Micah 6:10,11. Houses filled with treasure gain by cheating.

When we ended Micah 6:9 we were left with this ominous declaration, “The armies of destruction are coming; the LORD is sending them.”
But why?

• Because of the rebellion of Israel—yes, the sins of the whole nation. (Micah 1:5a NLT )
• When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance. (Micah 2:2 NLT)

Does anybody see the banking system in this passage from Micah 2:2? I do. Here in America, we had a horrendous collapse of the banking system. One, in particular, stands out, as they were consistently on the nightly news for a time; this bank is one in which I used to do business. The problem, as some see it, is that they got caught; the others, to put it simply, were not found out?

I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones. (Micah 3:1-2 NLT)

Here, we see leaders being the very ones who hate good and love evil. Micah wrote these words almost three thousand years ago, and yet those very words are more legitimatized today. Again, here in America, we have gone through years of televised Senate hearings about subversive actions by our very governmental leaders. My take away as I listened; these people are, on both sides of the witness stand are evil; and, they seem to prefer evil rather than good.

Now we are looking at Micah 6:10.
Micah 6:10 NLT  What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?

How would we, the “impoverished” who have to work for a living, know what is in the homes of the wealthy? We never would if it wasn't for the books that have been published that show us the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
If Micah's words are meant to get us to look at those who have caused us grief, then how do I separate myself from the judgment associated with the envy that typically develops out of such a look?
What did Jesus tell us about judging?

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 NIV)

While Matthew 7:1-5 seems to be saying that we will receive a comparable result to what we dish out, it does not tell us that the judgment will come from God, in the last day, before the great white throne. I have found my judgments slapping me in the face six months after an event that I provoked against another follower of Christ. In religious settings, the teaching on judgment often comes across as though God is storing up some wrath against us; for the believer, this wrath will allegedly be dispensed at the Bema seat of Christ, or, as some portray, we too will stand before the Great White Throne, with its potential of a fiery hell. These teachings are blatantly wrong and contrary to scripture which conveys that ALL wrath was placed on Christ, so that we, as believers, no longer have to experience the wrath that our sin demands.

To try to understand the depth of the passage, based upon one translation, in this case, the NLT is preposterous. I shall show you some others, the entire purpose of which is to demonstrate the need for something other than superficial readings.

Micah 6:10 NIV  Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house, and the short ephah, which is accursed?
Micah 6:10 KJV  Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
Micah 6:10 ERV  Do the wicked still hide treasures that they have stolen? Do they still cheat people with baskets that are too small? Yes, all of this is still happening!
Micah 6:10 ESV  Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?

As I contrast the various Bible versions, the common theme I see is treasure, improperly acquired, and stored up in the houses of the wicked. Since we have established that the wicked, in this instance, are the leaders, who have become wealthy at the cost of those they have done business with, then I can make the argument that the wealthy of Israel had given themselves to the Babylonian spirits of lust and greed.

While I have associated Micah 6:10 with the banking system, there is another theme present, and that is the Babylon system. I have, on several occasions, been asked what I think Babylon is, I can tell you decisively what it is not. It has nothing to do with the physical location of the city that God said would be uninhabitable.

How the hammer of the whole earth is cut down and broken! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations! I set a snare for you and you were taken O Babylon, and you did not know it; you were found and caught because you opposed the LORD. The LORD has opened his armory and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Lord GOD of hosts has a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans. Come against her from every quarter; open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction; let nothing be left of her. (Jeremiah 50:23-26 ESV)

and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, the haunt of jackals, a horror and a hissing, without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 51:37 ESV)

For me, the obvious factor is that when Revelation 17:5 and Revelation 18 speak of Babylon. These passages are not talking about a destroyed city; they are talking about a harlot, and since there is no harlot per se, then we have to be talking about idealistic doctrines of greed, lust, and spiritual darkness. Yeah, I know, this last one “spiritual darkness” is vague, but then, so is the spirit world. If you operate on the principle that a vast number of angels, equaling one third, fell to earth with Satan, then you have the entities that are promoting all methods of killing off anything that looks like Christ. At this point, you might say, no one looks like him, and therefore none of us should be harassed. Unfortunately, you would be wrong, for all of us were made in God's image, and that has never changed. In addition to that, we, by acknowledging that Jesus is God's Son who died for the world, become one of His own through adoption.

