We continue our series in Micah. This Lord's Day, we'll be reading the second half of the first chapter, Micah 1, verses 8 through 16. Micah 1, verses 8 through 16. This is God's only inherent and inspired word. For this I will lament, I will wail, I will go stripped and naked, I will make lamentation like the jackals and mourning like the ostriches. For her wound's incurable, it's come to Judah, it's reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem. Tell it not in gath, weep not at all. In Bethlehephra, roll yourselves in the dust. Pass on your way, inhabitants of Shepherd, in nakedness and shame. The inhabitants of Zanon do not come out. The lamentation of Bethazel shall take away from you its standing place. For the inhabitants of Meroth wait anxiously for good, because disaster has come down from the Lord to the gates of Jerusalem. Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish. It was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgression of Israel. And therefore you shall give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath. The houses of Axib shall be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel. And I will again bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Ma'arishah. The glory of Israel shall come to Adullam. Make yourselves bald, cut off your hair for the children of your delight. Make yourselves as bald as the eagle, for they shall go from you into exile. Father, whenever we read your word, we need your spirit to guide us. He's the one who inspired it. He's the one who indwells us. Holy Spirit, come, be our teacher. Use even this weak vessel to proclaim your faithful word, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Please be seated. I recall when I was teaching sixth grade, we had a literature book, an anthology of different stories, and they took one excerpt from a large novel from James Fenimore Cooper. But the excerpt was really un-understandable both to the children and frankly to the teacher as well. And I read through that excerpt three or four times, three or four years. And I finally decided during the summer between my third and fourth year of teaching, I was going to read the whole James Fenimore Cooper novel and see if that perhaps made it any clearer. And it did. It really did. The problem with the students and the problem with the teacher was not in our understanding of the excerpt as much as it was in not having the background material so that the excerpt would make sense. And I think sometimes we can come to passages like our text before us when we read of Micah's lament over Judah. And we think, OK, I get the general impression here. Micah's grieving. Judah's corrupt. Judgment's coming. But there are historical, geographical, and even literary gaps that make these verses pretty difficult to fully grasp. Well, brothers and sisters, when you approach the minor prophets, Micah in particular, please don't be frustrated by that. Remember, Micah wrote many, many centuries ago. He wrote, in a different land, he wrote in a different manner, yes, even in a different language than 21st century Americans. God's given us Micah's lament for our benefit, so we ought not to ignore it. And sometimes when it comes to passages like these, it really is helpful or even necessary to understand the history and the geography. And even in this case, the meaning of the place names that are before us, because Micah is going to use many play on words in Hebrew. And so hopefully this Lord's Day, we will see that we will understand better Judah's lament, Micah's lament, rather, if we understand Judah's history, geography, and some of the language that is behind the scenes here, please know that the Holy Spirit can even use this portion of God's word in our lives today. And so as we begin by considering the historical background, let me remind you of what we said last week. And that is, when Micah had his lament, the Assyrians had wiped out the 10 northern tribes in 722 BC. And that's what verses 2 through 7 were all about. And Micah's lament, we ended with just the eighth verse last week. It is a lament, first of all, over the destruction of Samaria over the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. He said in verse 8, I will wail, I will lament, I will go stripped and naked, I will make lamentation like the jackals and mourning like the ostriches. And he says he'll do that for this. Well, for this is all of the references to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom that did take place. As we proceed and see what happens next, it should not surprise us that the Assyrians, having taken over the northern kingdom, having wiped out the ten tribes, set their sights now on Judah on the southern kingdom. And so as we consider more deeply this morning, Micah's lament in verses 9 through 16. The historical background for this is not only Samaria has already been wiped out, but we now see also the invasion of Judah. The invasion of Judah is what sets the historical background for verses 9 through 16. And this event in the history of God's people is so significant to our Lord that he not only once, not twice, but three times in Holy Scripture in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah references this horrible event in the lives of God's people. And I've referenced those for you. If you'd like to read further about the background of what happens and the details, I leave that for you. But just note for us at this point that the Assyrian Empire was, far and away, the most powerful military entity of its day. And it was a sad reality, as is recorded for us in 2 Kings 18, 13. In the 14th year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah. and took them. And so the invasion of Judah left, at this point in history, only Jerusalem to be taken. And I think it's significant to note that, because notice what verse 9 tells us. Judah's wound is incurable. There's no going back. It's reached all the way to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem. There's the Assyrian army ready to take over Jerusalem, having already taken over the rest of Judah. So important is that to Micah. He says again in verse 12, disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. Jerusalem. And so we see very clearly the invasion of Judah as the background, but I will also tell you the other background is the threat to Jerusalem, as we've referenced. You may recall that threat to Jerusalem involves Sennacherib sending his wicked army leader, the Reb Shaka. The Reb Shaka taunted God's people outside of Jerusalem with horrific words, things like, you will eat your own dung, you will drink your own urine. And that sounds horribly vile to us, and indeed it is. But the Rabbi says even worse things, even more blasphemous things, as he not only denigrates the people of Jerusalem, but also mocks Jehovah himself. The Rabbi goes on to say, 2 Kings 18, starting with verse 32. Do not listen to Hezekiah. He's misleading you by saying the Lord will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand? that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand. Obviously a wicked, wicked man who would equate the pagan idols of the nations around them with Jehovah himself. Even in spite of the blasphemy, it is a genuine threat to the people of Jerusalem at this point. And so Micah says in the end of the Lament at verse 16, make yourselves bald. Cut off your hair. Make yourselves as bald as the eagle. Remember, in Jewish society, hair was seen as the essence of life. It was a source of pride and beauty and also strength. Think of Samson. Think of Absalom. Think of even the godly people who made Nazarite vows who were not allowed to cut their hair. But that's not what Micah says. Micah says, cut it all off. It's all over. We have no strength. We have no beauty. And the word for eagle could very well be translated vulture. And vulture, I think, makes more sense here, does it not? That bird of destruction and death is what is awaiting the people of Judah. And the children will not escape. Children of your delight, pampered children, delectable children, darling children, could be phrased any of those ways. Sadly, all of those young ones will go into exile. exile. This sounds horrible. This sounds like the end is near for Judah. But what Micah does not reference at this point, which he will reference at the end of chapter 2, verses 12 and 13, is the fact that God is still not done with Judah. Remember, we said there's three cycles in Micah. And in all three cycles, the emphasis is first on corruption. Clearly, we've seen that. Then on judgment, clearly, we've seen that. But thirdly, there is the time of restoration. And that restoration, as I said, will be talked about in chapter 2, verses 12 through 13. And we can rejoice in those verses next week together. But I want us to know the full account this Lord's Day as well. Because there is the miraculous restoration of Judah, not referenced here. But it is really important to emphasize because that's where the story ends. It doesn't end with the Reb Shaka just outside of Jerusalem continuing to threaten Jerusalem and Hezekiah. And again, this is such an important event in the history of Israel. God records it for us three times. And again, those three passages are listed before you to see in more detail the miraculous restoration of Judah. But you may recall that in God's providence, Hezekiah has taken Judah's throne at this point, and he With the support of the prophet Isaiah, King Hezekiah encourages the people of Jerusalem. Yes, even while just outside the city, the wicked Rabshakeh is taunting them, the army of Assyria is ready to attack. Hezekiah could say at that point, in the words of 2nd Chronicles 2, verse 7, be strong, be courageous, don't be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria. and all the hoard that is with him. For there are more with us than with him." And isn't that a fascinating thing to say? We have God. They have all the arms. They have all that other stuff. that there's more with us, because Jehovah is with us. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us, the Lord our God, to help us to fight our battles. And the people did take confidence from the words of Hezekiah, the king of Judah. But Hezekiah didn't just encourage the people of Israel and Judah. He prayed before his God. He poured his heart out that God would deliver. And indeed, God does respond and verifies that Hezekiah's words were true. When God's people have the Lord, with them when we have God on our side. We have more than with all the enemies of the Lord here on earth and in the demonic coast throughout the universe. God on our side makes us victorious, just as he restores miraculously the people of Judah. And I'm not sure how many of you remember that account, but it's so good, it's so precious, that I would like for us to turn and read it again. If you're familiar with it, just marvel once more this Lord's Day and how God miraculously restores Judah and Jerusalem as it is on the brink of disaster, as it is on the brink of total destruction like the Northern Kingdom. Turn with me to 2 Kings 19. 2 Kings 19 and we'll read verses 32 through 37 together. Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city. He shall not shoot an arrow there or come before it with the shield or cast up a siege mound against it. It's amazing that God would say that because there they are right outside the city ready to do all those things. By the way that he came, by the way saying he shall return, he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord, for I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. Just a brief pause. Remember, God's name is at stake. The rabbi Shack has already mocked Jehovah, and for his own namesake, he's gonna rescue God's people and for the sake of David. He had promised the first David that the second David would come and the godly line would continue, and so that has to happen, and here is how. Judah is miraculously restored. That night, the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead. 185,000 soldiers all died. If God is with us. Greater is he that is with us than he that is in the world. Amen. Sennacherib, the king of Syria, realized he was in trouble. I mean, his armies, they're dead. So he departed. He went home, and he lived in his capital city of Nineveh. But because he had been so wicked, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrabalek, and Sherezar, his son struck him down with the sword. He escaped into the land of Ararat, but Azarhaddon, his son, reigned in his place. Wicked Assyrian king is gone. King Hezekiah, godly man, continues to reign in peace. Peace reigns now in Judah because God had graciously restored his land, even as he promised he would. Corruption, judgment, restoration, the theme of Micah. Well, we not only need an understanding of Judah's history to fully grasp the meaning of Micah's lament that's before us this morning, but it's very clear when we read these verses, there are 11 different place names. in these few verses. And so an understanding of Judah's geography is absolutely necessary as well. And three of the place names that we have before us are fairly well known to us, fairly easy to locate. The first one is Gath. Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all. One of the five prominent Philistine cities, and indeed probably the most prominent Philistine city in Old Testament history, it happens to be the hometown of Goliath. Remember, Philistia is just west of Judah, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Gath often falls into the hands of Judah during military fights and conquest in the history of Israel, but then the Philistines take it back. And so Micah says, tell it not in Gath, weep not at all. We don't want our enemies to know what God has done to us. Don't even mourn before them. They'll mock us and they'll even mock Jehovah. And by the way, you may recognize these words. These are the same words that David started his lament with over the death of Saul. He didn't want the Philistines rejoicing in Saul's death. And so he also said, tell it not in Gath. And perhaps in Micah's day, this had become a proverb to not let your enemies know of your demise. So we know about Gath. The second important city that we know quite a bit about is Lachish. Notice verse 13. Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish. It was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgression of Israel." Lachish was an important Amorite city even before the people of God took it over in conquering Canaan. And it became a well-fortified, double-walled city as well. Some really believe that this was second largest city in Judah beyond Jerusalem, 15 miles southwest of it. So Lachish was not a small, inconsequential city. It was an important city of Judah. And even Sennacherib acknowledged its importance. We have archaeological excavations of Sennacherib's reign, and one of those tablets has the word Lachish over it. And what we see in that is Sennacherib pompously sitting on a throne, overseeing the citizens of Lachish being tortured and flayed and impaled to death. Lachish was proud, I mean, Sennacherib was proud of this military conquest of an important city in Judah. And it was from Lachish, Isaiah 36.2 tells us, that Sennacherib sent forth the Reb Shaka and his great army to Jerusalem to order them to surrender. It was as if Sennacherib was saying at that point, hey, look, I got Lakish. you're gonna be real easy pickings next, so give up and surrender. I will tell you much of the rest of verse 13 is a little difficult, and it's been open to various understandings and interpretations. Harness the steeds. The steeds were the great horses that were brought into Judah during Solomon's day. So these were not just Joe average horses. These were significant, important horses. Get them on your chariots. And so what's the reference here? Most likely, What Micah is saying is, harness those horses as fast as you can and get out of town as fast as you can, if you're able to do so somehow, because they're not doing you any military good against the Assyrian army that has taken over. So Lachish is an important city, but it's also a wicked city. very clearly a wicked city. The description and the rest of the verse, it was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion. Zion, of course, the mountain in Jerusalem, so reference not just to the mountain, but to Jerusalem and to all of Judah, really. For in you, Lachish, were found the transgressions of Israel. The northern kingdom is where idolatry started. And more than likely, Lachish is being chastised here for being the place where idolatry was popularized, even in the southern kingdom. Although we have no record of that in the rest of the Old Testament. So that's why it is a little difficult to understand. But we do know, very clearly, Micah is proclaiming that Lachish, you may have been a great city. but you're also a wicked city. Sadly, the citizens of Lakeish did not listen to the words of Psalm 33, 17, and 18. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope, in his steadfast love. Gather those steeds, because they didn't do you any good. Sadly, I think we can say about our country today, can we not? We would be far better off spending more of our time fearing the Lord as a nation and hoping in his steadfast love than building up our military, Mike, thinking somehow we can rescue ourselves through the strength of whatever weaponry modern man may be able to develop. We're no better than those wicked citizens of Lakersh. But the third well-known location mentioned in our text, we find in the end of verse 15, the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam. Adullam, known in Old Testament times as the town in the wilderness of Judah, with a series of large caves, often used to flee from enemies, as David famously did from Saul, as recorded in 1 Samuel 22, 1 and 2. And interestingly enough, David was certainly seen as the glory of Israel, was he not, even before he began to reign. even as he was escaping from Saul. And so now Micah uses that same phrase, the glory of Israel shall have to try to escape even in caves, in remote places, in order to survive what the Assyrians are doing. Those who are prominent citizens with their wealth, with their riches, must seek an escape that will not prevail. So considering those three places, Gath and Lachish and Adalim, really that, by the way, was the easy geography lesson for the day. I shared with the men at the men's prayer breakfast last night that there are eight smaller towns that are mentioned in these verses. And we really don't know a whole lot about these eight smaller towns. Some of them are only mentioned here. And when you read in various translations, you get multiple spellings for these various towns. And when you get pronunciation guides out for Hebrew, you get various pronunciations as well. I sadly read of one pastor who said that God really did not need to put these verses in here, and they were too unimportant for us to consider. I had a good, bad reaction from the men yesterday when I said that. I hope you would all cringe if you ever heard a preacher say, these verses are not important. God could have just left them out. Every word of God is inspired, including these eight verses. seemingly insignificant, obscure, small towns in Judah. And I do want to consider them briefly, and we'll survey what they mean individually in just a minute. But I think it's important for us to understand something before we even consider them individually. Micah's overall purpose in cataloging these eight towns, and he does so in rapid succession during his lament, he wants us to impress upon those citizens of Judah just how thoroughly they will be conquered by the Assyrians. Small town after small town will be rooted by Sennacherib. on his march toward Jerusalem. And I hesitate to bring up this historical reference because, you know, actually my brother's middle name is Sherman, and yes, he was named after the General Sherman in the Civil War, a fact that I generally did not share with many when I lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee for five years of my life. But really, the closest parallel I can think of is, remember Sherman's march to the sea in Georgia? He didn't just take Atlanta, he didn't just take Savannah, He took every little town that he could find and completely wiped it to the ground. So, yes, you can call him famous in the South. He was the infamous General Sherman. But so, too, that's what Sennacherib is now doing. He not only overtook Lakish and Adullam and all the other fortified cities, his military campaign wreaked havoc on all those little towns along the way as well. And there's one other general comment that I must make about these towns. All eight Hebrew place names are a play on words as he continues with his lament. And many of these names are lost on us as we read our English translations. And so that's why I think it's significant for us to spend time looking at these towns and what they mean. So we begin in verse 10 with the second half of that verse, In Bethlehephra, roll yourselves in the dust. I think most of you know Beth is referenced to home in Hebrew, and so Bethel is known as the house of God. But Ephra means dust. So this is a house of dust. This is a town of dust. And so what does Micah say? Micah says to this town, you're named the town of dust, and that's exactly what's going to happen to you. you're going to wind up rolling yourself in the dust. And for us, we would think, well, that means a complete defeat. And it does mean that in the Bible, but it means more than that. It means usually the utter grieving over the defeat that comes as well. So the first town, then, is the town of dust. Notice verse 11, pass on your way, inhabitants of Schaefer. Schaefer means beautiful. And beauty normally would be proudly displayed, but beauty is no longer on display here in shame and in nakedness. The city now resides in reminder to us of how Micah laments in verse eight, he laments as he is stripped and naked. And so sadly, because of the Assyrians, this town of beauty has become a town of shame. Dust, shame, and then we continue on. The inhabitants of Zayanan do not come out. Literally, Zayanan means one who goes out. Citizens of the town who go out do not go out. They can't go out. They've been wiped out by the Assyrian. The Assyrian army has defeated them, and so this is a town where no one escapes. Dust. Shame, no escape in it. And then we continue on. The lamentation of Bethazel shall take away from you its standing place. Bethazel is a little harder to translate. Literally, it means a house by the side of another. So probably the idea here is one who comes alongside of you and welcomes you. It's a neighborly place, a friendly city, if you will. But Bethazel, has been devastated as well. It's in no condition to host anyone. It appears that the inhabitants of Beth Ezel are talking to the inhabitants of Zanon when we read, shall take away from you its standing place. There's nowhere for you to come in our city. But remember, they can't escape anyway, the citizens of Zanon either. So we now have a town of hospitality who's turned into a town that's been shut down can't be that hospitable place that it desires. I hope we're getting the overall picture of the devastation and the sad situation that Jude is in. It's a town, it's a location of dust, a location of shame, a location where no one can escape. It's a location where no one can help each other as everything is shut down. We continue on. The inhabitants of Meroth wait anxiously for good because disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. Well, unlike Bethazel, Meroth really does live up to its name. Meroth means bitterness, and this becomes then the town of bitterness. It has citizens who can scour all around Jerusalem, even to the gates, all around Judah, sorry, even to the gates of Jerusalem, and they see nothing good. Waiting anxiously for anything good, the NIV I think has it rendered even better when it says, They writhe in pain, those inhabitants do, for something good. Such is the destruction of Judah, and such is the bitterness of Meroth. And then we move on in our text. We've talked about Lachish in verse 13, so as we jump down to 14, therefore you shall give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath. Remember chapter one, verse one tells us that Micah's hometown was Moresheth. So as he continues his lament, he now is lamenting over his own hometown and that a Philistine city of Gath is attached to its name because Moresheth was most likely right on the border between Judah and Philistia. Moresheth literally means a dowry. That is what a father gives when his daughter departs. And so the play on words with the ESV translation, departing gifts. Well, what's this all about? Remember last week, we referenced the fact that Israel had gone whoring after other gods that had forsaken their true God, their true husband, Jehovah. Micah references that in verse seven. From the fee of a prostitute, she gathered them. To the face of a prostitute, they shall return. Samaria was punished for its whoring after other gods. And now Micah laments that it's true for his hometown as well. If Moresheth Gath has divorced Jehovah and married the idols of surrounding nation, it is appropriate to center off with parting gifts, with dowry. And so we see this town then is a town of a pagan dowry, not a town of gifts to Jehovah as it ought to have been. Next we read about Agzib. In the second half of verse 14, the houses of Exib shall be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel. Exib simply means lie. And so Israelite kings were hoping to gain military help from the citizens of this city, from those who dwell in the houses of this land. They're not gonna get it, because it's a town of deception. It's a town of deception that cannot be counted on for help. And lastly, verse 15, I will again bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Marashah. Marashah literally means, again, one who possesses or one who's an heir, or it can mean a conqueror, and I think that's the best way to see it here in light of the military theme throughout the lament. Marashah may have had a history of military success in the past, but not at this time, because this now is the town of the conqueror will be conquered by another. So let me not belabor the point, but let me collectively remind you what a sorry state of affairs Judah is in. We've described this place as a place where there is a town of dust, a town of beauty that's been turned into shame, another town that's been completely shut down, a town that cannot escape, a town of a pagan dowry, a town of deception, and a town that has been conquered. Well, you may be saying, okay, that was a fun little history lesson, geography lesson. It was kind of even interesting to get all those strange Hebrew place names and know what they mean. But what does that have to do with us 2,700 years or so after Micah uttered this lament? Do we walk away saying, thanks for the lessons, pastor? I hope not. I hope we go beyond that each Lord's Day, because like the rest of scripture, God has placed Micah's lament in the Bible so that we can learn truths that we can apply in our lives today. And so let me give you three things by way of application from our text. See, like Micah, as we said last week, I say again this week, we too should lament over corruption and judgment. Micah wailed, Micah went naked, Micah stripped, and he lamented. He made noises, mourning noises, like ostriches and jackals. Not saying we have to have a one-to-one correspondence that way, nor do I think we have to shave our heads as Micah told the people of Judah to do, but I do believe we need to Weep over the national corruption, the ecclesiastical corruption, the individual corruption, and the impending judgment on those who do not repent. As again, I said last week, I exhort you today, with great anguish and sorrow, lament over America. Lament over the state of Christ's church in our land where it has failed him. And lament over those who are apart from Christ, and even those that we know who once were a part of God's people who have left. The faith. We do need to grieve, we do need to mourn. Blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted, so says our Lord. And may we, like Hezekiah, cry out in mercy, pray for the Lord's mercy, even as he did as Judah was on the brink of destruction and God saved them. Who knows, but that the Lord might be pleased to use our prayers to bring even those facing destruction back to him. Restoration still can occur. Secondly, Judah's condition, as described in Michael's lament, really is a description of fallen man. And I will tell you, brothers and sisters, as I shared with you earlier, many pastors just ignore these verses or quickly go over them. But the more I studied these, the more I said, God has given us these verses to remind us of the sorry condition not just Judah was in, but all who are apart from Christ are in. Isn't it true that all who've inherited Adam's nature are like Bethlehem, Afra, but dust? We work and sweat in dust, and when we die, we return to the dust. Aren't we like Schaeffer? Adam and Eve, remember, they were once beautiful. Schaeffer means beautiful. They were created in God's image, but with their fall, they realized their nakedness, and they