“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.” -Micah 6:6-8
Micah was a prophet before the time that Jesus lived. Sometimes prophets helped the people understand God. That is what Micah is doing here. He is helping the people understand what God wants them to do. In those ancient times, God’s people would bring certain things to the priests of Israel as gifts or “offerings” to God. Sometimes they brought wheat or barley or some other grain as a thank you to God for all the good things God had given them. Sometimes they brought sheep or bulls when the people wanted to tell God that they were sorry for something they had done. The people were asking Micah, ‘how much is enough?’ So Micah responds that God has shown them what is good – “to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”
This call of action still speaks to us today. Sometimes we ask these same questions and wonder what it is that God wants us to do. I think that verse 8 in Eugene Peterson’s The Message makes it clear and understandable: “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love and don’t take yourself too seriously- take God seriously.”
So today, reflect upon this verse for yourself. What does it mean for you to be fair and just to your neighbor? What does it mean for you to be compassionate, kind, loyal in love, and full of mercy? And how can you be humble and really take God seriously? When we pair these attitudes and acts of justice, mercy, and humility together, I think we’re closer to answering what God is looking for us to do.
Amy Givens, Director of Youth Ministry
