In my years studying Scripture, I came to love certain verses. They became my anchor in life. I turned to them for inspiration, solace, and hope, depending on my need at the time. I preached them at least once a year and quoted them in sermons more often. I never tired of my favorites or heard complaints from listeners.
In a December Sunday Reflection, I shared one of my favorites, Luke 4-17-21, which I call Jesus’ Mission Statement. Now, I share from the Old Testament, Micah 6:8:
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 was an 8th Century BC prophet whom God spoke through. His words to the people of Judah were harsh and condemning because they had once again broken their covenant with God and turned away. However, in the middle of the acidic dialogue, Micah says those above words, which tells us how they can redeem themselves and live once again in God’s favor!
I love the simplicity of the statement. All God wants is for people to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him as their guide. That is the foundation of human behavior and from this base we make good decisions and live compassionate lives. The key to a decent life flows from justice, mercy, and humility.
This verse is especially useful when life seems complicated. In any trying situation, when I am uncertain about a course of action, I try to remember Micah 6:8.. When I am overly selfish and self-absorbed, the words about justice ring loudly in my ears. When I am puffed up, humility cries out. To myself and to the world I silently shout: “Life is not complicated, follow Micah’s words.”
When I see the glee on Paul Ryan’s face as he begins to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, I accuse him of not being a promoter of justice and acting without mercy. When I listen to Tr—, I wonder about his lack of humility. I know that I am not the only one who sees the new government as arrogant, violent, and merciless. These so-called Christians probably think they actually do embody God’s command through Micah. The problem: the words justice, mercy, and humility seem to be highly subjective–everyone has their own definition. A tough love advocate thinks they are as merciful as Mother Theresa. The military uses justice to condone killing. Humility is only for sissies in our hardwired world.
We must all return to the non-subjective definitions of justice, mercy and humility and apply them to ourselves (be the change you want to see in the world). Biblical justice is always aimed at improving the lot of others. If actions do not improve other’s lives, then it is not justice and it is not from God’s teachings. James writes:
“…religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” James 1:27
Biblical humility is best described by Stuart Scott, who wrote:
“When someone is humble they are focused on God and others, not self. Even their focus on others is out of a desire to love and glorify God…. A humble person’s goal is to elevate God and encourage others. In short, they “no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Cor. 5:15).
Humility can also be defined by its opposite: pride. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Biblical mercy is explained well in the following two quotes:
“God’s mercy is his tenderhearted, loving compassion for his people. It is his tenderness of heart toward the needy. If grace contemplates humans as sinful, guilty, and condemned, mercy sees them as miserable and needy.” – Millard Erickson2
“Mercy is kindness exercised toward the miserable, and includes pity, compassion, forbearance, and gentleness, which the Scriptures so abundantly ascribe to God.” – Charles Hodge5
If we want a better world, the solution starts with Micah 6:8. There is no other way, and the history of human behavior repeatedly shows the consequences of living the opposite values. This does not mean living in justice, mercy, and humility is easy. Try going more than an hour living those traits! I certainly struggle taming my pride and judgement every single day. We need each other to accomplish what has so far been impossible on a global scale.
