Micah’s Big Three

Micah 6:1-8

Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;

    let the hills hear what you have to say.

“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.

“My people, what have I done to you?

    How have I burdened you? Answer me.

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.

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.”

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?

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?

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.

“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”  is the pronouncement that Micah is known for in our time, but like so many other famous scripture quotes, we often aren’t aware of the context from which the saying comes from.

This threefold requirement is given as the very basis of a case God is making against God’s people.  “This is what the Lord requires and you aren’t doing any of it,” is the gist of what God is saying.  In the verses that follow, the Lord gives some examples.  Merchants were cheating the poor by using dishonest scales in the marketplace.  People have gotten rich at the expense of the poor.  They have let other idols come in between themselves and God.  They were acting unjustly, neglecting mercy, and walking proudly with other gods.  I know it’s hard to imagine such a culture, but try! 😉

Micah goes on in the rest of chapter 6 to explain that any people that violates justice, mercy, and the primacy of God will lead itself into ruin.  It is a descending spiral that destroys a nation from within and makes that nation easy prey for its enemies.  Judah found that out the hard way via the Assyrians’ invasion in 701 BC.  But nations throughout history have suffered the same fate for the same reasons.  Even the great Roman Empire’s downfall happened largely through internal decay that made it vulnerable to invaders.  Justice, mercy, and deference to God are always essential components of a successful society.

All this makes Micah’s warning very timely even in our day.  We must tend to justice, mercy, and our priority of God in our own land or we will meet the same fate.  As we noted a couple of reflections ago, the arc of the universe bend towards justice because God bends it that way.  When justice (and mercy) are neglected, we are NOT walking in the same direction as God.  Micah (and virtually all the prophets) invite us to walk in God’s direction in whatever ways we have ability to do so. 

Prayer:  May we use what power we have to help the cause of justice and mercy so that we find ourselves walking humbly with You O Lord. Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for wisdom to know how you can participate in God’s justice and mercy.

Song:  “The Walk” – Steven Curtis Chapman