Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With God

Good Morning,

Micah 6:1-8 (NIV)
Listen to what the LORD says:
"Stand up, plead your case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
"My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab counseled
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."
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?
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.
(Emphasis mine, DRB)

We read in these verses God telling Israel...God's people...so much of what God had done for them up until that time. But, God was telling them, if I get the tone of this section correct, that He wasn't very happy with them; nor was He happy with all of the "sacrifices" that were offered to Him. Now, someone might say, "Well that's "Old Testament" stuff and what God did for Israel doesn't really apply to Christians today. I guess I could understand that, except...........

So, what has God done for Christians today that could be put in place of some of the things we read in these verses? Well, maybe just the little fact that He came to this earth as a human being, Jesus Christ, in order that we...all of mankind for all the rest of time...would have a Savior. God gave us a plan for this salvation. Jesus taught us innumerable lessons and gave us examples over and over of how to live a decent, Christian life. Then, He suffered and died a horrible death in order to be the Ultimate Sacrifice for mankind's sin. God then raised Him from the dead to show us that He HAD, truly, conquered death and that we, too, would have eternal life with Him when we leave this earth.

Now...wouldn't you say that's probably some pretty good stuff here? At least as good as what we read in these verses today? And, wouldn't you say that the words we read in the last verse (those I highlighted and underlined) would apply to us today? Even if they are from the "Old Testament?" I know I certainly would.

What does God require of us in the way we live our lives? That's what I understand when I read this section of Scripture. He doesn't require sacrifices. He doesn't require money. He doesn't require that we attend this congregation or that. No, He doesn't require anything like that in how we live. He tells us in these verses...remember this section starts, "Listen to what the LORD says," so in my mind this IS God talking directly to me and everyone else who reads these verses...He tells us that we are required "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I don't really think that these actions, ways to live, need a whole lot of explanation or interpretation, do you?

Act justly...Love mercy...Walk humbly with God.

I think we can do that. The question is: Do we?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David