Micah Explains True Religion in One Short Verse

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

He has told you, O man, 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? (Micah 6:8 ESV)

This morning, my Bible reading was Micah chapters 5, 6, and 7, as we continue reading daily through God’s Word. This is the third year in a row without a break that I’ve been diligently reading through God’s Word. Once January 1, 2019 comes along, I will simply start over again with Genesis 1 and read through the Bible in another year. The benefits are eye-opening.

As I read through the three designated chapters in Micah, I came across verse 8 of chapter 6, as noted above. Micah is speaking to Israel of course, but he is also speaking to all humanity (“O man”). Notice Micah point-blank notes that “HE” – God – has already informed all of humanity what is good; the best way to live. In case no one is aware, Micah the prophet breaks it down in a very succinct way for everyone with no possibility of misunderstanding. He starts off by asking the question: “and what does the Lord require of you…”

Micah notes three things:

• to do justice
• to love kindness
• to walk humbly with your God

Folks, if ever the religion of Christianity is summarized, it is here in these few words, though first spoken to the nation of Israel and by extension, the world. They speak to us as Christians as well.

I recall during my very early days as a Christian (I received the Lord when I was 13 and the incident is still very real to me as I can tell you where I was, what I was wearing, and how it came to be that I went down front of the church we were attending to be prayed over and to make a public confession of faith before the congregation), initially I was “on fire” for the Lord. Because of my newfound life in Christ, I told my classmates about it and was probably a bit overbearing.

As time went on, things cooled and I began experiencing several frustrations, most of which had to do with the fact that I did not “feel” like a Christian. I had no one who came along side me to help me understand God’s ways. I had no idea what to do and I can see I clearly went off track for a number of years.

Some 40 or so years later, it is easy to look back and pinpoint what the problem was all about. Of course, then, without any real training or discipling from other strong Christians, I had no clue. I’m not blaming anyone except myself for not persevering. In fact, it would appear that my issues back then stand out as being things that actually helped me find my way eventually. For that I’m grateful though it took a while after making a few wrong turns here and there theologically.

Had someone told me about Micah 6:8, things might’ve been different, but who knows? I can look at this passage now and understand what it means. Back then, I may have read way too much into it and become legalistic.

Micah talks about doing what is “just” to others. Today, we might easily confuse this with what is termed the “social justice warrior” (SJW) syndrome. For instance, being a social justice warrior means welcoming those who are illegally here in the United States as they go on welfare fraudulently or receive social security or disability benefits even though they’ve not paid into those systems. Too many Christians wear hearts on their sleeves and believe that any law that prohibits people from being here illegally is a bad law and should be ignored.

This is not what Micah is saying. Micah is specifically speaking to the corruption and graft found within the leaders and priests of Israel and other nations of the world. Corrupt leaders routinely used people to further their own selfish gain. They’d often profit handsomely as judges, government officials and/or priests with bribes and kickbacks from those who could afford it. These people were not interested in truth or justice. They were interested in getting rich off the backs of average people. In other words, the bribes they accepted enriched them and they willingly set true justice aside.

It’s the same thing today. Those on the Left shed crocodile tears at the plight of the poor in Mexico and other countries south of the United States. They say we should open our borders and allow anyone who wants to come in to do so. These same people do not shed tears for the many Americans who have been used, brutalized and even murdered by some of the people illegally coming to the United States. Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence that there is massive drug, gun, and human trafficking across America’s southern border. The people who control these things make millions because they often charge thousands and thousands of dollars to smuggle each person illegally into America. The Left has no concern because what they seem to want are more people illegally here who will end up illegally voting in our elections to keep these corrupt people in power. San Francisco and other places in California has or is in the process of passing laws that actually allow people illegally in the US to vote in elections. This is unlawful, but is what the Left does because they are desperate to maintain control of Congress in order to pass laws that are favorable to them. They don’t care about average taxpayers or Americans who support the Constitution. These SJWs are doing whatever they can to hold America hostage by trying to make us feel that if we are truly a Christian nation, we should never withhold things from other people who may wish to come to America even illegally. This is not just.

