He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
— Micah 6:8 —
Mojmir Adamek: Czech Bible Institute | Czech Republic
It has been suggested that this text is one of the best one-line summaries of the whole Old Testament Law. The prophet Micah was sent by God to deliver a message of judgment on God’s people, whose worship degenerated into mere ritualism. They disregarded the Lord so deeply that they acted as if the God of the universe would be pleased by empty rituals. How foolish! After many years and many prophets, who proclaimed that God does not want mere formalism, the people of God still did not listen. So here again, God sends Micah to remind them what He demands from them. He does not want empty words and empty deeds. God wants their hearts and lives to show that they truly love Him. To act justly toward others, to love others faithfully, and simply to live the way God wanted them to live—this is what God wanted. Jesus pronounced similar words in Matthew 23:23 on account of religious hypocrites who, for the sake of their pedantic ritualism, neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Let us be reminded, brothers and sisters, that what we attempt to do for God is not the end goal in and of itself. We can be so easily consumed by daily ministry and forget that without true love for our God, our ministry can be worthless. God wants us to live our lives as a continual act of worship, which does not come out of formalism but out of our born-again identity. Consider and ask if the Lord would make the same pronouncement on you.
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