Micah 6:8

Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O Man, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:1-2, God had a problem with His people so He filed a lawsuit against them forcing them to court to face His charges.

Court opened with God asking why they didn’t appreciate Him or follow Him, Micah 6:3-5.

God reminded His people that He was the reason they were in a good land full of blessings, rights and goodness.  He was the One who had broken them out of the Egyptian “prison.”  They were stuck with no future and no joy.  In came God’s team – Moses, Aaron and Miriam (6:4) to lead them through the terrible wilderness through enemies and across the flooded Jordan into the land of Abraham.  God was their Savior, Guide and Protector.

God had seen the injustice, lack of kindness and arrogance of the Pharaoh to which the Jews had been subjected and moved to right the wrongs.  God had done so very much to give the Jews a new and sweet life.  So why did they not love Him?

The defendants, the people, retorted with a counter argument.  They claimed that God was just too hard to follow – His expectations were nearly impossible. They suggested, mockingly, that maybe the quality of sacrifices (younger), the quantity of sacrifices (10,000), or even the costliness of sacrifices (one’s own son) might make God happy.  They just found God’s ways too hard and they had given up.  (Works for salvation are highly frustrating for doing much and more and then even more never gives assurance and always leaves the worker exhausted and worried.)

God responded with the famous and powerful Micah 6:8.  So what is it that pleases God?  Consider Micah 6:8…

God’s response to their complaint about He being impossible to please was that sacrifices were not His calling.  Rather, He was looking for a heart for truth, for others, and for Himself.

“He has shown you”

When has God ever been unjust?  Not kept his word?  Not been righteous?  When?  When we answer anything other than “never” it is because we have flawed view of us.  We naturally and often see ourselves as righteous – as right.  We naturally see ourselves as being like God – knowing good and evil.  We don’t see us as God sees and thus we tend to accuse God of being unjust. Sounds a lot like Genesis 3 because it is!

Also, when has God ever been not merciful or kind?  When has God not been good?

If our answer is other than “never” – see the note above.

And, when has God ever been unworthy of adoration or service?  If your answer is other than “never” – you know the drill.

“the Lord requires” – not options, not suggestions, not ideas, not hopes – but expectations.

God is looking for Integrity, Kindness and Joyful Submission from His people.

God wants His people to do right all the time (give your word and keep your word as He does), be givers and forgivers, and be thankful (humbled that God protects, provides, and cares).

Let us live lives pleasing to Him every day!