Hey friend! I'm Liz
“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah was a prophet of Israel at a time where the people paid lip service to God and their connection with Him was little more than ceremonial. They visited the temple, went through the motions, offered sacrifices, but left their hearts at home. (Series on sacrifice is coming.)
Have you ever lived like that? If you’re not paying attention, it's easy to slip into “life-by-numbers” and live like you’re checking things off on a list. Sacrifice? Check. Prayer? Check. Put the bins out? Check. Homework? Check. Cooked dinner? Check. Kiss the wife when I get home from work? Check. Look at my kids when I talk to them? Check. Go to church on Sunday? Check.
Passionless. Distracted.
That's how Israel was living. And because their devotion wasn’t going into their relationship with the divine, it was leaking into more destructive patterns of behaviour.
All the while, the people thought God wouldn’t notice their lack of devotion if the practical requirements of sacrifice were met (all the boxes got checked).
Micah 6:6-7 (MSG) says,
“Should I bring an armload of offerings topped off with yearling calves? Would God be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil? Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin?”
The Divine's spirit is always here, our level of awareness heightens and dissipates according to our willingness to listen and see.
Powerful, two minute reads that have helped change the script in thousands of people's lives.
God is fluid. Spirit. Water and air, fire and earth. He is involved, present and available. Micah tells us earlier in this chapter of his book that God listed the things He’d done for the people of Israel. And He wasn’t angry. He was reminding them of HIS devotion to them. He was fully invested and present in them.
Maybe his heart sounded something like this: These are the things I (God) want from you, I long to share with you… “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
It’s in justice, mercy and humility where we see God most clearly.
The word justice means “judgment, a legal decision rendered; as a state or condition of fairness in disputes.” It also includes the sense that each person has ‘rights’. And rights dictate the flow of justice, right?
“Rights” are a hot issue, they always have been. In our dualistic view of the world – us verses them – where we live like there is not enough love, hope, justice, freedom to go around everyone, we gain rights by controlling the rights of others. God does not take away our rights, our justice; he wants us free to live within our rights.
Our right to experience love and belonging.
Our right to forgive and be forgiven.
Our right as sons and daughters, carriers of the Divine Spirit, to receive and give grace.
Our right to have faith in ourselves, others and God.
Our right to love our enemy and neighbour alike.
Our right to love ourselves and enjoy our lives…
And more.
Through the lens of redemption (which was present in the OT… it’s an ongoing narrative that climaxed with Jesus), the dispute over whether or not people could be accepted by God never fell on their performance, behaviour, or birth. The Divine's spirit is always here, our level of awareness heightens and dissipates according to our willingness to listen and see.
God’s justice looks a little like, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
(Side Note: I know there are references in the Biblical Text that talk about God’s vengeance, and there are stories of his violent acts against humanity. We’ll attempt to speak about this in the coming months. Until then, feel free to email us your thoughts about it)
Every person has the right to experience God’s grace and love, and our just cause should be to show them.
Do justly.
Written by Liz Milani
OVER TO YOU… leave us a comment below!
Excellent writing.
Thanks so much Brett! Hope you're having a great weekend!
from Jesse (and Lizzy)
Thank you so much for this and all your other devotions – get so much out of them and love sharing them with others! You both are a blessing!
Hey Denise – so grateful that they give you (and your friends) meaning! Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave us a comment!
Much love and many blessings…
Jesse (and Lizzy)
“God’s spirit is always here, our level of awareness heightens and dissipates according to our willingness to listen and see.” – Well written!!! I love how this is not a legalistic action we must do, but simply a willingness…a submission to Him. Beautiful.
Many thanks for your encouragement Sean!