Micah 5:10-15

In the Day of the Lord, He will cleanse sin from among his people. Some people believe that what is sin for one is sin for all; that is only true about some sin. The godly king that Micah told the Israelites was coming, would destroy the sinful things that had replaced God as a source of faith. Many of those things were sinful for everybody, not just the children of God.

He was going to destroy witchcraft. By witchcraft, Micah meant all methods of attempting to control others, and to see the future. Rational people know that witchcraft does not work, but witchcraft at its root is nothing more than manipulation. It is sinful for anyone to be manipulative of others. Witchcraft, fortunetelling, and the occult are always sinful.

He was going to destroy the idols, sacred stones, Asherah poles and idolatry. Idolatry is any attempt to control a god, and people often practiced it by capturing his image in an object. By controlling the image, they believed they could control that god. Idolatry is always sinful no matter who you are.

It is not sinful for people who do not know God, to trust their military, large cities and fortifications for safety. It would be foolish for an ungodly nation not to have a military to protect themselves from their enemies. Israel’s relationship with God changed the definition of right and wrong for them. It is unrighteous for God’s people to trust in their own military might instead of trusting God. Sin is not the same for everybody; somethings are sinful for God’s people that are not sinful for the unrighteous.

Micah told the people that the coming king would reconcile them into a right relationship with God. That relationship with God would change every other relationship they had. It would change where they placed their trust, the source of their hope, the way they related to their enemies, and their definition of sin. Christ is King; accepting Him requires accepting his definition of sin.