Understanding Micah 6:8: Justice, Mercy, Humility

It is time to revisit my life quote, ‘Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly.’ It comes from the Bible, Micah 6:8. It reads: “He has told you, O man, what is good; What does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” It is rich in instruction. If one chooses to walk it out even in the darkest of times he will be lifted up, victory is just around the corner. Let’s take a deeper look and breakdown the verse.

To many believe that the ‘Old Testament’ is done away with or fulfilled and therefore mostly irrelevant. Except for maybe a verse here or there that speaks of blessings. That is an unfortunate and misguided understanding of Scripture. The whole of Scripture should be taken as one work. After all Yahoshua (Jesus) and the Apostles quote from it to make their points giving their words authority.

They were living out Micah 6:8. What does it mean that God has already instructed us on how to live? And this written prior to the incarnate Messiah and institution of the church. One thing that I hope to reveal and that you will take away from this post is that it is TRUE, Adonai (The Lord) is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That grace isn’t just a ‘New Testament’ teaching and honoring God through observing His instruction is still required. Before we breakdown verst eight let’s look at it in context. Here is verses 6-8:

“With what shall I come to Yahweh and bow myself before the God on High? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Doe Yahweh take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God!“

He has told you, O man, what is good; what does Yahweh require of you . . .
“Now IF you faithfully obey the voice of Yahweh your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” Deuteronomy 28:1
Conversely . . .
“IF, however, you do not obey Yahweh your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:” Deuteronomy 28:15
This is not exclusive to the ‘Old Testament’. Hear now the Words of our Messiah Yahoshua.
“IF you love Me, you will obey My commandments.” John 14:15
“You are My friends, IF you obey My commandments.” John 15:14
What are His commandments? Well Yahoshua said:
“I don’t call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I’ve called you friends because I’ve made known to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.” John 15:15

We have already established that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. To bring this home let’s look at how to spot a false prophet. – “Everything I am commanding you, you are to take care to do. Do not add to it or subtract from it. If a prophet or someone who gets messages while dreaming arises among you and he gives you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder comes about as he predicted when he said, ‘Let’s follow other gods, which you have not known; and let us serve them,’ you are not to listen to what that prophet or dreamer says. For Adonai your God is testing you, in order to find out whether you really do love Adonai your God with all your heart and being. You are to follow Adonai your God, fear Him, obey His commandments, listen to what He says, serve Him and cling to Him; and that prophet or dreamer is to be put to death; because he urged rebellion against Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from a life of slavery; in order to seduce you away from the path Adonai your God ordered you to follow. This is how you are to rid your community of this wickedness.” Deuteronomy 13:1-6

How had things devolved from obeying God’s commandments? Simply they did not adhere to the prohibition of adding to or taking away from the commandments. Isaiah says this: “Then Yahweh said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of traditions learned by rote…'” (Isaiah 29:13)

Yahoshua quotes this in Matthew 15:7-9 – “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.‘” Yahoshua came to bring clarity and fullness to the instructions of Elohim (God). This is what Yahoshua tells Pilate recorded in John 18:37: “You say correctly that I am a King. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” His Word (Torah, Instruction) is truth!

You see the truth of the matter is that Elohim has always said, He doesn’t want mixed worship. Essentially, water, the world does not mix with oil, the ways of Elohim. Oil will always separate itself from the water and it will always rise to the top. Deuteronomy 12 is a great resource in this matter here is the summery found in verses 29-31. – “When Adonai your God has cut off ahead of you the nations you are entering in order to dispossess, and when you have dispossessed them and are living in their land; be careful, after they have been destroyed ahead of you, not to be trapped into following them; so that you inquire after their gods and ask, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I want to do the same.’ You must not do this to Adonai your God! For they have done to their gods all the abominations that Adonai hates! They even burn up their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods!” So then what has He told us?

To Act Justly . . .
How does one act justly? We can look at what Yahoshua said when asked what is the greatest commandment. First He answers the question by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 – “and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources.” He was referencing a portion of the Sh’ma. Here is the passage in its entirety, Deuteronomy 6:4-9. “Sh’ma, Israel! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, Israel! Adonai our God, Adonai is One]; and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.“

Yahoshua didn’t stop there He added to it by quoting Leviticus 19:18 in part. “Don’t take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am Adonai.” Leviticus 19 is a rich chapter on how to treat others. So that we can get a fuller idea of what Yahoshua was getting the hearers to understand, which they would have known what He was referencing, let’s look at a few verses. “Do not be unjust in judging — show neither partiality to the poor nor deference to the mighty, but with justice judge your neighbor. “‘Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don’t stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake; I am Adonai. “‘Do not hate your brother in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly, so that you won’t carry sin because of him. Don’t take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am Adonai.“

To Love Mercy . . .
Some translations render this “to love kindness.” Although, partly correct, the most accurate rendering is mercy and it fits within the context of who God reveals Himself to be. 1 Samuel 15:22 says this: “Does Adonai take as much pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying what Adonai says? Surely obeying is better than sacrifice, and heeding instruction than the fat of rams.” Perhaps what we find in Hosea is the most thought of passage when thinking of Mercy. “For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

James writes, “Anyone who thinks he is religiously observant but does not control his tongue is deceiving himself, and his observance counts for nothing. The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.” This is Mercy.

Walk Humbly with your Elohim . . .
What does it mean to walk humbly with God? I wonder what it was like to walk in the garden before the fall. The Word says, that Adam and Eve recognized the footsteps of God. They were intimately familiar with God and they were walking humbly with Him up until they were deceived by Satan, “Did God really say . . . ?” Satan whispers that same lie in the ear of the believer and the curious, “Did God really say . . . ?” As we began we looked at John 14:15 – “IF you love Me, you will obey My commandments.” And John 15:14 – “You are My friends, IF you obey My commandments.”

Remember also what Matthew records Yahoshua quoting Isaiah. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” Revelation tells us, “This is when perseverance is needed on the part of God’s people, those who observe His commands and exercise faith in Yahoshua.” (Revelation 14:12). This is walking humbly with Elohim. Are you acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God?

You are loved,
cj