

and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.

Judah’s sin was that she had access to God, but chose to bow before idols. As a result of misplaced faith, her wealth would be lost and dissipated. A nation enjoying wealth and safety would be laid waste. On this 2018 Independence Day in the USA I can’t help but wonder if we don’t face a similar fate at some point. We have placed our faith in the god of politics. We have placed our faith in the god of social action. We have placed our faith in the god of science, the god of spirituality (as found anywhere but in Jesus Christ), the god of social and political correctness, the god of sexuality and personal passion, the god of…. You name it, we have made it our source of security, significance, and/or satisfaction.

The good news is that God has warned us if we are willing to listen. God’s warnings are indications of his compassion and love. When a believer talks about sin, Hell, repentance, or obedience it is common these days to call the believer and intolerant hatemonger. But that is far from the truth. Warnings about sin are expressions of love.

Granted, there are some believers who want to make sin the primary focus of their lives. They seek to define every sin and judge every person by their definitions. That is not what God is doing in Micah and it is not what God is calling us as believers to do. That is what Pharisees and Sadducees did. Jesus called them hypocritical, white-washed tombs. In may ways God’s Law had become their god. Their comparisons with others allowed them to feel good about themselves. But, God’s warnings are not there so we can test our righteousness against that of others and feel good about ourselves. God’s warnings are expressions of his love for people.

We forget that. We say we hate sin and love sinners, but in the end we forget to love sinners. Jesus was called a friend of sinners and God is certainly a God who loves sinners. He loved the world to such an extent that he sent his Son to die so that he might offer the free gift of life. God loves sinners. His warnings are expressions of his love.

So how should we respond to scripture passages like Micah? We should recognize God’s warnings as expressions of his love. We should take his warnings to heart, looking at our own lives rather than pointing fingers at others. We should face the reality that even believers have a tendency to adopt others gods. What is it that you depend on for your security, significance, or satisfaction? That is your god. Take Micah’s warning seriously. If this nation of freedom and wealth is one day laid waste, it will not be because “They” failed to heed God’s warnings of love. It will be because “We” failed to heed his warnings. What is your god?