Micah’s message begins with a major warning for His people Israel, predicting coming destruction at the hands of the Assyrian Empire. This was ultimately God’s sovereign judgment on His people who were drenched in idolatry.

Micah builds Jehovah’s case to show the people’s guilt and deserved justice. The first indictment is that Israel had traded their relationship with True God for cheap imitations and fake man-made gods who cannot deliver. Most of the time, the drift toward idolatry is subtle. Generally, we don’t begin with outright rejection of Jesus.

Most of the time, the path to idolatry happens as we mix the spirituality and beliefs around us with the faith delivered in the Gospel. We want all of God’s promises and blessings, yet reject any type of God who keeps us from doing what we want and getting all the things we desire. Yet, idolatry always fails us, our idols cannot save. And worse, idolatry robs us of our witness to the world.

As we will find today, idolatry is the core problem for our lives—because our hearts are idol factories.