Walk humbly with your God — justice, mercy, and the Bethlehem prophecy
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?
Micah 6:8Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesying to both Israel and Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (750-686 BC). His name means 'Who is like the LORD?' — and the book answers that question: no one. Micah came from Moresheth, a small town in rural Judah, and his perspective is that of the common people oppressed by the powerful. He denounces corrupt leaders, false prophets, dishonest merchants, and judges who take bribes. His message oscillates between judgment and hope, doom and deliverance.
The structure moves in cycles. Chapters 1-2: judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem for sin. Chapter 3: condemnation of leaders and false prophets. Chapters 4-5: future hope — the mountain of the LORD's house exalted, nations streaming to it, the ruler from Bethlehem who will shepherd Israel. Chapters 6-7: God's lawsuit against Israel, the famous 'What does the LORD require?' passage, and a closing hymn of hope in God's mercy.
Micah 5:2 is quoted in Matthew 2:6 as the prophecy of where the Messiah would be born: Bethlehem. Micah 6:8 is one of the most quoted verses in the Old Testament, a summary of true religion: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. The book is a powerful combination of social critique and messianic hope. God cares about how the powerful treat the weak, and he is sending a ruler from Bethlehem to set things right.
2 chapters per day
Someone asks: What shall I bring to the LORD? Thousands of rams? Ten thousand rivers of oil? My firstborn for my transgression? God's answer through Micah: '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?' (6:8). This is one of the clearest summaries of biblical ethics in Scripture. Not ritual. Not sacrifice. Not performance. Justice (treating others rightly), mercy (loving kindness, covenant loyalty), and humility before God. Religion without these is empty. These three cover the entire scope of the moral life: relationships with others (justice, mercy) and relationship with God (humility).
'And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid' (4:3-4). This vision of universal peace is quoted on the United Nations building. Isaiah has an almost identical passage (Isaiah 2:2-4). The vision is eschatological — the mountain of the LORD exalted, nations streaming to it, God teaching them his ways, and the result: no more war. This has not yet happened. It awaits the reign of the Messiah.
'Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.' This is Micah's climax. His name means 'Who is like the LORD?' Here he answers. No god is like Yahweh. He pardons iniquity. He delights in mercy. He casts our sins into the sea. Micah has spent six chapters detailing Israel's sins. Now he proclaims the character of God: merciful, compassionate, forgiving. This is the God of the Gospel.
'But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.' When the wise men ask Herod where the King of the Jews would be born, the scribes quote this verse (Matthew 2:5-6). Bethlehem was David's hometown, a small, insignificant village. But God chooses the small and weak to shame the strong. The ruler's 'goings forth' are from everlasting — this is not just a human king but the eternal Son. Micah sees seven centuries ahead to the manger in Bethlehem. The ruler who will shepherd Israel is Jesus.