WatersEdge Church Messages
At WatersEdge our senior pastor, Eric Livingston, delivers bible-based teaching each week. Services are every Sunday morning at 9:30am, at WatersEdge.
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WatersEdge Church Messages
Bible Recap Week 29
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This week on the Bible Recap Podcast, Pastor Julie and Kayla dive into the powerful message of the book of Micah. Together they reflect on the themes that stood out most as they read through this prophetic book; God's unwavering justice, His incredible mercy, and His invitation for His people to return to Him with humble hearts.
Join the conversation as they unpack Micah's timeless call to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God," while discussing how these truths still challenge and encourage believers today. Whether you're reading through the Bible for the first time or have studied Micah before, this episode offers practical insights and meaningful application for your walk with Christ.
Grab your Bible, tune in, and let's discover together what God is saying through the words of the prophet Micah.
Hey everyone, and welcome to the Waterfake Bible Reading Podcast. This is Pastor Eric, and I'm really glad you're listening. This podcast is one of the tools that we're using this year as we read through the Bible together. It's a chance for us to think about last week's reading. What's standing up to you? What's confusing? What might God be saying to us along the way? What do you think that we are focused on in the reading of the things that we need to say about it? A workout that builds muscle so you can live like Jesus. Love like Jesus. I I love spending time in the work with you like this. So let's get started.
SPEAKER_01Hey everyone, welcome back to the Water's Edge Bible Recap Podcast. I'm Julie.
SPEAKER_02And I'm Kayla. Thanks for joining us. Whether you're listening on your drive to work, folding laundry, or finishing up this week's Bible reading, we're so glad you're here.
SPEAKER_01One of my favorite parts about doing this podcast is that we're not trying to reteach everything that we've read this week. The Bible recap already does such a great job of walking through the reading. Instead, every week we're asking, out of everything that we've read, what was the one thing that we couldn't stop thinking about?
SPEAKER_02And honestly, this week wasn't easy because there was so much. We had Isaiah, Amos, Micah, Kings, Chronicles. I feel like we could have picked five different topics. We almost did. We really did. But somehow we kept coming back to Micah. Why Micah?
SPEAKER_01Because can I ask you first, what kept pulling you back to Micah? Because for me, it wasn't even the verse everyone quotes.
SPEAKER_02No, honestly, the verse everyone knows wasn't what grabbed me either. It was God's question earlier in chapter six. My people, what have I done to you? I actually stopped reading for a minute because that didn't sound like an angry God. It sounded like a father whose heart was breaking.
SPEAKER_01That was exactly my reaction. Sometimes I think we picture the prophets as just judgment, judgment, judgment. But when I read Micah, I hear God saying, I've been faithful to you. Why are you walking away?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so before we go any further, can you give us some context? Because Micah wasn't just randomly writing this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So Micah was speaking to a nation that looked healthy spiritually. So on the outside, he looked great, but underneath everything was falling apart. The wealthy were exploiting the poor, judges were accepting bribes, right? Leaders were abusing their positions, and even the religious leaders had become corrupt. Everybody still looked the part, but very few were actually walking with God.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that part convicted me because it's possible to look like you are following Jesus, but really your heart slowly is drifting to another place.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. One thing that really stood out to me was back in chapter two. Micah 2, uh verses 6 through 7 say, Do not preach. And then God asks, Should it be said, is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these his deeds? Do not my words do good to the one whose walk is upright. That reminded me of something that's so important. Sometimes people hear the prophets and they only see that judgment. But Micah is reminding us that God is good. His words are good. And at that same time, he's also just. Those two things aren't competing with each other. Because he is good, he can't ignore injustice. And because he is just, his goodness doesn't overlook sin.
SPEAKER_02I love that you pointed that out because I think we tend to separate those two things. We either tend to picture that God is all love or he's all judgment, and Micah shows us that he can be both.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. And that's actually what I love about the prophets. They're not just pointing fingers, but they're exposing the hearts of people. Can I ask you something? Sure. When you read Micah, what challenged you personally?