Now, look at the verse below, for it validates the idea of Babylon having demons as its greatest motivation.

And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. (Revelation 18:2 ESV)

I have been mocked and laughed at enough to know that references to things like “the New World Order” and the “Illuminati” cause people trouble, but if you had been paying attention, then you would know that these are real entities that have grandiose plans to eliminate the consumers of goods and keep the best for themselves. The rich seem to understand that this earth is limited in its resources and that we, the insignificant, consume too many resources. In my mind, this is the basis of the Babylon system that scripture tells us will be destroyed. Think about it: money, banking systems, land possession, inflation, (deadly) pollution, and the dissemination of information; who controls it all? A relatively small group of people, who only get richer every day. Welcome to the world of the harlot, dressed in scarlet, that rides the beast. Spend a few minutes reading Revelation 17; it paints a far-reaching picture of this harlot that drinks the blood of the saints.

Is there anything we, as followers of Christ, can do about it?

Well, yes and no. Yes, we can vote, make our voices heard, and do whatever is necessary without harm. This battle we are in is first and foremost a spiritual battle and should be fought in the realm of the spirit. What does that mean? It means we pray. One of the things I have, once again, become aware of, is that spiritual entities have names, like depression, and poverty; understanding that gives me direct ammunition in prayer and I speak directly to those things. God never asked us to sit and take a beating, and neither would I.

The “No” side of this coin shows its ugly head as you realize that God is fulfilling His plan. Unfortunately, His plan doesn't always coincide with ours.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever heard of the phrase, a false flag? A false flag is a pre-planned and staged event, invoked by some government entity, where crisis actors are sent to portray victims and aggressors. These events are acted out to: distract us from some other issue, promote fear, raise a level of rage in people, demonstrate a need for more gun controls, to name a few. Sadly, in these scripted events, real people can and do die. As I pointed out in Micah 6:9, the enemies that are coming to destroy Israel, are being sent by God, Do you now understand what I am saying when I say, these events may well be part of God's plan? We are experiencing the birth pains Jesus spoke of in Matthew's gospel.

Matthew 24:3-9 ESV  As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”  (4)  And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.  (5)  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.  (6)  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  (7)  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  (8)  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.  (9)  “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

In closing this out we will look briefly at Micah 6:11.
Micah 6:11 NASB "Can I justify wicked scales And a bag of deceptive weights?

Those that abide by God's moral code, can quickly answer, NO. Some, argue the point, as they think there is an appropriate condition in which cheating is good or suitable.

“You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise, and you must use full and honest measures. Yes, always use honest weights and measures, so that you may enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 25:13-16 NLT)


 While I don't live under the law, I do live under grace, and cheating is still not acceptable.

Micah 6:9, the armies of destruction are coming.

It has been a rough week and I needed to spend some time the Father.

Micah 6:9 NLT  Fear the LORD if you are wise! His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem: “The armies of destruction are coming; the LORD is sending them.
Without explanation, let's break this down.

• “Fear the LORD if you are wise! Words of wisdom, no matter who you are, or, what you are doing. Notice how it says if; perhaps we should all look at this as one of those self-analyzing questions that now and again needs to be asked as you say, if I am found to be wise, let it be in your eyes Father. I guess that means that I recognize that He is your Father and that you need to hold the mirror of the word up frequently as you would a mirror and look in it.

• “His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:” The NET translation implies that this can also be read - “the voice of the LORD is calling.” Keil & Delitzsch, in their commentary on the Old Testament, state, “because Israel is altogether wanting in these virtues, the Lord must threaten and punish. Mic_6:9. “The voice of Jehovah, to the city it cries, and wisdom has thy name in its eye; hear ye the rod, and who appoints it!” With these words, Micah introduces the threatening and reproachful words of the Lord. It is not to be taken by itself, as an exclamation, “Hark! voice of the Lord!” as in Isa_13:4; Isa_40:6, but must be connected with what follows.”

The deadly nature of the warning comes next.

