Micah 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? ........ 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
This passage of scripture teaches us the three simple requirements of God to us, that is to "Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly". These three requirements, when fulfilled by the grace of God and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, effectively cover the entire spectrum of our relationship with God and with one another. For thousands of years man had been trying to please God in ways he hadn't ordained, and these man-made efforts had led to some of the worst religious rites, ceremonies and practices, including penance, superstitious practices, and human sacrifice.
However, now that a flood of light has been shed on our pathway through the revelation of the character of God in Jesus, it's no longer necessary to try to please God in any of the other futile ways that are not stipulated in the scriptures. To do justly means to treat others as we will like to be treated, in a fair manner, without respect of persons and without political correctness, which often taints the otherwise good deeds of many. Doing justly also includes paying just debts and wages in a timely manner, and not taking advantage of the weaknesses and short -comings of others who may be less fortunate than ourselves.
This includes the fair treatment of migrant workers who are not yet legalized in the country, and who because of the fear of being deported, are often prone to suffer abuse quietly at the hands of employers who know of their plight.
To love mercy means to be quick to discern the needs of others, and to respond in a proactive manner, without being urged or cheered into doing so. Some people love the approbation of others, and so their charitable deeds are often lauded by themselves, and the applause of men actually goads them on to do more good. But this should not be, for the Bible tells us that we should not sound a trumpet before us when doing acts of kindness and mercy, nor should we clamor to be seen or known for any good that we may have done. Let's read:
Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
To love mercy also means to be ready and willing to forgive any wrong done to ourselves, be it deliberately or inadvertently, for God in His treatment of us also forgives us freely over and over again, once we confess and forsake our sins. Let's read:
Psalms 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
To walk humbly with God means to be in subjection to Him at all times and in any given situation, not lifting up ourselves against the knowledge of The Most High, but rather being willing to follow where He leads the way, even though we may not always understand or agree with His methods and instructions pertaining to certain sensitive issues. For instance, many people do not agree with the scriptural method of correcting children who display a persistently stubborn attitude towards their parents and guardians, and some have even gone so far as to label it a form of physical abuse. Walking humbly with God in situations such as these will mean placing a "Thus saith the Lord" above our emotions and personal ideas and preferences, and complying with the wise instructions He has Given.
A young man had once committed a very horrible crime that got him the death penalty, and just before being executed, he called for his mother to come close to him so that he could tell her a secret. When his mom got close enough, he bit of her ear, and after spitting it out, he stated that she had not restrained not corrected him as a youth, and that's the reason why he had led a life of abandon, which culminated in the crime he had committed.
If as Christians we were to understand what the Lord requires of us, and by His grace were to comply with His instructions, an entirely new day will dawn in our relationship with Him, and we would realize that everything God has commanded us, is for our best temporal and eternal good. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls upon us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, so that in due time He may bring us to perfection in Christ. Let's read:
Job 23:9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
May God enable us to fulfill these three requirements, through His power dwelling in us, for they represent the very essence of what Christianity is all about. God bless!