SPEAKER_02Honestly, the people immediately started asking, what sacrifice do you want? More sheep, more offerings, more oil. And I thought, you know what? Sometimes that's just like me. When I feel distant from God, my first reaction is usually, what else do I need to do? I need to do more, I need to read more, I need to be, you know, have longer prayer time, I need to volunteer more. Instead of asking, God, what's happening in my heart?
SPEAKER_01I literally wrote almost the same thing in my Bible. It's amazing how quickly we turn relationship into performance.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, then we get to probably the most famous verse in the whole book. Um, in Micah 6.8, he says, He has shown you. And I noticed something this week that God doesn't say, I'm finally going to tell you what I want. He says, I've already shown you. And that changed everything for me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, me too. Because Micah 6.8 isn't just another checklist, it's almost God saying, You already know my heart. Act like it, right? Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with me. So, which one of those three stands out to you the most? Is it the justice, mercy, or the humility part?
SPEAKER_02Um, mercy, without a doubt. Because it's easy to love receiving mercy, but it's so much harder to love giving it. Especially, I found that when someone's hurt you or wronged you, it's so much hard to act on that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's such a good point. And I think that's why Micah uses the word love mercy, not tolerate it or occasionally show it, but love it. Become people who delight in extending the same grace that we've been given.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Okay, your turn. Which one stands out to you?
SPEAKER_01Honestly, walk humbly because it doesn't say for me to run or perform, right? It's not telling me to prove myself. It says walk. And I think that's relationship. That daily, steady, that closeness, one step at a time with God. Another verse that I highlighted this week was Micah 2.13. It describes God as the one who breaks open the way. Some translations that I was reading even called him the breaker. And I couldn't help but think about Jesus because he's the one who broke through what we never could, right? He broke the barrier of sin, he defeated death, he opened the way for us to come to the Father. And because his spirit lives in us, the barrier breaker also lives within us.
SPEAKER_02That's so encouraging. And I think it really paints the picture. I know that there's probably people listening right now who feel stuck, maybe stuck in fear, or maybe there's an addiction they're stuck in, maybe it's grief. And this is such an encouraging picture to envision because we serve a savior who still makes a way where we can't see one. One of the chapters that I kept coming back to this week was Micah, chapter three. And honestly, it's hard to read because Micah isn't talking to people who didn't know God, he was talking to the leaders, the rulers, the judges, the priests, the prophets, the very people who were supposed to be pointing others towards God. But instead, a lot of them were using their positions for themselves, and some were taking bribes, some were only willing to speak if they were paid. And verse 5 really stood out to me because it talks about prophets who would basically tell people what they wanted to hear as long as it benefited them. And that really made me stop and think. Exactly. And while I was reading it, I couldn't help but think, we still live in a world with so many voices competing for our attention. We have podcasts and social media platforms. There's books, YouTube, TikTok. There are people talking about God literally everywhere. And some are faithfully teaching his word, but others are teaching something that sounds good but isn't actually true. And Michael reminds me that not every voice speaking about God is necessarily speaking for God.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's so good. And I think that that's where Micah gives us this great practical reminder. One of the things that this chapter reminded me of is that we all have a responsibility, every single one of us, to know God's word for ourselves. Healthy spiritual leaders should always point people back to scripture and not to themselves. And that's why I think here at Water's Edge, we want to encourage everyone to keep their Bibles open. Read it for yourselves, study it, ask the questions, compare what you hear that we say or the speaker is saying with God's word. And that's one of the reasons that we're doing this podcast, right? Not to replace your time in God's word, but to come alongside you as we all grow together. Because the more familiar you become with God's voice, the easier it's going to be to recognize when something doesn't line up with his truth.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love that. Because that's really the goal, isn't it? Not that people would become suspicious of every pastor or or teacher or leader that they are listening to, but that we would all become so rooted in scripture that we recognize God's voice for ourselves.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. When someone knows the real thing, the counterfeits become so much easier to recognize. Even as uh staff members, right, or ministry leaders, our hope is never that people simply believe what we say. Our hope is that they're going to open their Bibles and see that what we're teaching is rooted in his scripture.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I actually thought about the students while I was reading this this week. And one of the things we talk about a lot is learning to ask does this line up with God's word? Not is this the most popular opinion or does this make me feel good? But is this true? Because feelings are going to change, culture is going to change, opinions are always changing, but God's word never does. That's so good.
