Charles Spurgeon Commentary Micah 6

Hear ye now what the LORD saith;

And yet some doubt the infallible inspiration of Scripture. I would commence every reading of the Scripture with such a word of admonition as this: Hear ye now what the Lord saith. That is what the prophet said; but God spoke by the prophet: Hear ye now what the Lord saith.

Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

As men were hardened, and turned away their ears, the prophet was commanded to speak to the mountains, those mountains which had been disfigured with the shrines of idols, with altars on every high hill, or, perhaps, those higher hills that were never cultivated, and that remained untouched by the defiling hand of men. God makes an appeal to these ancient things.

It was wonderful condescension on God's part that he should condescend to come as a defendant before the majestic court of the mountains, and in the presence of the deep foundations of the earth.

It is a noble conception, in poetry most excellent; in grandeur, worthy of God. He made his appeal to the ancient hills to hear his pleading while he condescended to argue and ask his people why they had rejected their God, and turned aside to idols. Then he pleaded with Israel.

O my people, what have I done unto thee?

"What but good, what but mercy, have I done to you?"

And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me.

He asks them to give any reason whatever why they had turned away from him. Beloved friends, have any of you, who are the people of God, grown cold in your love to him? Are you neglecting the service of the Most High? Are you beginning to trust in an arm of flesh? Are you seeking your pleasures in the world? Have you lost the love of your espousal, your first love to your blessed Lord?

Then hear him plead with you. Be not as Israel was, but let the Lord speak to you rather than to the hills: What have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me.

O Lord, we have nothing to testify against you! We have very much to testify for you; and we blush to think that we have not done so more often. Oh, that we had felt more love to you, and had borne a bolder and more consistent testimony to your love, your grace, your faithfulness!

God constantly refers to Israel's coming out of Egypt; on every great occasion he begins, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

And to his people the Lord still says, "I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of slavery." Is it not so? Do we not still delight in his redeeming work, in the sprinkling of the blood of the Paschal Lamb, and in the high hand and outstretched arm with which the Lord delivered us from the bondage of our sin? Remember that you also were a slave; forget not who bought you, and with what price; remember who delivered you, and led you out, and with what mighty power.

Remember this, and let your cold love burn up again, and let your indifference turn to enthusiasm. O Lord, revive your people!

The Lord further says to his people, "I sent before thee Moses (the lawgiver), Aaron (the priest), and Miriam (the prophetess);" one to teach you, another to plead for you, and to sacrifice for you, and the third to sing for you, to sing your song of gladness at the Red Sea.

God has given to his people many ministries in diverse forms; and they are all concentrated in his Son, who is everything to us. Oh, by the greatness of his gifts to us, let us come back to our former love to him, and to something more than that!

Balak attempted to get Balaam to curse the people of God, but they could not be overcome by human power. He sought to destroy them by superhuman agency, but Balaam's curses turned to blessings. God would not permit the false prophet to curse Israel; and he has in our case turned the curse of the great adversary into a blessing.

He has delivered us, and our trials have strengthened us and taught us more of God. Will we not remember this?

Shittim was the last encampment on the far side of Jordan, Gilgal the first in the promised land. Therefore, they are united here with God's righteousnesses to his people, for the word is in the plural.

It is a remarkable idiom: That you may know the righteousnesses of the Lord. He is righteous always, in every way, towards everything, and under every aspect. I wish we knew this, for sometimes we begin to think that he deals harshly with us.

When we are severely tried, we begin to doubt the righteousness of the Lord. Remember all that he has done to you from the first day to the last, that you may know the righteousness of the Lord.

Now the plaintiff takes up the case, but he, too, turns defendant, and asks what he can do to bring about a reconciliation.