“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?”
– Micah 6:8
Just prior to this famous verse, the prophet rhetorically asks whether God desires ritual devotion, excellent offerings, or extravagant sacrifices. No!!! God desires justice, kindness, and a humble, ongoing relationship with Him.
God desires for His people to do justice. Not simply to think about justice, but to do it. Not to dismiss justice, but to pursue it. We’re called to action, not mere contemplation or hollow words. Subsequent verses make clear what doing justice looks like: fair dealings with those who are poor, powerless, vulnerable, and ripe for exploitation. God’s people must be concerned for those with less prominence, power, and privilege in whatever society we inhabit. Justice isn’t a political agenda, it’s God’s agenda.
God desires for His people to love kindness. Kindness. Like what God demonstrated through His Son Jesus, who set down His heavenly glory to enter our broken world, to love and teach those who hungered for the Lord before sacrificing Himself on a cross for our sins. Kindness. A deep concern for others, even in an age of extreme callousness, cruelty, and contempt for others (I’m speaking of our time, not Micah’s). Kindness isn’t weakness, it’s Christlikeness.
God desires for His people to walk humbly with Him. To submit to Him. To follow Him. To accept His authority over every aspect of our lives. To accept His authority, even on those matters we want to hold onto ourselves. To walk in humility, knowing that we are sinners saved by grace, not modern day Pharisees saving ourselves by form and ritual. To show that humility to both the Lord and all those around us. Humility isn’t optional, it’s required.
You know what is good. Will you do it?