What Does God the Father Desire for Us?
(Micah 6;6-8; John 4;21-24)
What did the Israelites offer to God to please him? What three actions does God expect of His people? What does worshipping God "In the Spirit mean?"
Micah 6;6-8
WHAT SHOULD I BRING BEFORE THE LORD WHEN I COME TO BOW BEFORE GOD ON HIGH? SHOULD I COME BEFORE HIM WITH BURNT OFFERINGS, WITH YEAR OLD CALVES?
WOULD THE LORD BE PLEASED WITH THOUSANDS OF RAMS, OR WITH TEN THOUSAND STREAMS OF OIL? SHOULD I GIVE MY FIRST BORN FOR MY TRANSGRESSION, THE CHILD OF MY BODY FOR MY OWN SIN?
HE HAS TOLD YOU WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IT IS THE lORD REQUIRES OF YOU; ONLY TO ACT JUSTLY, TO LOVE FAITHFULNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD.
John 4;21-24
Jesus told her, "Believe Me, woman an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalum. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.
The eigth-century prophet Micah delivered his messages to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Probably a contemporary of Isaiah, he used a covenant lawsuit pattern of Prophecy to announce God's judgement on His people.
After God summoned the Israelites to their trial, they asked Him what more He wanted from them. They apparantly were very Religious in the sense of performing external acts of piety, such as offering sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. Did God want more burnt offerings? They wrongly assumed more quantity would satisfy God. Perhaps, instead of the regular number of animal sacrifices, God wanted thousands of rams. Maybe, they suggested, God even wanted them to sacrifice their firstborn children. God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a test of his loyalty to God, but God did not let Abraham actually kill Isaac. Human sacrifice was practiced by some of the pagan nations, but forbidden in Hebrew law.
God expects His people to act justly. We should be just in our dealings with other people. A quick glance at the daily news reminds us how much injustice occurs in our society.
Christians may disagree on the application of the moral principle of justice, but we need to agree that our actions should be just. For example, distibutive justice means that each person should receive his or her fair share. When resources are limited, how do we decide how much to give to each person? Television shows about emergency rooms remind us that not all patients can be treated at the same time.
Second, God expects us to love faithfulness. The Hebrew word could be translated as "covenant love" or "steadfast love."
Third, God expects us to Walk Humbly before God. Humility is in short supply today. We live in a world where self confidence, arrogance, and assertiveness are promoted. We often trust in our human ingenuity and skill rather than relying on God's resources. We trust ourselves rather than God.
Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, reveals another dimension to God's desire for His people. Jesus rested at Jacob's well while the desciples went into town. An unnamed Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well. Jesus asked for a drink, and the result was a long conversation about ethnic relations and worship. The woman was surprised that a Jewish man would ask a Samaritan for a drink. Jesus described Himself as the source of living water, not the ordinary water from that well.
Part 2 of
"What does God the Father Desire For Us?
will be on the board tomorrow night.
:)
Always remember, with God all things are possible.
1|1|thank you!|Skaytes|skaytez@gmail.com|21:35:21|12/20/2009|
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2|2|"God expects His people to act justly. We should be just in our dealings with other people"|petunia1|sweetpea39@comcast.net|21:43:39|12/20/2009|
good advice! 3|1|Thank you so very much|WillaD|wila111@bellsouth.net|20:38:31|12/21/2009|
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