Micah warned the people of his day of coming judgment and called them back to God. He confronted leaders who were defrauding poorer people, false prophets and priests distorting God’s truth to gain fame and fortune.
Micah warned them of their hypocrisy: they were worshiping created things rather than the Creator and neglecting the poor and needy. He challenged them to repent and turn back to God before it was too late. But the people didn’t like what Micah was saying because they were living comfortable lives.
Caring for those in need is a major theme of Micah. The Bible calls Christ followers to care for the needy. What we do with what God has given us reflects where our heart is with the Lord.
In Micah 6:8, Micah gives a summary of how God wants us to live: “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
These are not requirements we must achieve for salvation, but evidence that we are already saved. We don’t do good works to be saved; we do good works because we are already saved.
1. Walk humbly with your God
To acknowledge that you are a sinner and utterly helpless to save yourself. Apart from Christ, His grace and what He accomplished on the cross, there is no hope.
It means having a growing friendship with God and living each day in total dependence on God: “Lord, my hands are open. I’m available to do whatever you need me to do.” It means listening for His direction and responding to His assignments.
You must be fully aware that you are alive today only because of His grace and that everything you have is a gift from Him.
2. Love mercy
The more you realize and embrace all that God in Christ has done to make it possible for you to be forgiven and restored, the more you will want to extend His mercy to others.
When you love mercy, you treat others as you would want to be treated. It means being kind and doing good things for the people around you, serving someone who needs a hand, praying for someone who is hurting and giving to those who are in need.
3. Act justly
It means doing what is right and pleasing in the eyes of God, treating others well, paying your employees fairly and helping meet the needs of those less fortunate. It also means giving to your church and other Christ-centered relief agencies and not hoarding what God has given you.
“Acting justly means—I will live simply so I have more to help others to simply live.”
We are the light of the world. We cannot meet all the needs, but we can do something. Our responsibility is to give what we have and trust the Lord to do what we can’t do. We can be a light, a ray of hope in those dark places where there is no hope.
If Jesus is your Lord, Saviour and King, one way of knowing that you are His and are walking humbly with Him is that you will use the time, talent and money He has blessed you with to advance His kingdom by loving mercy and acting justly.
God is speaking to us as directly as He spoke through Micah: “This is what I require: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” What do you have in your hand that you need to surrender to God so that He can continue to perform miracles in the lives of people?