“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 6:8).
Here the prophet Micah lays out a
blue-print for life. It
begins with the fact God has revealed to His children what is good and what He requires of them.
Is it not ennobling God should address man this way; pointing out
things He requires of us? Before “unpacking”
this verse a basic point needs to be made: because God requires certain things
of us that means we can require certain things of ourselves and others. Immediately this “flow” creates order,
something vastly needed in our world today. What must be the outcome in America where less
and less is being required of more and more?
Let’s unpack Micah 6:8 beginning with “to do justly”. The
foundation of any justice stemming from us begins with our doing “justly” to God: giving Him His just
due. According to Jesus (Matthew 22:37)
this means to love God with all one’s heart, soul and mind. Immediately following this one is do “justly” to one’s neighbor, always
treating him as you would be treated.
But not to be forgotten is the importance of doing “justly” to one’s self:
seeking first a vital relationship with God (“knowing” Him through
Christ), keeping your body with all discipline in every area, avoiding all
excesses.
Next, we are to “love
mercy”. This is so much a God-trait;
going beyond what mere “justice” requires, looking to insert mercy, kindness,
benevolence of every sort, topped off with charity.
But to do the above we must “walk humbly with our God”.
The very thought one can “walk with God” elevates the human situation above measure. Beyond Judaism and Christianity, this is a
totally alien concept. It is the very
walking out of this relationship with all peoples, treating them as Micah 6:8
requires, that is to make Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus Christ so
attractive. The problem with so many of
us is that we have not “walked humbly
with our God”. This, to the sorrow
and lack of the whole world.
Are you walking “humbly
with your God”?
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