Wed Night Bible Study and Prayer

What does the Lord require of us?

So a week or so ago we began talking about the requirements of the Lord and we actually mentioned this verse, . It is a special verse, one that we can relate to as we seek to live before the Lord.

Micah is a Old Testament minor prophet, and we are familiar with His ministry.

Now we know that Micah is from Moresheth, and we see that he is mentioned in the book of Jeremiah

Let me share a bit of information for you.

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesying during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah (ca. 750–700 BC). Since the book of Micah contains messages directed toward Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, and locations throughout the southern kingdom of Judah, it is likely that Micah prophesied to both nations.

During Micah’s ministry, Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 BC) and Judah came close to falling (701 BC; see ). Micah views the misuse of prosperity by God’s people as a major reason for these defeats.

By the end of Hezekiah’s reign, the Babylonian Empire—Assyria’s successor and Judah’s conqueror—was on the rise (; ). Faced with these realities, Micah’s message alternates between warning and hope, ultimately looking forward to a day of peace and deliverance.

Now lets look at our passage....

DIY Bible Study Micah—Concerning Prosperity and God’s Desires

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesying during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah (ca. 750–700 BC). Since the book of Micah contains messages directed toward Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, and locations throughout the southern kingdom of Judah, it is likely that Micah prophesied to both nations. During Micah’s ministry, Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 BC) and Judah came close to falling (701 BC; see 2 Kgs 17–20). Micah views the misuse of prosperity by God’s people as a major reason for these defeats. By the end of Hezekiah’s reign, the Babylonian Empire—Assyria’s successor and Judah’s conqueror—was on the rise (Mic 4:10; 2 Kgs 20:12–21). Faced with these realities, Micah’s message alternates between warning and hope, ultimately looking forward to a day of peace and deliverance.

Micah 6:6–8 ESV

6 “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? 7 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?” 8 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?

One of the things we see with the children of Israel is the truth that they are so uninformed about what true worship was, … they seem to think that the outward observances of man are enough in front of God.

So what is being said here in our passage....

As you open verses 6-7, the people begin by asking what should they bring to the Lord to please Him.

Verse 6 says

Micah 6:6 ESV

6 “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?

They directly refer to the Lord properly,, the God most high. He is the exalted God of the universe,

Psalm 46:10 ESV

10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

;

But then the people begin by asking about specific things...

verse 6.. burnt offerings with a year old calf...

Here they think that ritual alone is enough… What is a ritual?

Ritual can be anything, we think about perhaps the Catholic church, people go to mass, the confessional and they live like they want too else where.

But even in non catholic churches, Baptist, Methodist whoever, there are people who come to church for the sake of coming, but there is no real heart involved..

To give a burnt offering, meant you were surrendering something wholly and fully to the Lord. It meant also you were also completely surrendered to the Lord. But they were far from that in their hearts…

Calves that were a year old, they were regarded as the best sacrificial animals at the right age according to the Leviticus...

And verse 7, it ups the ante if you will....

Micah 6:7 ESV

7 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?”

The worshippers ask would the Lord be pleased with large, enormous sacrifices, though King Solomon did offer 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats as fellowship (traditionally “peace”) offerings at the dedication of the temple ()—obviously impossible for average Israelite worshipers.

Would

Thousands” and “ten thousand” is though King Solomon did offer 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats as fellowship (traditionally “peace”) offerings at the dedication of the temple ()—obviously impossible for average Israelite worshipers.

Could they offer their children to the Lord. we know that King Ahaz offered his children.

The Ammonities sacrificed their children to Molech… and it spread to many surrounding countries… For the children of Isreal to practice such a wicked think would only increase their sin.

And here is what we can see, if the people asked such questions before the Lord, it appears that they didn’t understand what it meant to walk with the Lord. They most likely thought the charges the Lord has previously brought against them were unjust, unfair,

Now lets look at verse 8

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 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?

The New American Commentary: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

“This verse stands as the motto of the alcove of religion in the reading room of the Congressional Library in Washington.

This verse stands as the motto of the alcove of religion in the reading room of the Congressional Library in Washington.The rabbis who commented on this verse in the early centuries of the Christian era called it a one line summary of the whole law.

The Lord through Micah announces to Israel and Judah, what He requires of man, or corporate Israel.

He does not desire ritual sacrifices divorced from a changed life.

Why?

So the Lord speaks of three things for them to be able to do in their walk with Him.

Do Justice

Love Mercy

Walk humbly with thy God

So what does all this mean for them and for us today....

Acting justly or doing justice is the most important of all that He has mentioned, perhaps this is why it is mentioned first.

It means to do the just thing our self..... To always seek to offer the right judgments, and have no partiality for life.

Hosea 12:6 ESV

6 “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”

And then to love Mercy...

And mercy can also be called kindness as well, And then you think about this it refers to a steadfast love. The Lord has been merciful to us, he has loved us in a forgiving and caring way…

He has not given us what we deserve and we are to execute that same type of judgment as well.

Old Testament XIV: The Twelve Prophets One Who Knows God

Therefore the children of God must also be “merciful” and “peacemakers,”27 “forgiving each other as Christ also forgave us,” “not judging, lest we be judged.” For to “his master a man stands or falls; who are you to judge the servant of another?”30 “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Yet many such things as these are only said, not done, merely bandied about, unmanning rather than strengthening discipline, flattering God and pandering to themselves. ON PURITY 2.

They have not done these physical things in front of the Lord and in front of each other....

Walk humble with thy God...

To be humble means to be very careful in how you live and act in the Lord sight..

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 6

passive and active obedience towards God. The three moral duties here are summed up by our Lord (Mt 23:23), “judgment, mercy, and faith” (in Lu 11:42, “the love of God). Compare Jam 1:27. To walk with God implies constant prayer and watchfulness, familiar yet “humble” converse with God (Ge 5:24; 17:1).

The New American Commentary: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

they must “walk humbly” with their God (“your God” is relational covenant terminology and is the counterpart to “my people” in v. 3). “Walk” means to “live” in a certain way, but the Hebrew for “humbly” is difficult because it is not the usual word for humility

The New American Commentary: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (1) A Divine Covenant Lawsuit (6:1–8)

Two applications of this passage are offered by Stuart:

1. Faithful participation in worship is not enough. It must be accompanied by faithful, proper living.

2. A good look at the past reminds us of God’s loyalty, and of our responsibility to be loyal to him in return.