Back to the Basics - Session 1 - Do Justice

READ THE PASSAGE

Micah 6:6-8

"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

INTRODUCTION

In Micah 6, God is confronting the darkness in the land. The people of God have lost their way, and through the prophet, the Lord brings a covenant lawsuit against them.

There are two errors pointed out in this prophetic prosecution:

Withdrawing from God's standard - abandoning what He has clearly revealed

Engaging in performative piety - trying to impress God and others through elaborate religious displays

In these dark and difficult days, the exhortation from Micah is: get back to the basics.

We will look at three basic principles in three basic domains of life:

Do Justice (today)

Love Mercy (tomorrow)

Walk Humbly with God (final day)

We must not withdraw from the standard. We do not have to be performative in our piety. God has shown us what He requires.

DISCUSS THE PRINCIPLE

To DO JUSTICE is to work within the scope of influence and resources available to you to bring the human situation into alignment with the benevolent desire and righteous design of God.

To DO JUSTICE means to do the right thing:

Not as we define "right" personally

Not as the culture defines "right"

But as God defines right

Biblical Examples

Private Domain - Daniel (Daniel 6:10-16) When the law forbade prayer to anyone but the king, Daniel continued his private prayer discipline "as he had done previously." His private faithfulness to God's standards—even when no one was watching and it cost him everything—ultimately led to positive impact on the entire empire.

Personal Domain - Boaz (Ruth 2-4) Boaz showed justice in his personal relationships by following God's kinsman-redeemer laws exactly as designed. He protected Ruth's dignity, went beyond minimum requirements, and worked within proper structures to ensure justice and mercy met perfectly. This is justice in our marriages, families, and close relationships.

Public Domain - King Josiah (2 Kings 22-23) When Josiah discovered God's law, he immediately began comprehensive reforms. He didn't just make personal changes—he worked to align the entire kingdom's systems and structures with God's revealed design. For educational leaders, this means working for systemic changes that honor God's design for families, not just protecting our own choices.

Do The Next Right Thing

Homeschoolers have to remember where we started.

My wife, Aziza, and I didn't begin homeschooling thinking, "Here's a great idea to make a political statement" or "Wouldn't it be fun to get into a bunch of legal battles and legislative fights."

We simply took seriously what the Bible says about our responsibility to train and protect our children.

That's doing justice—aligning our lives with God's design, not cultural expectations or political movements. Justice begins with taking God's Word seriously in our own sphere of influence.

EXAMINE THE PERSON

Take a few minutes to reflect and write your responses to these questions:

Are there places and ways that you are withdrawing from God's standard?

Are you trying to prove how much you uphold God's standard (to yourself, your friends and family, God)?

PRAY A PRAYER

Father, You have shown us what is good. Help us to do justice—not as we define it, not as culture defines it, but as You define it. Give us courage to align our lives with Your righteous design. Where we have withdrawn from Your standards, restore us. Where we have been performative in our piety, humble us. Help us to take Your Word seriously in our sphere of influence, trusting that You will use our faithfulness for Your glory and others' good. In Jesus' name, Amen.