He has showed you O
man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love
mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
In the preceding verses Micah asks the people how best he
should come before God. He suggests he should perhaps bring burnt offerings or thousands
of rams or rivers of oil or even sacrifice his firstborn to show his sincerity.
However God does not want extravagant outward shows of devotion, he wants lives
committed to him by obedience. He wants his people to do the things he asks of
them and to show the same kind of qualities as he does.
What God requires is justice because he is the God of
justice. He wants us to give what is right and proper to people, to be truthful
and honest and not to lie, cheat, steal or take bribes. He then requires us to
love mercy because he is a merciful God. He wants us to show kindness and
generosity to those in need or weaker than ourselves; not to trample on the
poor but look after them. In several places in the Bible God berates his people
for being full of meaningless religious activity instead of showing justice, kindness
and mercy and looking after others (for example Isaiah 58: 6 – 10).
Finally Micah says that God requires that we walk humbly
with him. This is the most important thing that God asks of us. It rates
alongside ‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and soul and strength’ as fundamental to the Christian life.
Everything else pales into comparison with walking with God.
Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:21). We know little about
Enoch except his genealogy and that he walked with God for 365 years and then God
took him away. He did not live like all his ancestors did – he walked with God –
and he did not die like his ancestors – God took him away. However this was enough for him to be
included in the hall of fame of Hebrews 11 where it says that ‘by faith Enoch was taken from this life so
that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken
him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God’
(Hebrews 11: 5). Enoch pleased God only
because he walked with him.
Walking with God is incredibly important and is the most
wonderful invitation that anyone can be given. Of course it is important that
we show our faith through practical works but these must never be a substitute for
our relationship with God. Works must
flow out of this relationship for when they do they will not be meaningless
sacrifices or empty gestures. Instead they will be infused with the mercy and
justice of God and come covered in his fingerprints.