• “The armies of destruction are coming;” J. Vernon McGee attempted to give us a portrayal of Micah; it goes as follows. “We have seen that Micah has been directing his prophecies largely to the urban areas, to the cities. His writing reveals that he is a very sophisticated writer. He was in the know; he belonged to the upper echelon. He is in contrast to Amos who said, "I'm no prophet. I'm just a gatherer of sycamore fruit.” And yet, it was McGee that gave me this: “Micah the Moresthite means that he was a native of Moresheth of Gath, which is southwest of Jerusalem. Although he was in the kingdom of Judah, he prophesied to both kingdoms, but his main message was directed to the northern kingdom. I have often wondered about that. His contemporary, Isaiah, was a prophet to the southern kingdom;... You will never misunderstand Micah because he makes it very clear to whom he is speaking.”

If Micah had not told us, we would have never known of such a place called Moresheth in Judah. Isaiah the prophet, also from Judah, was born of influence and therefore had access to the court of kings and influential people. Isaiah's lifestyle, it seems, was not Micah's. As you can see above, Micah prophesied to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where Samaria lay.

Many will read a passage like Micah 6:9 and only see the relatively immediate Assyrian destruction that is coming, first to Israel and, in time, to Judah. The Assyrian invasions that occurred throughout this period, beginning around 730 BC, and culminated in 701 BC against Judah, however, as Micah tells us, the Assyrian is coming again.

The next aspect should cause some to shudder.

• “ the LORD is sending them.” The simplistic definition of this is that God is sending all that this “Assyrian” represents. In the passages from Micah 5:5-6, I see, not only a singular entity but again, fighting forces. That entity, I believe, is known to us as the Antichrist. Now, what of this “they” that rules Assyria with drawn swords and enters the gates of the land of Nimrod?

Micah 5:5-6 NLT  And he will be the source of peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us, eight princes to lead us.  (6)  They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod. He will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land.

Because we now should be able to make a strong tie between Micah 6:9 and Micah 5:5-6, we should able to grasp, at least minimally, some idea of this Assyrian and where he comes from. Let me help you by showing you a map.

Everything that is yellow, green or a blend of those colors comprised the Assyrian empire.
When Micah 5:5-6 speaks of Nimrod we are talking about the region that comprises modern-day Iraq.
To be honest, the first thing I thought of as I saw the name Nimrod was Jonah and Nineveh; these too were Assyrians. Unless you have been living in a cave then you are aware of the group, of which we seem to have no origins called ISIL, or their preferred name ISIS. With firearms lifted high, they entered the region that formerly was Nineveh and retook towns like Mosul – a town that sat on the outskirts of Nineveh after Americans “liberated” it in the Iraq wars.
In so many ways I can see ISIS fulfilling some of Micah's prophecy, but the greatest fulfillment is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39 when Gog, the leader of Magog, swarms over Israel and dies on the hills of that country.

 Keep your eyes on the Holy Land.

Micah 6:6-8, He's already made it plain how to live.

The NASB entitles this section of three verses:
What Does the Lord Require?

But if you read the words to gain understanding, there is something more here than oppressive demands.

Micah 6:6-8 NASB With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? (7) Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams? In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (8) He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
I am not a fan of poetry, but as I looked at these three verses, this is what I saw.  (NLT)

What can we bring to the LORD?

Should we bring him burnt offerings?

Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves?

Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 

No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,

and this is what he requires of you

to do what is right,

to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God. 

If I dissect the passage, the first thing I am confronted by is this:

• “ What offering should I bring when I bow down to worship the LORD God Most High?” ( CEV)

I should not apply human attributes to God in trying to understand this because human characteristics have greed and selfishness attached to them, and these are things that have nothing to do with God's character. In my desire to comprehend a sentence like this, what if I compare to people who think they have everything. There are always those who, when you think about what to buy for them, you struggle because they have the resources to buy anything they want, and therefore open the gift you gave them, feign a smile, and quickly set it aside because they already have at least one.

The reality is, we, outside of what God makes us, have nothing to offer him.

The association we should be able to make is that the Jews in this scenario, are religiously bringing the sacrifices/offerings that God ordered.

[I have often thought about why God put such heavy demands on these people, and here is what I came up with. By the time Moses leads them out of Egypt, they are nothing less than Egyptians. Oh sure, there are a few that still remember their oral history; this fact is obvious because Moses was raised by his mother until she deemed it ridiculous to having him suckle on her anymore. That amount of time was long enough to impart to Moses who he was – a descendant of Abraham. To prove my point, when Moses saw the Egyptian, who was beating “one of his own people”, Moses killed the man; but this does not mean that everyone held tightly to any moral standard, for there was none. Remember, every man did what was right in his own eyes. Not long after escaping from Egypt Moses comes down off the mountain after forty days and finds “God's people” roasting their children to the god Molech, one of the many gods these people brought out of Egypt. God had to straighten them out. I sort of see it as if you trying to control a massive street riot; sadly, in most cases, extreme and severe actions are necessary to restore order, and that is what we see.]

Typically, the Jews would be coming with a sacrifice, but in this verbal exchange, there is a sense of sarcasm as though God is reading their minds, and merely saying what they are already thinking.

• “Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts?”

God challenges the whining of Israel with a question, and then answers the question with,
“Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil?”
No, He does not, however, projecting into the future, God will sacrifice his son in one final act of salvation for the entire world.

• “He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you—“ (ISV)

This idea that He has made what is good and what the Lord requires, clear to us, makes me think. Before the law came, humans, it seems, were a law unto themselves. That lack of interaction with written law, or the voice of God, doesn't seem to have been an excuse for them. That sin, now incorporated within us, made humanity responsible. [Read Romans 5:13-15, and see if you agree.]

We can take this logic and responsibility all the way back to Adam and his son, Cain. With nothing more than an assumed knowledge of good, God holds Adam responsible for the entrance of life-altering sin, into the world. There is much to this statement, and I don't have the space to cover it all now, suffice it to say that Adam had been given inside information on how everything was to play out. So when Adam gives up the rights to the earth through his tacit consent with Satan, the battle for control of the planet was on. Now God quietly tells the man about the damage he had done, the consequences of his actions, and the only way the damage would be undone.

But what about Cain?
In the story of Adam, we never see God speaking directly to Eve at any point. Therefore, we can only assume that information and instructions were passed through Adam. This would have been the same method passing information to Abel and Cain. Abel, as we see, knew how to make a sacrifice; therefore, we can logically assume that he knew what that sacrifice required and why. We know this because God gave Abel His approval, saying, “he had done what was correct;”

Genesis 4:4 ISV  while Abel offered the best parts of some of the firstborn from his flock. The LORD looked favorably upon Abel and his offering,

Cain, on the other hand, chose to bring whatever he wanted. It wasn't even the first fruits.

Genesis 4:3 ISV  Later, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit that he had harvested,

Again, I want to point out that this all happened, “before the law of Moses.” So what then governed people like Adam and Cain?

Adam enjoyed something none of us have experienced, direct contact with God. In these direct conversations, is it possible that God told Adam how to live? Perhaps another way to understand this would be to say; God taught Adam what was right, and instilled a moral baseline and authority in him. Indeed that is a possibility. A very revealing scenario is played out in Genesis chapter three.

Genesis 3:7-8 ISV  As a result, they both understood what they had done, and they became aware that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.  (8)  When they heard the voice of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden during the breeze of the day, the man and his wife concealed themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Previously, they knew good, but now both had the knowledge of evil. If you paid attention to the wording of verse 7, you saw that there was a process, for they became aware.

The word evil that we find in Genesis 2:9, a part of the description of the fruit they were not to eat, has a rather broad definition. The Hebrew word is rā‛āh:

It is “an adjective meaning bad, evil. The basic meaning of this word displays ten or more various shades of the meaning of evil according to its contextual usage. It means bad in a moral and ethical sense and is used to describe, along with good, the entire spectrum of good and evil; hence, it depicts evil in an absolute, negative sense, as when it describes the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary)

Note what Genesis 3:7 says, “they both understood what they had done.” I present this as evidence that they now knew both good and evil. Since this is the first occurrence we see of them wearing any coverings, then where did they get the ones they were about to wear?

Genesis 3:21 ISV  The LORD God fashioned garments from animal skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Most assume making clothes was all God did; it was not, and Cain is our evidence for that.

Question: was Cain physically there when God made clothes? NO, and therefore knowledge of what he was supposed to do – in following the law, must have come through Adam. Look at what Genesis 4 tells us about Cain and his sacrifice.

Genesis 4:5-7 ISV  but he did not look favorably upon Cain and his offering. When Cain became very upset and depressed,  (6)  the LORD asked Cain, "Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed?  (7) If you do what is appropriate, you'll be accepted, won't you? But if you don't do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. However, you must take dominion over it."

The NIV says, “If you do what is right.”


 So, we really cannot escape this idea of “law” being a part of who we are. Every human is born with the knowledge of good and evil, and just as Cain had to take dominion, so do we.

Micah 6:1-5, Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD.

I don't know about you, but after a long string of bad news, both scripturally and personally, I am ready for some good news; but that is not the case in Micah.

Our high point came when Micah spoke of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. When we covered that section, I tried to show you how the priesthood, at the time of Jesus birth, had trained shepherds that cared for the sheep born in that specific region because these sheep were to be the sacrificial sheep and could have no spot or blemish. Jesus, who was to become the lamb that would be slain for the sins of the world, could not have any spot or blemish. In God's ironic and humorous world, his lamb was born here. Those specially trained shepherds were also taught the Torah and Tanakh and knew the signs that would signify the birth of the Messiah. Perhaps this is why they came with haste, as they understood the significance of their skill sets and presence.

When Herod, almost two years after the birth of Jesus Christ, saw the Wise men coming, with their entourage, panicked and called the chief priests and elders for an explanation. They knew exactly why these men had come, and yet denied that this child born in Bethlehem was their king. Herod ignored their unbelief, and after the wise men left he had the male children two and under murdered, to eliminate anyone competing with him for power.

What do we learn from this? Predominantly, the religious leadership denied the Messiah and taught others to reject Him as well. This concept can help with your understanding of what God is now saying to Israel.

Micah 6:1-5 NASB Hear now what the LORD is saying, "Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice. (2) "Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD, And you enduring foundations of the earth, Because the LORD has a case against His people; Even with Israel He will dispute. (3) "My people, what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you? Answer Me. (4) "Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam. (5) "My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled And what Balaam son of Beor answered him, And from Shittim to Gilgal so that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD."

How do I understand verse 1?

• “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice.”

If it seems odd that God is speaking to the mountains, perhaps this passage in Deuteronomy will demonstrate how common it is for God to do this.

Deuteronomy 30:19 NASB "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,

God called heaven and earth to witness against the persons who decided not to follow God's law. Are you telling me that these things we see as inanimate objects bear witness to what we say and do? Apparently, our perceptions of what God created are wrong, for Jesus told the Pharisees, if the disciples stopped crying out in praise for Him, the rocks would immediately cry out in their place. You can look this up in Luke 19:39-40 NASB.

Verse two shows God addressing the mountains.

• “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD, And you enduring foundations of the earth, Because the LORD has a case against His people; Even with Israel He will dispute.”

So the mountains sit in witness against us. Look at what Isaiah has to say.

Isaiah 1:2-4 NASB Listen, O heavens, and hear O earth; For the LORD speaks, "Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. (3) "An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master's manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand." (4) Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.

• “ Sons I have reared and brought up,”
• “have revolted against Me.”

He compares us to oxen and donkeys (Donkeys are a polite way of saying Jackasses.)

• “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master's manger, But Israel does not know,”

He calls Israel a-

• “ People weighed down with iniquity,”

The direct, politically incorrect, speech continues, as God tells them straight, how He feels and understands their actions.

• Offspring of evildoers,
• Sons who act corruptly!
• They have abandoned the LORD,
• They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
• They have turned away from Him.

The words seem so harsh, but are they? Yes, but how do I know this? It is like studying a great painting. As the student, you have read the criticisms and admiration's bestowed upon this particular painting, and as you stand there taking it all in slowly, you become aware of every brush stroke, and, in some cases, the motivation behind the work; such is the case with God's word.

Verse three of Micah chapter six says this:
“My people, what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.”

God answers his own question in verse 4.

