"Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Micah 6:6-7
This people's first question is, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?" What can we bring to God? What can we give Him? He's way up yonder ~ we're way down here. How are we going to reach Him? How are we going to communicate with Him? How are we going to make contact with Him? How will we please Him? And . . . How will we be saved? The Philippian jailer, who was as pagan as they come, asked, "What must I do to be saved? How can I be right with God?" Before Jesus came, God required sacrifices of His people. God had given them, in the first part of the Book of Leviticus, five offerings which they were to make, which were to be their approach to Him. So they asked the question, "Will it be adequate simply to go through the form of religion?" People's reasoning always degenerates down to one thing: "I have to do something for God. He wants me to do something!" This probably reveals the proud hearts of people more than anything else. We all want to do something for God! It makes our hearts glad when we are generous and make a gift. The unsaved one says, "I go to church ~ in fact, I'm a church member. I give generously to the church. When they ask me to do something, I do it! I'm a civilized person; I don't go around hitting people; I'm considered a pretty good person; I'm liked by most people. What more does God want from me? Shall I do something else? I feel like I should do more!" May I first say, I don't agree with the church who allows an unsaved person to become a member of what we are supposed to be called "the body of Christ." I believe that salvation should be the first stipulation for membership of any church congregation. Unfortunately, it is not that way in all churches today. "What must I do to be saved?" The people that came to the Lord Jesus asked, " . . . What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" And the Lord Jesus said, " . . . This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:28-29). He is saying, ". . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . ." (Acts 16:31). That is the ONLY work that God is asking you to do ~ BELIEVE! Faith is just about the opposite of works, but it certainly does not originate salvation. Our works have nothing to do with our salvation. "Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?" Now that is really generous! However, they are asking, again, "Have we not done enough for God? Should we do more to try to please Him?" If you listen closely, you will hear the same questions being asked today amongst the people around you.
"Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" This was very meaningful to these people because they were surrounded by pagan peoples who in their worship of Molech and Baal offered human sacrifices. There were instances when even Israel turned in this direction. Two of the most godless kings indulged in human sacrifices ~ old Ahaz and old Manasseh. These two godless men offered their own children as burnt offerings. But is that what God would ask?
God never asked these people to offer a child as a human sacrifice. God did require that they give to Him the firstborn male of everything that was born to them, whether it be a cow, a sheep, an ox, or their son. But God made it very clear to them that He did not require human sacrifice. In the eighteenth chapter of Numbers, God gave to the people certain regulations and told them what He required of them: "Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem" (Numbers 18:15). God claimed the firstborn. He required that the firstborn male child belonged to Him, but redemption money, silver, was to be taken and paid for that firstborn. In other words, God would not accept a human sacrifice of an unclean animal. That's interesting! We are unclean! God said, "You're to redeem the child, put up redemption money for him. I will not take him now." Why? He is like that unclean animal ~ also unclean! "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). God doesn't want a child until he is redeemed. God will not use anyone until they have received Jesus Christ as their Savior. There are no more works you can do to be pleasing to God if you have not done this very thing! Salvation is a free gift! Won't you accept this free gift today, if you have not already done so? Jesus is calling you!
May your day be wonderfully blessed in the Lord Jesus.
In Christian Love, Sandy |
