December 29, 2022 – Thursday
Micah 6:6-7 NIV
6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? 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 thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Comments
Most of us know the verse that follows the two above, especially in song as Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. I have often enjoyed the song and the sentiments therein, but today I wondered what preceded this verse that we so revere.
If you read the chapter from the beginning it becomes obvious God is really upset with the people of Israel. They are unappreciative of all He has done for them or as Micah states in verse two, For the Lord has a case against his people; He is lodging a charge against Israel. And the Lord continues on in verse three through verse five starting with, My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.
They have no answer to His accusations so we come to our verses for today where they are asking what they can do to make things right. So they came up with 6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? 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 thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? The people of Israel have become aware, very aware, of their ungratefulness and their urgent need for atonement in an attempt to please God and make things right.
In effect they were hoping to buy their way out of trouble via burnt offerings, calves a year old, thousands (!) of rams, and ten thousand (!) rivers of olive oil. And then the worst of all they offer the sacrifice of their firstborn for the sins of their souls. How could they have forgotten God hates human sacrifice.
In the next verse we have God’s reply to their offerings or bribes if you will. He wants none of what they have offered, none at all. Instead He has Micah shock them with what God wants, changes in behavior and moral outlook, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Three requirements, act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. That’s it, those are His requirements.
The rest of the chapter details how they have not met those requirements and the punishments that await them. Why? Because as Micah said, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. They already knew what was required and refused to meet the few requirements He had for them.
Bottom Line: Knowing what God requires of us is not enough, we have to strive to meet what He requires of us.
Prayer: Almighty God, Just as You had shown Israel what was required of them, You have shown us what is required of us from Romans 10:9, If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. We believe and declare it so with our mouths. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek