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The Lord's Challenge
1The Lord said to his people:
Come and present your case
to the hills and mountains.
2Israel, I am bringing charges
against you—
I call upon the mountains
and the earth's firm foundation
to be my witnesses.
3My people, have I wronged you
in any way at all?
Please tell me.
4 I rescued you from Egypt,
where you were slaves.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
to be your leaders.
5 Don't forget the evil plans
of King Balak of Moab
or what Balaam son of Beor
said to him.
Remember how I, the Lord,
saved you many times
on your way from Acacia
to Gilgal.
True Obedience
6What offering should I bring
when I bow down to worship
the Lord God Most High?
Should I try to please him
by sacrificing
calves a year old?
7Will thousands of sheep
or rivers of olive oil
make God satisfied with me?
Should I sacrifice to the Lord
my first-born child as payment
for my terrible sins?
8The Lord God has told us
what is right
and what he demands:
“See that justice is done,
let mercy be your first concern,
and humbly obey your God.”
Cheating and Violence
9I am the Lord,
and you are wise to respect
my power to punish.
So listen to my message
for the city of Jerusalem:
10You store up stolen treasures
and use dishonest scales.
11But I, the Lord, will punish you
for cheating with weights
and with measures.
12You rich people are violent,
and everyone tells lies.
13Because of your sins,
I will wound you and leave you
ruined and defenseless.
14You will eat,
but still be hungry;
you will store up goods,
but lose everything—
I, the Lord, will let it all
be captured in war.
15You won't harvest what you plant
or use the oil
from your olive trees
or drink the wine
from grapes you grow.
16 Jerusalem, this will happen
because you followed
the sinful example
of kings Omri and Ahab.
Now I will destroy you
and your property.
Then the people of every nation
will make fun and insult you.
Reflect
The second legal case (6:1-5) begins with the accusation of corporate ingratitude and the emptiness of the people’s religious rituals (6:6-8). Justice and loyalty are absent (6:9-7:6). Once again, the rib concludes with the certainty of pardon (7:7-20).
The first section of the litigation is a dialogue between the LORD and the people (Micah is the spokesperson). In verses 1-5, God speaks, then the people respond. The prophet begins, like he did in the first litigation (1:4), by calling on creation (the mountains, hills, and everlasting foundations) to be a witness to the case of the Creator against his people (6:1-3). The mountains were the sites of the high places and the idolatry that God condemned. The three-fold invitation and the triple mention of God’s case against his people sets the stage for showing how God showed mercy to the people on three occasions (6:4-5).
The three questions of verses 6-7 are legitimate ones for a people in litigation. They are rhetorical and self-incriminating in nature. Appearing before God empty-handed was forbidden in the law. Rote sacrifices were not God’s intention and their inadequate practices only underscored the fact that they had not grasped Yahweh’s intentions.
God’s response is clear (v. 8):
- Practice justice. The word “justice” is used over 700 times in the Bible. It refers to the just ordering of God’s standards for rich and poor, king and subjects, judge or criminal. Justice includes not showing partiality in our relationships (Romans 2:11), and fair business transactions (Deut. 25:18).
- Love mercy! The Hebrew word for mercy, raham, moves beyond human sentimentality and into the richness of how Yahweh deals with all of creation. Like God, we must act in steadfast loyal love, and with compassion.
- Walk humbly with your God! The God who walks with his people now reiterates what was true of Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses. They walked humbly with God. This is what God requires of us.
Respond
LORD God, these three imperatives strike us today: “See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God”. By your Spirit, lead us to act on them today. Show me where I am blind, so that I may see you clearly. Amen.
Glenn Smith
Dr. Glenn Smith is married to Sandra and together they have three daughters, Jenna, Julia and Christa and two granddaughters They are the pastors of a missional community network in their church in Montréal – a multi-site congregation in five locations. Glenn did his graduate studies at the Université d’Ottawa and his doctoral thesis at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago. He was the Executive Director of Christian Direction in Montreal 1983 – 2018. He is the Dean of the Faculty of Practical Theology at Presbyterian College at McGill University and the the Institut de théologie pour la francophonie, accredited by Université Laval. He also teaches in Haïti. Publications: co-author of Espoir pour la ville; Dieu dans la cité (Hope for the city, God in the city); Following Jesus: God invites us to transformative discipleship and author of City Air Makes You Free.