had great shame. And now all mankind, apart from Jesus, stands naked and extubosed before God in their shameful state of corruption, rebellion, and sin against him. And like Zion and Nan, no one can escape God's his wrathful judgment due to sin. Like Bethazel, no human being is able to stop that judgment that God will bring upon others and themselves, as they too will be shut down by God. Like Meroth, isn't a non-Christian's life, like sinners wandering around the earth, unable to find anything good, as they bitterly writhe in pain over God's impending judgment? And isn't it like Moresheth Gath, wicked men foolishly forsaking the one true God in order to enjoy the pleasures of sin but for a season? But their pagan practice and their revelry ends in destruction. And like Exim, city of lies, Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan, the father of lies. And now all their descendants are under the curse of deception. And like Marisha, man's fallen condition prevents him from having victory over sin, Satan, and death. They have been conquered by them instead. But Judah's story, let me quickly remind you. did not end with the invasion of the Assyrians and its sorry condition as described in Micah's Lament. It continued with that miraculous restoration of Judah that we read about. Jehovah killed 185,000 men overnight without a single shot being drawn from the people of Judah. As Hezekiah acknowledged, it was the Lord, it was Judah's God who would fight their battles and bring restoration. And beloved, let me remind us all It's still true today. Jesus brings us that same miraculous restoration. He does it for helpless people who are dead in their trespasses and sins and unable to do anything about that condition. Jesus fought and he won our battle on the cross. He undertook the judgment that our sins deserved. He overcame all of our enemies with his miraculous resurrection from the dead three days later. And so now consider that list again that's before us. We now have a new conqueror, our Lord Jesus Christ. We now follow the God of truth and not falsehood. We've been brought back to our loving Heavenly Father as our husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has paid the dowry price for his restored bride with his precious blood. Our bitter existence has once more turned sweet because of Jesus. Our beauty's been restored as we're dressed in Christ's righteousness. And even though we will one day return to dust in death, just like the town before us in our text, our restoration will be complete. When we too rise from the dead, just as our Savior did, and we will spend eternity with the one who now brought us back and provided for us our miraculous restoration. But if you were here live stream, you're present with us in worship this Lord's day, you've yet to be restored. If you remain in that state of corruption described by Micah, you face the judgment that your sins deserved. I exhort you to take heed to the great gospel message. It's the text with which we began worship this morning as our assurance of pardon. I want to read it again for us in the context of what we've said about Micah and the miraculous restoration that's available for sinners in Christ. Romans 10 verse 9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and it's not just lip service, but you really believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, there's no other hope for you except for the victorious Jesus who overcame sin and death. If your trust is in him, if you confess that to be true, you will be saved. You will be restored. There's no doubt about it. God has promised us in his word that those who come to him he will in no wise cast out. But that's the whole idea of salvation. Restoration continues. With the heart one believes and is made right with God or justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved or restored. For the scripture says from Isaiah 28 16, Everyone who believes in Jesus will not be put to shame. That nakedness and shame doesn't exist for God's people. We are dressed in the beautiful righteousness of our great Savior. And there's no distinction, Paul goes on to say, between Jew and Greek. the lament of Judah, and the downfall of Judah this Lord's day, and Samaria. But whether you're a Jew, a Gentile, it doesn't matter. Ethnicity is not an issue. For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Call on the name of the Lord. Be saved. Be restored. And may all of us this Lord's Day rejoice in the one who has brought us our miraculous restoration and salvation. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you first of all for that miraculous restoration in Christ. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We were desperate. We were unable to save ourselves. We were every bit as much as what we've read in Micah, our sorry condition. We were corrupt, we deserved your judgment. Jesus took that judgment upon us, and now we've been restored. Father, we've heard that all of our lives, help it never to grow cold, help us to be motivated to live for you who has brought on that restoration. And if there are those who have yet to turn in faith to Christ, we do pray, Father, that you would be gracious to them. But Father, your word also tells us that Jesus wept over Jerusalem just as Michael wept over Judah. Your word tells us that when our Savior saw death and unbelief in his midst at his friend Lazarus' funeral, he too wept. Father, help us to weep. Help us to lament. Help us to see the sorry condition of our country, of your people, of those that we know who don't love Jesus, of those we know who said they loved Jesus at one point and are living now as if they don't. Father, would you hear us as we will? Would you grant them repentance? Would you restore them? Because we want you to receive all the glory from all sinners here on earth. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.