Micah paints a court scene – The LORD is the complainant (v1,2) and will plead His case and contend with Israel who is the defendant. There are witnesses – the mountains and hills and the strong foundations of the earth. Those witnesses are irrefutable. The LORD asks them (v3-5), “What have I done to you, and how have I wearied you?” He asks them to testify against Him. He reminds them how He brought them out of Egypt and redeemed them from bondage; sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead them; how He dealt with Balak, king of Moab, through Balaam. All this so that they would know The LORD’s righteousness.
How good had The LORD been to them, why should they reject Him? He did them good but they were led astray by Balaam (Numbers 22-24) into idolatry and sexual immorality. I’m sure they would remember the consequences – 24,000 dying in the plague God sent on them. Any wrong which came upon them was as a result of their own doing so they would be found guilty by God, who was also the judge in this scenario.
The people had no alternative but to throw themselves upon The LORD and ask, “What do You require of us?” “Burnt offerings of numerous animals, rivers of oil, even their own children?” (v6,7)
The answer comes loud and clear, Micah tells them, “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 is saying that God is saying that He has already shown them what He requires. All these attributes are good, that’s what v8 says – “He has shown you ….. what is good.” They are the very character of God, so they cannot be anything other than good. We are imitating God by doing these things. Let’s remember that none of us can do what God requires until we first come to Him and acknowledge our sin and repent of it and be converted, penance is totally ruled out and no amount of good works can save us from our sin. Any effort to do these things, even though they are very good, without repentance and being born again is totally useless. We cannot be Godly without having God in our lives.
Do justly – do what is right. Justice is more than fairness. Fairness is not always justice, it includes justice but can depend upon conditions or circumstances, justice depends on law, morals and ethics. All justice is not fair, and all that is fair may not be just. Basically being just is ‘doing to others what you would have them do to you’.
Fairness is a quality of being fair, showing no bias towards some people or individuals. Justice, in broader terms, is giving a person his due. We want fair treatment in all situations as we believe that we are all equals and deserve impartiality. Life is not fair as it does not give equal opportunities to all, but justice demands that government treat all its citizens as equals and provide equal opportunities for all. If we exercise justice to all, it requires it even when a person does not deserve it, so in that sense we may not be being fair. Someone who is fair is seen as just, but sometimes justice can be cruel and seem not fair.
Love mercy – not just show it but love it. God has shown mercy to us, we should love to show it to others.
Walk humbly with your God. Never ask God to humble us, it may be very painful. An example is King Nebuchadnezzar who refused to humble himself so God did (Daniel 1-3). Nebuchadnezzar made some unwise decrees and his contact with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, which showed up his ego and high opinion of himself, usually led him to eventually acknowledge the greatness of their God as opposed to himself and the Babylonian God – Bel, which he still worshiped. However, it did not stop him from making further mistakes. In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar had a further dream – the rise and fall of a great tree, which he asked Daniel to interpret. Daniel genuinely cared for the king but he had to speak the truth otherwise he was not true to God. He told the king that he would be driven out into the fields to eat grass like oxen and be wet with the dew of heaven. God’s purpose was for him to know that God in heaven rules. In v27 Daniel seems to say that it is not too late for the king to repent and God gave him twelve months to do so (v28). However he did not and suffered a form of insanity which I believe is boanthropy (I read that Dr. Raymond Harrison, in 1946 had a patient suffering from boanthropy, just as Nebuchadnezzar suffered.) Nebuchadnezzar was driven out and ate grass like oxen. He had been given the opportunity to repent but he did not and God humbled him. ‘He was wet with dew, his hair grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds claws.’ (v33) – What a come-down!
However, after ‘seven times’ which I presume is seven years, (notice it was God’s timing) Nebuchadnezzar lifted his eyes to heaven (v34). He recognised that God is the true God and praised Him and his sanity returned. He acknowledged the Sovereignty of God, this was the lesson which God wanted him to learn but he had to go through this difficult experience because he would not humble himself.
Warren Wiersbe says, ‘The Bible teaches both divine sovereignty and human responsibility, and when we accept both, we find no contradiction or conflict… To ignore God’s sovereignty is to exalt human responsibility and make a person his or her own saviour, but to deny responsibility is to make people robots without accountability. The Bible preserves a beautiful balance that exalts God and enables His people to live joyously and victoriously, regardless of the circumstances.’
Nebuchadnezzar was restored and he learned that “Those who walk in pride He is able to put down” (v37). There is a great lesson for us – “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble; humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD, and He will lift you up” (James 4:6,10). “….. All of be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care on Him for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5,6)
Back to Micah 6:9-12 God sees the wickedness, cheating (wicked scales, short measure and deceitful weights), violence and lies. The rod of God is a picture of the discipline of God and His voice. “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain)
God indicates that He will judge them (v13-16) “Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you, by making you desolate because of your sins. You shall eat, but not be satisfied; Hunger shall be in your midst. You may carry some away, but shall not save them; and what you do rescue I will give over to the sword. You shall sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; and make sweet wine, but not drink wine. For the statutes of Omri are kept; all the works of Ahab’s house are done; and you walk in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people.”
This does not make very pleasant reading – they would not be satisfied with their food or their possessions. Hunger will be their lot. They would be sick and desolate. He will slay those they rescue. Even the olives and wine would not satisfy them. The names of two of the most wicked of their ancestors are mentioned – Omri and his son Ahab, who followed in his fathers ways and was the most wicked king. What a condemnation this was as they were said to be following in their footsteps! It could hardly be a worse testimony.
