We just finished preaching through the book of Micah. At The Garden Church, we believe the words of Paul that all Scripture is beneficial for training and equipping God’s people. ALL Scripture. Even lesser-known passages buried in the Old Testament where the pages still seem to stick together from the printing press. Fourteen weeks studying this minor prophet from the little town of Moresheth proved to be encouraging, challenging, and fruitful.
The seven chapters of this book present Micah’s words of warning to the southern kingdom of Judah. These Israelites had turned from God in rebellion, disobedience, and idolatry. And, to compound their sin, they were turning on each other. They were taking advantage of each other, oppressing each other, and exploiting each other. Micah even uses the metaphor of cannibalism to describe what was going on!
There are many oracles of judgment spoken by Micah, but there is also a steady diet of hope. Destruction is coming, BUT for those who belong to God -or- turn to God, there will be rescue. There is actually a beautiful prophesy in chapter five of a king who will come from the little town of Bethlehem to shepherd the flock of God and bring the peace of God. That promise would be fulfilled about 725 years later.
The most well-known passage in this book is the eighth verse of chapter six. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” I remember memorizing that verse in Awana growing up. I can still sing the accompanying song. It’s a tremendous verse that reveals exactly what God desires and requires of us.
But, as is true with all Scripture, the context of the surrounding verses helps us to more fully understand and appreciate the big picture of what is being communicated. And the first seven verses of chapter six outline an indictment of the Lord against his people. It’s a courtroom scene of sorts. The Israelites are on trial. God is the prosecuting attorney as well as the judge who will render the final verdict.
The evidence is clear that the Israelites have disobeyed God. But, as part of the evidence that God has remained faithful, he says in verse five, “Remember… what happened from Shittim to Gilgal.” As a preacher, my initial concern was how to pronounce Shittim without upsetting parents with small children sitting next to them. After I sorted that out, the next order of business what figuring out what exactly did happen from Shittim to Gilgal? And this is why studying the Bible is so much more beneficial than simply reading the Bible.
After wandering in the wilderness for decades, Shittim was the final camp for the Israelites before crossing into the Promised Land. But it was also a place of serious failure for the Israelites. There was idolatry in Shittim and immorality with the Moabites. God could’ve turned them back around into the wilderness for another 40 years. But he didn’t. He was faithful and brought them, despite their sin, into the land he had promised. Into Canaan. Into Gilgal.
But, God beckons his people to Remember Shittim. Remember Gilgal. I circled the word remember in my Bible. I think this is the key word that unlocks this whole passage. When you find yourself in a place of spiritual wandering… when you find yourself in a season of questioning God’s plan for your life… or even questioning God’s character himself… Remember!
Remember what God has done for you in the past. The problem in your life is not a lack of evidence of God’s goodness or faithfulness. The problem is spiritual amnesia. When we forget where our help has actually come from in the past, we begin trusting in worthless substitutes in the present.
As I was studying this passage, the Lord reminded me of what happened in between Shittim and Gilgal. God parted the Jordan River in the same way that he had 40 years earlier with the Red Sea. But something interesting happened in the Jordan. Joshua commanded 12 men to grab 12 stones from the riverbed and bring them over to the other side. And, on the other side, in Gilgal, they set them up into what I can only imagine was a heap of rocks. But that heap was important. That heap stayed there for generations.
“When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know… that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” (Joshua 4:21-24) What a wild memorial! I can just imagine an Israelite child doubting the goodness of God and their father saying to them, “Hey, come with me. We’re going to make a little trip to Gilgal. I want to show you something.”
Or course this got me thinking… what are my stones of remembrance? What, in my life, can I look back on and point to as evidence of God’s kindness and patience and faithfulness? There are so many of those breadcrumbs that God has graciously left for me throughout the years. I would encourage you to spend some time thinking back on your life as well. Gather your stones and build your heap.
But know this… the greatest remembrance for all of us is the cross. Behold the cross.