Micah 6:8

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”

NRSVue, Micah 6:8

Micah chapter 6, verse 8, is one of two often-quoted verses from the book of Micah (the other being chapter 5, verse 2, which is often used during Advent). It is a verse that many people have written about, using it as a case study for thinking about Christian responses to poverty, nation-building and even COVID-19. And it can certainly be used for all these things. It is rich in meaning, and even richer when we consider the context of the book as a whole. The core material of the book of Micah was written to the Israelites in the 8^th century BCE, with editing happening for a few centuries afterwards. This was before the exile of the Israelites into Babylon, though editing continued during that period. Chapter 6, like much of the minor prophets, has God calling Israel to account for their actions and unfaithfulness. Verses 6 and 7 pose four questions about what might please God, saying:

“With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow myself before God on high?
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 give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

We often find ourselves still asking these questions. How can we please God? What does God require of us? It is a question that people of faith have asked for millennia. In the ancient world, there were gods who asked for significant things. They asked for firstborn children, for human sacrifice, and for large portions of flocks and crops. In that way, the God of Israel was a bit different. While we tend to think of the Law as particularly onerous and difficult to fulfil, for the people who first received it, the Law was at least clear! No more guessing what a god might require, giving more and more in the hope of attracting attention and favour. No, the Law told you what was required to please God: a freedom that many others lacked.

And yet, like all of us, Israel fell into patterns of uncertainty. There were times when children were sacrificed, when they were unsure what God wanted or needed. Some rhetorical examples of this are found in the verses quoted above, leading into verse 8. Verse 8 gives the answer: God does not require you to sacrifice your children, to give a thousand rams, or to offer the youngest and most precious sheep. No, God requires that we do justice, love kindness and walk humbly.

These things are, at once, both easier and harder. Paul speaks in Romans 12 about the idea of us being living sacrifices: not human sacrifices on an altar, but living people who have given their lives to serving God. And what does that look like? It is an ongoing commitment, not just a one-time thing. It is to get up each day and choose the side of justice, to choose the side of kindness, and to walk in humility with God. This is why authors use Micah 6:8 to look at ideas like poverty, disease, and what it means to be a Christian in the world today. Justice, kindness and humility are callings for all aspects of our lives as people of faith. How will we do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God today?