“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

Micah was a prophet in Judah whose concern for the nation of Israel was the immorality, idolatry and injustice of the people. Through Micah, God speaks out to them. “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me” (Micah 6:3).

The people respond indignantly. “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 oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:6-7).In effect, the people are saying, “What more do you want from us, God? Have we not confessed enough, sacrificed enough and worshipped enough? God answers them. “What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Spiritual disciplines were not the issue. In fact, they were instituted by God, but in the outflow of their relationship with God, they had created a disconnect. The temple, the sacrifices, the worship belonged to God, but the rest was their own, lived the way they pleased. They had separated their spiritual lives from their material lives, and mercy, compassion and justice were sadly lacking.

In Scripture, justice is associated with holiness, and one of the expressions of a holy life is that we are concerned with the needs of this world. Mercy moves beyond justice. It is a deep, heartfelt compassion aroused by the need or distress of others in one who is capable of relieving such need or distress. Mercy is not sentiment or sympathy, but acting and it goes the extra mile. Humility is placing others before ourselves. And whatever else walking humbly with God means, it certainly means this: we walk humbly with one another.

The message of Micah is that we can become satisfied with the language of scripture and with singing praises, preaching and teaching. Our own words can even convince ourselves that all is well. We need to be sure to connect the dots between our communication of the gospel to others and the application of it. Evangelist, Stuart Briscoe, has said, “We must articulate what we demonstrate. We must explain as we exhibit. We must tell as we show.” True Christianity is love and that is the love of God indwelling us, and reaching out to a needy world with the words of the gospel combined with works of compassion, kindness and mercy. It is the inevitable result of walking humbly with God.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve put myself ﬁrst. Fill me with your love and compassion, and keep me humble in my interactions with others. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I walking humbly with God by putting others first?