SPEAKER_01It actually reminded me of the Barians in Acts, the book of Acts. They listened with open hearts, but they also searched the scriptures daily to make sure that what they were hearing was true. That's not skepticism, that's spiritual maturity.
SPEAKER_02I think that's the invitation for all of us this week. Not to become fearful of every teacher or preacher or leader, but to become students of God's word ourselves. The closer we stay to him, the easier it becomes to recognize his voice. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Another thing that I found fascinating is that Micah was actually the first prophet to specifically prophesy Jerusalem's destruction. Can you imagine hearing that? The city where God's temple stood, the place people assumed could never fall. Micah boldly declares that God's judgment was coming. That took incredible courage.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, especially because that wasn't a popular message. But then you see something change. Chapter 4 begins shifting from judgment towards hope.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Verse 10 says that exile is coming, but in the very same breath, God promises, there you shall be rescued. That's God's heart. Even when discipline is necessary, hope is never gone. Restoration is always his desire. Then, if we jump to chapter 5, chapter 5 makes me smile. Micah says the coming Messiah will be our peace. Immediately my mind went back to Isaiah 9, where Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Different prophets, different audiences, but that same savior. It's Jesus. That's one of the things that I love most about reading through the Bible this way. You begin seeing how everything points to Jesus. Something else that I couldn't stop thinking about when Micah is pointing to Jesus is because Jesus perfectly lived out Micah 6.8, right? That perfect justice, perfect mercy, humility, everything that Micah was calling Israel toward, Jesus fulfilled.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's so good. Um, that also means we're not trying to earn God's love by living Micah 6.8, but we're responding because we've already received it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So before we wrap up, I have a question for everyone listening. When was the last time you asked, What does God want from me? Maybe this week, instead of asking that question, ask God, what are you inviting me into?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, another great question would possibly be to ask, has following Jesus become more about checking boxes for with for you rather than walking with him? Because I know for me, Micah was a good reminder that God wants my heart before he wants any of my performance. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Can I leave everyone with the verse that stayed with me all week? Micah 7:7 says, But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, my God will hear me. And I don't know who needs that reminder today. Maybe you're waiting on healing or to hear his direction on a situation. Maybe you're waiting for a relationship to be restored, an answer that you've been praying for. And Micah reminds us to keep looking to God, keep waiting because he hears your cry.
SPEAKER_02I love that because Micah doesn't say I'm waiting because everything is okay. He's waiting in the middle of uncertainty, and that's such a good example of faith. Yes.
SPEAKER_01And maybe that's the invitation for all of us this week, right? Not to have every single answer, but to keep our eyes on the one who does.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Hey, this was fun. Thanks so much for joining us this week. We'd love to hear what stood out to you in your Bible reading. If you're at Water's Edge this Sunday, come tell us or send us a message. We really do love hearing what God is teaching you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Thanks for spending time with us. Keep reading, keep growing, and remember, every page of scripture points us to Jesus. We'll see you next week.
SPEAKER_00Thanks so much for listening to the Water's Edge Bible recap. I look forward every week to walking in the Word with you. You can find more information about Water's Edge Church at www.watersedge.faith. And you can listen to our weekly message on any platform under the Water's Edge website or by downloading the Water's Edge app.