What the Lord Requires
Opening Prayer
Lord, You have revealed Your will to all: deal fairly, be compassionate and walk with You. We humbly submit.
Read Micah 6:1–16
Listen to what the Lord says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
“Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah, which is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
with a bag of false weights?
12 Your rich people are violent;
your inhabitants are liars
and their tongues speak deceitfully.
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy you,
to ruin you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;
your stomach will still be empty.
You will store up but save nothing,
because what you save I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;
you will press olives but not use the oil,
you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab’s house;
you have followed their traditions.
Therefore I will give you over to ruin
and your people to derision;
you will bear the scorn of the nations.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22,23, NRSV).
Micah 6 is well-known for its central verse, rightly celebrated as one of the greatest sayings of the Old Testament: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God” (8).
What strikes me as I read this passage today are the words “mortal” and “mercy.” The Hebrew word translated “mortal” is ’ādām. It means “human being.” It is used, of course, to describe the first human being in the garden story of Genesis 2. It can be used of any individual, but it can also have a representative quality, and I wonder whether it is so used here in Micah. Perhaps it suggests a universal address to all people. The word chesed here translates into our word “mercy.” This is a significant word in the Old Testament. Usually translated “loving-kindness” or “steadfast love,” it has to do with covenant loyalty. It is one of the great characteristics of God, whose “love [chesed] endures forever” (Psa. 136, throughout), and who revealed himself to
Moses as one “abounding in love [chesed]” (Exod. 34:6).
In my work as a Christian minister, I often come across people of other faiths, or of no faith at all, whose daily practice of kindness, fairness and humility is exemplary. They conduct
themselves as they may perceive God requires, and I am pleased to acknowledge this.
Conversely, however, people of faith sometimes act abominably. We learn from Micah that
whenever faith makes a person unkind, violent or haughty, it is a spurious faith. God does not lead people to commit acts of violence or to behave unkindly towards others. The God of mercy and love requires the same of any who would claim to follow him.
Apply
Does Mark 12:32,33 (in the context of vs. 28–34) echo the words of Micah 6:1–8? Would you rather make a sacrifice than obey the love command?
Closing prayer
Lord, You have long ago revealed Yourself as the God who keeps covenant mercy to a
thousand generations. Instill within us this steadfast loyalty to You.
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