What Is Required?

Micah 6: 1-8

February 3, 2002

I can still remember back to my college days when during the opening class session for the quarter the professor would hand out the syllabus and line out what she expected of us during that quarter. It would include so many books to read, a paper or two and a couple of tests on class lecture content. We would generally all groan as we looked at everything we had to do in the next 3 months. Though we were there to learn the content and information, at one level we all wanted to know, "What is required in order to pass this class? To get a "B" or and "A?" What is expected? Some wanted to know the minimum; what is the least I have to do in order to get by.

The same can be said when we apply for a job. What is the job description? What is expected of me? Do I have the skills? Do I want to do this? If I am asked to serve on a committee or board of directors I want to know the expectations and the time commitment.

The prophet Micah, in expressing God’s message to the people of Israel, poses the question, "What does the Lord require of us?" If taken out of context, just asking that question might sound like the college student wanting to know what were the minimums in order to pass, get by with the least amount of work or effort. But let’s put the question in context first.

The passage read to you begins with God calling Israel into judgment. Israel has broken the covenant with God; they are guilty of turning their back on God, and God is upset with them. Have you ever had a friend break a promise made to you? You know how it feels. Hosea and other prophets pictured this broken covenant in terms of a wife cheating on her husband – adultery. This is serious. So, this is the trial, the hearing; and the mountains that have been around forever will be the jury. So, the issue Micah brings us is Israel’s unfaithfulness toward God regarding the covenant.

The next two verses is God pleading with Israel. "What did I do to you to cause you to turn away from me?" He then recited some of the things that God has done. "I brought you out of the slavery in Egypt; I sent you leaders to guide you. I protected you from your enemies. Don’t you remember what I have done for you?" It is the voice of one longing to be in relationship; it is a voice filled with love yet hurt, trying to understand. Sometimes the image of God as a vengeful and angry God wanting to hurt and destroy is used to scare people into salvation. But through the entire Bible, the dominant image of God is one of compassionate love longing to be in a whole, loving relationship. "God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." That is the theme of the Hebrew Scriptures.

The conversation now turns to the people and their response to God’s expression of wounded love. What can I do to please God? What can I do to earn God’s grace? What must I do to get back in a right relationship with God? Listen to the list Micah gives; burnt offerings; offer a calf a year old; thousands of rams offered; ten thousands of rivers of oil; sacrifice my first born child. Notice the progression – from a simple burnt offering to the extreme and unreasonable. Israel protested the Canaanite practice of human sacrifice, yet here it is raised wondering if that is the extreme that needs to be done. How much do we have to do? Name the price. Like a marriage partner caught in adultery and regrets the mistake and wants to keep the marriage. What do I have to do to say "I’m sorry"? What do I have to do to right the wrong?

There is foundational tenant of the Christian faith that needs to be understood clearly and carefully at this point. Our salvation, our eternal life with God is not something we can earn. It is not like entering a college course in English Literature and given the course requirements for an A; if you do all this you will get an A. We cannot earn God’s grace and favor. "By grace we are saved through faith," as Paul said in Ephesians. It is not by our works or efforts. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." It is the very nature of God to love and to be in relationship with us. All that is asked of us is steadfast faith in God.

Yet while being overwhelmed by God’s love and grace we long to be in relationship with God, there is another element that is involved. Our lives will show forth that love and grace. Our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord will be seen in how we live and treat others.

Micah expresses God’s desire for God’s people. This is what I want of you. This is how I want you to live in relationship with me. And Micah lists three things. I want to comment on them, in their reverse order as listed. There is a verb attached to each, meaning action is involved.

First, we are to "walk humbly with God. This last week at the conference at the Crystal Cathedral, the Hispanic pastor at the Cathedral spoke; he commented that for a number of years now, it has been his practice to go to a secluded place by a little stream and spend all day on Monday in prayer and meditation. He takes a pillow to sit on and a yellow pad to write reflections on. That is one of his days at work.

I’m not sure if I could do that, but the point is made that we need to spend time on a regular basis in communion with God. Bible study, prayer, meditation, worship, reading devotional books, quiet times are all means by which to grow in our relationship with God. To walk humbly with God means that we need to spend time walking with God. What you spend time reading and dwelling on determines the direction of your life.

I remember some times when a friend would say, "David, let’s take a walk. We need to talk." I remember some walks Kathy and I have had. Sometimes not saying anything, but holding hands and walking. Walks in the mountains; walks along the beach; even a walk around the block. Are we walking with God?

The second point is that God calls us to love kindness. Kindness is an attitude and a way of acting toward others. It involves treating others with respect, compassion, interest. Dick Hamm, our General Minister and President, call this "true community." True community involves caring for others, concern for the other person, helping one another. Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Love is a verb; pursue kindness.

This involves trying to understand others who might be different from us; it means treating people who have different views in a respectful way though we may strongly disagree. I remember a time when I greeted someone with the regular "How you doing?" And they responded with a growl that almost took my head off. Instead of responding back to them in revenge, I commented, "You must be having a bad day." They softened and said, "I’m sorry I snapped at you. He went on to explain the pain he was in. Loving kindness is a gift from God.

The third point Micah said was to do justice. Justice involves fairness and quality for all. Justice is something that is done – doing. In the Old Testament prophetic sense, justice has to do with standing up for those who are weak and powerless. They spoke specifically about the poor, widows and orphans. It is standing up for those who have no voice in the power system of the community. In ancient Israel, widows and orphans were on their own for survival. The well to do class of people shunned them; they ate abundant amounts of food on the finest dishes and in the most opulent settings and there were people right outside their gates starving to death and they didn’t raise their hand to feed them. That was the injustice that Micah and Amos spoke about. All the amount of time in the sanctuary praising God means nothing if we do not have compassion for those who are forgotten or oppressed in our community.

Justice today is not just about feeding people at the food bank, though that needs to be done; it also includes trying to change lives and the system to get people out of those situations. A number of denominations are involved in working to eliminate racism from our churches and culture; this is a high priority of ministry and witness for our denomination and region. That is an issue of justice.

Do justice! Love kindness! Walk humbly with God! These are the marks of a follower of God. One is no less or more important than the other. A well-rounded Christian life will include equal measures of all three. If you look at the saints of the church down through the years; you will find these three elements vividly present. The Good News is that the Spirit of Christ is present to make them come alive in you. And soon they become not just an outward action to please God, but an attitude of the heart that marks how we think and live.