Micah 6:1-8
1 Listen to what the LORD says: “Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 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. 3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 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. 5 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.” 6 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? 7 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? 8 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.
The scripture for today, particularly verse 8, is one of the most famous verses in the Bible.
“Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” What does it mean? How should we interpret these words of the prophet? To understand better, we look at the verses preceding it: verses 1-7.
Here we have the prophet giving us an image of a courtroom. God appears to be the plaintiff and is bringing charges against his people, the people of Israel. “The Lord has a case against His people”…. (v.2) Then God says in verse 3 – “What have I done to ever trouble you?” Although God does not list any specific sins of Israel here….the inference is “Why do you behave like this?” Later in verse 12 we do see that God accuses the people of some specific sins: “your wealthy are full of violence, your inhabitants speak lies.”
God’s faithfulness to Israel seems contrasted with Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. In verse 4 and 5 we have God stating his many blessings to Israel:
- Israel was led out of slavery in Egypt into freedom
- They were provided with leaders: Moses, Aaron, Miriam
- God even provided them protection through foreigners: Balak and Balam.
- Protection and blessings during their travels from “Shittim to Gilgal” (the 40 years in the wilderness).
Then in verse 6 and 7 it’s Israel’s turn to defend itself. But they have no defense. They give no attempt to deny God’s accusations. Instead, they merely consider what they need to do in order to appease God. (“What will it take to get God off our backs?”) More sacrifices? Burnt offerings? Calves a year old? A thousand rams? 10,000 rivers of oil? Sacrifice our own children – our first born?
But then we have the punchline. We get the answer, from Micah:
“You already know what is right and good. You know what God requires. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.”
Do any of you have a fitbit…or some other fitness tracker? A few years ago I was given a Garmin watch by my children. These devices can count our steps, measure our heartbeat, track various bodily functions like blood pressure, glucose count, etc. They’re getting more and more sophisticated. Consider the following scenario:
You buy one, read the instructions, and learn all about its functions. But then you leave it on the dresser, or in a drawer. You never use it. What would you say about that fitness device? There’s certainly nothing wrong with it! The problem is that you have never put it on your wrist and started to walk! Just owning it will not help you maintain your health.
Micah is saying something similar to the people of Israel. You don’t need a better fitness tracker. You don’t need new rules or religious practices. God isn’t interested in all of your religious practices and structures. God isn’t interested in your “words only” religion – in lip service. This is what He desires: for you to return to the basics of your walk with God. Treat others fairly, show mercy and kindness (even when people don’t deserve it), stop depending on your own smarts…. Walk humbly with God, recognizing His presence in all things.
One more New Testament text may help us clarify these words from Micah. In Mark chapter 12, Jesus is asked “Of all the commandments, which is the greatest?” His answer is a complete parallel to Micah 6:8. Jesus begins with the very same words as the prophet Micah.
“Shemah! Hear….listen! “Listen up!” (v. 1 and 2 in our Micah text)
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord….is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Easy to say, tricky to do. But Jesus says that it is the very ESSENCE of all of scriptural teaching. So think of Micah 6:8 and Mark 12:29-31 as the same message.
Do Justice…. Treat people fairly. Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Love Mercy / Kindness …..treat people with lovingkindness…Do unto others ….
Walk Humbly with God …. Love God with all your heart
Micah did not give the people of Israel a simple check list. These are not items that are “one and done” This is a call to a lifestyle based on LOVE…rather than hate, and fear. We are called to do these things in the midst of our walking with God. Let us pray.
Faithful God,
You have never asked us to impress You,
only to walk with You.
Forgive us for the times
we have spoken the right words
but avoided the hard steps.
Teach us what justice looks like
in the way we treat others.
Teach us what mercy feels like
when it costs us something.
Teach us humility
that listens more than it speaks
and trusts You more than ourselves.
As we leave this place,
turn our faith into movement,
our worship into obedience,
and our love for You
into love for our neighbors.We ask this,
not to earn Your favor,
but because You have already given it to us.
Amen.
(the above is a summary of the message shared during our worship on February 1, 2026.)
Japanese Congregational Church 