Justice And Mercy

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?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, 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.
Micah 6:6-8

Notes

Micah was a prophet speaking to God’s chosen people in Judah (the southern kingdom) and Israel (the northern kingdom). But make no mistake, his message was also to all God’s followers today. This is not a book of cultural rules, but one that demonstrates God’s character of truly hating sin but loving people. Micah calls out what actions God hates that were prevalent at the time. He addresses a kingdom over a time of 3 rulers, one evil and two that tried to do good.

Towards the end of the book (Chapter 6), God’s message is directed towards his people. We receive a clear message about applying this to our daily lives. Micah states that the people are considering animal sacrifices and burnt offerings as means to exalt God and seek his favor. He even exaggerates by asking if costly sacrifices, perhaps even offering our firstborn, could make God happy (a reference to Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac). But no, instead of all this we should look to Micah 6:8: “He has shown 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.”

Three easy-to-remember actions:

Act Justly
Love Mercy
Walk Humbly with God

Act Justly

To act justly is to live fairly, seeking equity for all people, without taking advantage of unfair practices to drive our success while cheating others. Often in the bible, this word is not about passing judgment on those who have done wrong, but on treating those with less power or money fairly and on acts of restorative justice to correct the injustice of the past.

The importance of God’s people acting justly was a theme before Micah:

“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Exodus 23:6-7

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Proverbs 21:3

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

Proverbs 21:13

And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

Zechariah 7:8-10

What might it look like to act justly today?

Treating a church visitor with worn down clothes or poor hygiene the same way you would treat any other visitor
Accepting responsibility for an error you made rather than trying to blame others.
Ensuring a team member gets credit for their work even if it may take some of the credit away from you.
Paying employees or vendors equally if they are expected to deliver the same quality of work.

Love Mercy

To love mercy is to be forgiving and empathetic when others do wrong. This could be when others do wrong towards you, or when someone has made mistakes in their own life and needs a second chance. In a world where people are quick to blame others for their circumstances, we are called to show mercy to others, offer grace when it is not deserved.

The theme of God’s people showing mercy was also not new and often was mentioned near the calls for justice:

“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Exodus 23:9

The wicked crave evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

Proverbs 21:10

What might it look like to love mercy today?

Helping those in need, such as those lacking in food or a roof over their head.
Providing opportunities for an undocumented immigrant
Helping a co-worker recover from a mistake they made.
Forgiving a family member who caused you emotional pain in the past.

Walk Humbly with God

To walk humbly with God is to move in the direction God has called you while resisting self-promotion and the need to prove you are right. What a testament this type of living is to the power and relevance of God! While God is the one who is fit to judge and display the purest form of mercy, if we walk with Him we will live out the types of justice and mercy He has called his children to embody.

Three commands that are easy to remember but difficult to live out. Three commands that were known by Judah and Israel before Micah stated them hundreds of years later. Sacrifices were a way to repent for failing to honor God, but additional sacrifices were not what was required. Who wants to hear “I’m sorry” from someone who does not attempt to do better going forward? Instead, true righteousness is desired which includes justice, mercy, and humility.