Again, this is not what Micah is referring to here. He is calling Israel’s leaders to BE just in their disposition toward all people. They were not to look at someone’s bank account and base their judgment on that. They were to see all people as equal and determine justice for each person based on the laws as they apply to the situation, not based on how much money they could extract to enrich themselves in exchange for a favorable judgment.

Living in a way that produces true justice for everyone is how Christians are to live. Unfortunately, too many in this world live only for themselves don’t they? Too many people set aside laws because they cannot be bothered. Georgia just passed a law and is now in effect that forbids even touching your phone will driving. Yet, in spite of that, I continue to see people with phones up to their ears or they text while they drive. It’s not a convenient law, so they ignore it.

On the dirt road where we live, people continue to go as fast as they like in spite of any posted speed limit. The first rule of the road is “safety” which means if the speed limit is 30 mph, it wouldn’t hurt for me to go even slower if I’m in a residential section, would it? Rather than simply say “Hey, the speed limit is 30,” I should be more willing to say, “Maybe I should slow down so that I have plenty of time to stop if a child, a dog, or a cat runs out in front of me.” That is living in a way that is just.

As I drive through neighborhoods, I may not know anyone there, but it’s a good bet that children live there and play outside. There are likely also pets in the neighborhood as well. Is it harming me to go slower than the posted speed limit if it means the potential to save a life? No, it is not harming me.

The same applies to people who litter. When we first moved into our home in the country, my wife and I got in the habit of policing the road for garbage. We filled many bags full of the garbage that people routinely tossed, weekly. I found it interesting that people would take their 12 to 18 empty cans of beer, crush them, place them in a black plastic bag and then toss them on the side of the road. I’m sure those people who patting themselves on the back because after all, they didn’t just chuck the empty cans out. They took the time to put them all in one bag and then gingerly drop that bag on the side of the road. I’m sure they didn’t want to get caught with open containers so they got rid of the evidence.

Yet, weekly in our paper, I read about people getting arrested for DUI or failure to remain in the lane, etc. But these people don’t care. They are not concerned about living justly. They live conveniently for them. We’ve been in our home about a year and a half, I’ve gone to the trouble of having nice, professional signs made up and posted that actually say, “Please do not litter” on them. While the amount of litter has gone down dramatically, I still pick up litter every week.

Are you living a just life? Is God pleased with your efforts to do what is right? Only you and He know the answer to that question but it is a question we all need to ask ourselves daily.

Micah also states that we should “love kindness.” What does that mean? It means we should endeavor to be kind to all people and by its very nature, it means that we put our own wants and needs on the back burner. You cannot be concerned about how others “feel” if you are concerned primarily with yourself. To be kind means to always think in terms of how the other person feels. What’s happening with them? What are they having to deal with? How can I make their life easier?

If we stop to consider, so far, this is exactly what Jesus did. He was very concerned about true justice, not being a SJW. He wanted people to have good leaders, good priests, who cared for the people – the sheep of God’s pasture. He was also kind to people as evidenced by the way He conversed with people and how He treated them. His life is our model.

Finally, Micah notes that the one thing that ties all of this together and makes it possible is to embrace and have a humble attitude toward God. Why do people sin flagrantly? Why do people lie, cheat, steal, treat others with disdain and do what they can to get their own way? They do this because they are not humble. They think of themselves way too highly and this is the basic problem with all people – our pride.

Pride keeps us from coming to God in the first place. After we come to Him, pride can work to deactivate our fellowship with God. Pride can destroy relationships and it can ultimately destroy us by causing us to focus solely on ourselves. If we are focused on ourselves, we do not have an accurate picture of our worth before God. We will see ourselves as greater or better than we are because our focus is inward.

To live humbly before God, we must take our eyes off of ourselves. As Jesus said, we must take up our cross daily and follow Him. Examine your life while I examine mine. Am I seeking to live justly? Am I endeavoring to be kind to people? Am I walking humbly before God? The prophet Micah encapsulated the essence of living the Christian life and none of this is possible without first having Jesus in your life. It is only possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit as we submit ourselves to Him daily.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective