Micah 6 Commentary
How can I show proper respect to my God?
There is a list of options: Sacrifices, more sacrifices, works of righteousness, charity, and self-denial. Micah discards them all. The LORD God, the Creator God isn’t interested.
“No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” Verse 8.
Newcomers to the Christian faith must take note. The world can learn something about the requirements of the Creator God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The LORD God made it clear to Abraham that He wouldn’t be worshipped in a pagan way – rituals and more rituals. The sacrifice of Isaac was a copy-paste practice from Abraham’s world that the LORD strictly forbade from His worshippers.
Micah added more to the list of exclusions. So remarkable! And the temple at Jerusalem was still standing with priests still functioning!
Yes, Micah has reduced the prophetic message to a single phrase of such huge universal importance that it summarizes the required human response – the essence of religion. And it’s simple! You don’t need any education at all! It is affordable for all the living!
Yet Israel failed! Even the saints must be reminded of these basics! Could this be such a high standard that the LORD must stoop down and show us how it is done? Should it take the LORD God coming down in a human form to show us how to ‘please’ Heaven? Strange things in creation!
If Israel failed, the LORD God didn’t! And there is evidence!
He sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead them out of slavery. There is more!
The story of Balak and Balaam is interesting. The LORD makes the point that His protection over Israel is physical and spiritual. The LORD contended with the forces of evil and the planned witchcraft against Israel failed. And Israel wasn’t even aware of these events!
Balak and Balaam were advantageously positioned up on top of the mountain, but the LORD intervened and the curses could not even be pronounced against Israel.
The prophet Micah wants the reader to remember the words of Balaam. “How can I curse what God has not cursed, or speak of doom when the Lord has not?” Number 23 verse 8.
Or, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Number 23 verse 19.
Or, “I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.” Numbers 23 verse 20
Or, “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. Numbers 23 verse 21
Or, “There is no divination against Jacob, no evil omens against Israel.” Numbers 23 verse 23
Micah spells out the terms of the Abrahamic contract, the covenant. The LORD has kept His side of the contract but Israel has failed. He repeats the contract for our benefit. The Creator God has no problems with it but can humans still keep it? The same simple contract? No. Israel cannot!
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”, the LORD Jesus Christ calls. Isn’t this statement even more important now?
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