Micah 6:10

Micah 6:10 says, Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?  In verse nine, God had said judgment was coming, and now He begins to tell why this was true.  Micah was speaking to God's chosen people when he spoke of these things.  We might expect the wicked to have treasures derived from their wickedness, but we should never expect it from God's people.  Verse eleven adds, Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?  Having been called on to walk justly God asks if His people should count themselves as pure when they were cheating others.  We as followers of Christ must always attempt to deal fairly with everyone we come into contact with.  We cannot cheat others and still follow Christ.  Verse twelve continues, For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.  I don't believe that this was an indictment against rich people as such, but was instead an indictment against the way they had become rich.  They had cheated others to obtain their riches.  God said that they, those who were called His people, had spoken lies and were full of violence.  We today as Christians must follow God's leadership in all things.  If we do, then we will never be guilty of cheating others for our own gain, nor will we have a violent nature toward others.  Verse thirteen states, Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.  God said He would make His people desolate because of their sins.  We must remember that this is really what they really were before entering into the covenant relationship with God.  All God really had to do was remove His protective hand from them.  We today were lost in desolation and sin before we accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.  Then we came under God's protective hand.  Though we may be secure forever in our salvation, we may lose that protection of God if this world if we fail to follow His will for us.  Verse fourteen adds, Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.  God said that they would eat but not be satisfied. We can either take this to mean that there wouldn't be enough to eat to satisfy them, or that no matter how much they ate they would still not be satisfied.  God also said that everything they had would be given up to the sword.  We know that when we are outside the will of God as followers of Christ that nothing will ever satisfy us and that everything gained outside of God's will shall never last.  Verse fifteen continues, Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.  God said that His people would not profit from things done when living under the dictates of sin and idolatry.  The same is true today in terms of our works being of everlasting value.  Though we may profit temporarily, in the coming judgment things done outside of God's will can never be of profit to us.  Verse sixteen concludes, For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.  God's people were living under the laws and works of the world instead of living under the law and leadership of God.  We cannot allow the teachings of the world to become the law of the church, otherwise we will bear the reproach of the world and God.  If followers of Christ proclaim to live under His leadership but are no different than the rest of the world, then we should not be surprised if we are ignored or ridiculed.  God calls us to a different standard.