Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly: God’s Call in Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, 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. Micah 6:8 (NIV)
A Timeless Call
In a loud and divided world, people are asking, “What does the Lord require of you?” People hear answers from every corner, but they often fail to turn to where the answers are – the Bible. What does Micah 6:8 mean for Christians today? In Micah 6:8, we find a simple yet profound answer to what God wants from us. This post will explore God’s threefold requirement for living out Micah 6:8 in everyday life.
Context of Micah
Micah was known as a minor prophet, not because his message was less important, but because it is one of the smaller books in the context of the other 11 minor prophets of the Old Testament. The book is said to have been written between 740 and 686 BC. Micah’s contemporaries would have been Isaiah and Hosea.
In Micah’s day, the kingdoms of Judah and Israel were amid positive economic changes. New wealth in the cities, primarily due to a prolonged period of peace, enabled the rich to expand their wealth at the expense of the lower class. (Evans 2019)[1] In other words, the rich were oppressing the poor. The rich were devising ways to steal land from the poor. In the preceding verses, Micah asks what will satisfy the LORD. He asks is it thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil?
The answer is more straightforward than that.
Act Justly – What Does it Mean?
Acting justly, in this context, does not mean legal justice. In this context, it means treating one another with love and mercy. We should have a greater sense of responsibility toward the weaker members of society. These are the marginalized, like the homeless people who do not have enough to eat; it might even mean the underemployed, who do not have the job skills that it takes to get a higher-paying job. If we claim to be in a relationship with Christ, then our actions toward others should be shaped by what the Bible says about grace and mercy. Disciples of Christ are to practice the teaching of the Bible, both in judging and in our responsibility to weaker members of society.
This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3 (NIV)
Love Mercy – Not Just Feeling It, But Showing It
The word mercy in this context is the Hebrew word ḥeseḏ, which can be translated as covenant love. It is not easy to relegate ḥeseḏ to just one English word. It does mean mercy, but at the same time, it means faithfulness, love, grace, and kindness. Ḥeseḏ refers to an act performed for the benefit of a person in real and desperate need in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between the parties concerned. (Younger and Muck 2020)[2] The ultimate act of ḥeseḏ was shown by Jesus when He died for our sins. Without a doubt, we were the people in real and desperate need, and Jesus showed that enduring commitment in taking our punishment.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 (NIV)
Walk Humbly With Your God – A Daily Posture
Walking in humility with God is something we should shoot for daily. It cannot be a thing sometimes. This part of the command is directed toward God, but we must not forget how we treat others in our daily lives. What do our lifestyles look like? Is it one that honors God? Is it a lifestyle that includes grace and mercy of others? Sometimes, the disciples of Jesus mistreat vulnerable people, live in ways that promote injustice, and ignore corrupt practices. We are not walking humbly with our God in those cases. Walking humbly includes listening to God, depending on Him, and staying teachable. God wants a relationship, not performance.
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. Isaiah 66:2
How Micah 6:8 Applies to Us Today
· God wants a personal relationship with all of us – have a real relationship with Him.
· He wants our love and obedience.
· He wants us to love our neighbors and minister to their needs.
· Our Christianity is genuine when we demonstrate biblical truth by meeting the needs of others.
These are practical applications of Micah 6:8. I challenge you to choose one of these three commands —act justly, love mercy, or walk humbly with your God —and see how it works out for you.
[1] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019), 817.
[2] K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges, Ruth, ed. Terry Muck, Revised Edition, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 489.
References
Evans, Tony. 2019. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Younger, Lawson, K. Jr., and ed. Terry Muck. 2020. Judges, Ruth: The NIV Application Commentary, Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan Academic.
