Back to basics–with Micah

Sarah McCullough from Orangefield Presbyterian Church leads us through a study in one of the most famous verses in all of Scripture.

Micah is one of the minor prophets found in the Old Testament who addresses themes of oppression, injustice and calling the people to repent. The book itself may not be one that you are familiar with, but you most likely know Micah 6:8 well. We want to slow down this summer and take a fresh look at the verse again, in great detail, so that we can be reminded of how God calls us to live with all that he has entrusted to us.

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?

The first thing that the people, and we, are required to do, is to act justly. This comes from the Hebrew word ‘mishpat’ which can be translated as judgement or restorative justice. This means to not only act justly in our decisions and choices, but also to find the most vulnerable in our society and to help them. Advocating on behalf of others and, in fact, even taking action to prevent injustice happening. If we look at others through the lens of how God sees them, this will transform our hearts and our actions.

On the very first page of the Bible, we are told that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). That’s me, you, your neighbour and the person on the other side of the world. All image bearers of God who are loved and special in God’s eyes. This should break our hearts that those made in the image of God are being mistreated.

All our actions have consequences and sometimes we may not even see the direct consequences. For example, what are the consequences of my clothing choices? Do these help the vulnerable or is the result injustice? We may not be able to make major changes for everyone experiencing injustice in the world, but what has God placed in your hands?

Pause for thought:

Who in our society is vulnerable and experiencing injustice? How can we act justly towards them, especially when we look at how fortunate we are. What would it mean for us to be just in our everyday actions? The things I spend my money, time, attention on, does this contribute to the injustice or justice in the world?

The next requirement is to love mercy. Here we have a difficult Hebrew word to translate, ‘chesed’. It is normally translated to give the sense of all of the following combined- loving kindness, loyal and unconditional love.

Think about God’s unconditional loving kindness towards us. Have there been moments in your life where you have experienced this? How about when others have shown kindness and mercy when you didn’t deserve it? This word describes who our God is. In Exodus 34:6 it says, ““The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”. God’s great love has been shown towards us, that we in no way deserve or can ever repay. He gave his Son for us so that we can be washed clean of sin and shame and have a right relationship with God. We still mess up and yet God pours out his forgiveness and unconditional love on us. Once we have experienced this, how can we not give this to others? Showing up in acts of loving kindness that won’t make sense to the rest of the world. But it is what we have been shown, so we in turn bless others.

This mercy and love is not based on what others have done or what they can do for us. Imagine if we looked beyond keeping score of all the good things others have or haven’t done for us and how we can equally pay them back. Have you ever had this scenario in your head - they got me a card for my birthday but no present, so I’ll do the same to them for their birthday! Maybe you can think of other examples in your life. But this ‘chesed’ love is beyond just doing the minimum of how others have treated us. Rather, it’s about outdoing one another in acts of love (Romans 12:10). We are called to be a people who push beyond what others have done, with no expectation for the same to be reciprocated to ourselves. It sounds pretty radical and full of loving kindness!

Pause for thought:

In prayer, thank God for his loving kindness towards you. Remind yourself of specific situations when God or others have shown this love to you. Now, ask God to open your eyes to who needs to be shown this love. Who can you reach out to this week, with no expectations that they can reciprocate your actions?

The final requirement is to walk humbly with God. This image of walking with God shows an intimate closeness. When we walk with others, we match our pace to theirs so that we can travel alongside them. We go in the same direction and get to see things as they see them. What a wonderful picture of our relationship with God! That we would have the opportunity through prayer and reading his Word, to walk with him. As we do, we can hear his gentle whisper into our lives, calling us back on to the right path of holiness. We humbly lay down our own wants and desires, and then it becomes clearer how we are to live as God wants us to live.

Pause for thought:

What do you need to humbly lay down so that you can continue to walk at God’s pace and in the right direction?

And finally, as we have reflected on all that God has done for us and all that he has given us, what is our response? God made it clear that he didn’t want empty sacrifices but lives that were marked by justice, loving mercy and a close walk with God.

Pause for thought:

With all that God has entrusted us with, our gifts, time, possessions and loved ones; can we follow this verse and respond in a sacrificial way that will be pleasing to God?