What is required? (Micah 6:8 and John 8)
Micah 6:8 The Israelites always tried to make it more difficult and complicated than it needed to.
- Starting here in verse 8 God is boiling down what is required in real simple terms for the people.
- This word from the Lord through Micah is as much for our day as it was for theirs.
- Now the next phrase, “To act justly and to love mercy”
- The sense is of us acting in ways of justice. “doing justice”
- Now often in our day, we tend to think of justice in terms of judicial: courts, judges, lawyers…. the courts system.
- But this is not necessarily justice.
- “We don’t live in a system of justice in the USA.”
- We live in a system of rule of law. And there is a big difference.
- In a system of rule of law the laws are not always just.
- Because the laws were created by politicians, who were just trying to be politically expedient.
- And our system is also not always just because the law is often applied unfairly.
- I think it might help to look at the next word used in this phrase…”and to love mercy”
- we don’t’ seek to act justly in isolation. We do it while loving mercy. See Hosea 6:6
- So, for us, our justice, needs to be informed by mercy, not laws or rules.
- But honestly, we probably can’t do that until We first love the Mercy of Jesus.
- Biblical example: John 8: 2 Notice what the teachers of the law and Pharisees say about the woman.
- They are taking a rule of law approach.
- They made her stand before the group; they are also taking a shame-based approach.
- This is a perfect picture of how we do things in our world today.
- We use a rule of law and introduce shame if we can.
- In this scene here in John 8 Jesus doesn’t fall for their trap but responds with mercy and restoration.
- Jesus does not demand that the law of Moses be enforced.
- So, in our day, how do we act justly and love mercy?
- First, I think a good place to start is falling in Love with Jesus’ mercy.
- Second, put away shame. Stop the shame.
- Third, Fight racism and discrimination every way you can.
- Fourth, serve others who could never repay you or thank you enough. Single moms, widows, orphans.
- Ssee Isaiah 1:17
- Now let’s look at the last phrase in Micah 6:8: “and to walk humbly with your God.”
- This call to walk humbly before the Lord comes from the complaint that the Lord had against them.
- They showed the Lord no respect or holy fear.
- This command to walk humbly could be thought of as, fear the Lord and be Holy before Him.
- So how do we walk out this command to walk humbly before the Lord.
- First, I would suggest that you are not as much of an expert as you think you are, 1 Cor 8:1-3
- Watch how we speak and act, proverbs 17:18; Phil 2:3
- Every day acts: Luke 14:12-14; Matt 8:5-10; Ephesians 4:1-4; Proverbs 18:12