• “Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam,”

The logical response, in my mind, would be to understand freedom as a good thing. There is, however, an event that takes place in the hearts and minds of captives - that would be all of us, and it is called the Stockholm syndrome. A simplistic definition is this: “Feelings of trust or affection felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor.” It seems that this was the case with God's people. Their immediate reactions were to revert to the known ways of Egypt; based on this information I claim they were effectively Egyptians, for, by the time they were escorted out of Egypt, they were nothing more than abused slaves.

How or why would they have feelings of affections for Egypt?
We all do it, we fall into a comfort zone, even though it includes pain and bondage. Welcome to the world of bondage and addictions.

The last thing we read in this section of scripture is this:

• “.. remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled And what Balaam son of Beor answered him, And from Shittim to Gilgal, So that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

First, I want you to see a context here. God had just finished saying, “I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery.” But, this event with Balaam and Balak has no good associated with it that I can see, such as their rescue from Egypt. Let me show you.

So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now this horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field." And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. (Numbers 22:3,4 NASB)

"So he (Balak) sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor (a “prophet” for hire), at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, "Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. "Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (Numbers 22:5,6 NASB)

So here we have the motivation behind Balak's request/demand. There is nothing noble in the scenario; however, the verse opened with, “My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled And what Balaam son of Beor answered him.” I do not think that the admonition itself is a positive one, but one that causes you to remember what happened as a result of Balaam's response to Balak.

(Numbers 22:7 NASB) So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand, and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak's words to him.

God intervened for Israel (this was not their title as yet,) and withstood Balaam through speech and actions on multiple occasions. Even though they brought money, Balaam refused. Do not think for a second that this man is to be thought of highly.

(Numbers 22:14-15 NASB) The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more distinguished than the former.

The third time, God used Balaam donkey to speak to the man.
(For the sake of drama and color, I will add, that God used the man's jackass to address him. Apparently, mule speak was the man's language.)
Oh yes, there was also an angel of immense proportions waving a sword in front of Balaam, and God let him see that. The passages are rather lengthy, and I will let you look them up for yourself. (Numbers 22:22-34 NASB)

In a strange turn of events, God gave Balaam the green to light to speak to Balak, or so it seems, and Balak continued to push Balaam. In the middle of this Balaam said the most amazing piece of truth, and it goes like this:

Numbers 23:19 NASB "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

These words from Numbers 23:19 are some of the greatest validations that we have for God's character and nature.

Balaam continued to speak.
"Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it. (21) "He has not observed misfortune in Jacob; Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; The LORD his God is with him, And the shout of a king is among them. (22) "God brings them out of Egypt, He is for them like the horns of the wild ox. (23) "For there is no omen against Jacob, Nor is there any divination against Israel; At the proper time, it shall be said to Jacob And to Israel, what God has done! (24) "Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And as a lion it lifts itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain." Numbers 23:20-24 NASB

They sound invincible, don't they, and yet, they were not. Balaam continued to pour out blessing upon Jacob and God's people. Balak, of course, was infuriated. Do not cut Balaam any slack for there is this:

Revelation 2:14 NASB 'But I have a few things against you because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.

Strangely, we don't see this teaching portrayed in the story about Balaam that the book of Numbers conveys to us, and yet, there it is.

2 Peter 2:15 says this:
“forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”

Balaam's words spoke of end times events and how one would come forth, things which stand as monuments in biblical prophecy, but look at how Numbers chapter 25 opens.

While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. (Numbers 25:1-3 NASB)

What is my take away from Micah 6:1-5 -
God's question, “what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you? And His response to that question, remember.

These words remind me of a worship song from a few years ago, that says, “I remind myself of all that you've done.” Burdened by the, often, fiery trials that come along, it is easy to forget that God brought us out, and what He brought us out of. In our forgetting, our immaturity often kicks in, and we go back to the comfortable but deadly stuff, like alcohol or rage simply because it numbs the mind, and we don't have to think anymore.


 God never told you to shut your brain down. He says come to me, and I will give you rest. I find no shame in telling you that I picture a large glowing man with no face, sitting on His throne, and holding out his arms to me, as He beckons me to come rest on His lap and lean against His chest. When I do that, I find peace and words of comfort; and there, He tells me that I am loved, wanted, and cared for. Words like this are the things I have longed to hear all my life. He is love, and I have come to know and love this nature and character I have found in him.