“What Did He Do to You?” – FBC Morning Light (7/12/2024)

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Hope your week has gone well, and you're looking forward to the weekend, and especially to the Lord's Day. We gather together with God's people and worship together, and we hear from God.

On Sunday morning, I've been doing a series in Sunday school, an adult's Bible study on the subject of depression. I'll be finishing that series up pretty soon. And in the morning service, I started a few weeks back a series on the Gospel of Matthew, and last Sunday night, we started a video series entitled, what is the title of that?

Christ Our Treasure, and an excellent series that really just encourages God's people to treasure Christ, and it is being a great blessing to us. Well, today we're reading in our Bible reading in Micah chapters 5 through 7, and a few days ago we saw in 2 Kings 17, I believe it was, where the Assyrians had taken Israel captive.

Israel’s Rebellion and the Assyrian Captivity

There's a record of that, that Israel finally fell to the Assyrians, and the explanation was given that it was because of Israel's rebellion, idolatry, wickedness, turning away from the Lord, and that this wasn't capricious on God's part, but instead God had sent prophets for years, years, warning Israel that this would come if they didn't repent, exhorting Israel to repent.

Yesterday we looked at one of those prophets, Hosea, and today we'll look at the message of another one of those minor prophets, Micah. Micah was also a prophet to Israel, and he's challenging Israel's position with a question that is intended to get God's people to stop and think, and the question is this.

God’s Rhetorical Question to His People

Micah speaks for the Lord, and as the Lord speaks, he says through his prophet, Oh my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to you to deserve this? Have you ever found yourself asking that question of someone else?

I think this can happen with parents sometimes, right? You have a child that's giving you fits, maybe a teenager, young adult, or whatever. I've known of parents who've had children that grow up and they leave the home, and then they just cut the family off completely, just cut them off completely.

And the parents are bewildered, and they're asking the question, What have I done to you to deserve this? And they don't really have an answer. Well, God asks this question, and they don't really have an answer.

What have I done to you that you are turning your back on me? What have I, your God, who's revealed himself to you, who's entered into covenant with you, what have I done to you that you would abandon that covenant, and you would turn your back on me, and you would then make false gods out of wood and stone and metal, and set those things up and say, These are your gods.

What have I done to you to deserve such effrontery? And it's a rhetorical question. He says next, How have I wearied you? Testify against me. There's nothing to say. There is no answer. He hasn't done anything to them to merit this, to warrant this.

Remembering the Lord’s Deliverance and Faithfulness

Instead, God goes on to say, Look at what I did to you. Look at what I did for you. He says, I brought you up from the land of Egypt. I redeemed you from the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, O my people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, counseled, and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him?

What was that? We want to have these people completely destroyed and annihilated and wiped out. And were they successful? No. No. He says, Remember all of this, that you may know the righteousness of the Lord.

I haven't done anything to you to warrant this. So, by way of application, I think we can come to this passage. And when we're angry with God for whatever silly reason, because there's never a good reason to be angry with God, let's ask ourselves a question.

Trusting God’s Goodness in Trial

What's he done to me? What has he done to me? How has he wearied me? How has he wearied me? Maybe other people have done something to me. Maybe other people weary me. But what about him? What has God done for you?

Stop and think about that. When you're upset with God, when you're depressed because things aren't going your way and you're not having everything you want, talk to yourself. Ask yourself, what has God done for you?

Did he redeem you? Did he buy you out of the slave market of sin and redeem you and save you from eternal destruction? What has he done for you? The whole point of that exercise would be to know the righteousness of the Lord, that he is good to his people, and he always does that which is right for them.

Oh, may we learn this important principle of Scripture, that God truly does that which is good for his people, and it's because he is good and he is the righteous one. Let's rejoice in that today. Our Father and our God, we do thank you today that you do what is right.

You do what is good for your people, and we never have any legitimate reason to shake our fist at you, to turn our back on you, and to pursue other gods. Never. May we humble ourselves before you in repentance if we have turned our back on you, and may we realize just how good and righteous you are and have been to us, we pray.

And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. All right, listen, have a wonderful weekend. May the Lord bless you in it, and especially, meet with God's people Sunday. Get together and worship the Lord, and have a good day of the Lord's Day.

God bless.