Thursday, October 14, 2010

Micah 6:1-8

1 Listen to what the LORD says:
"Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.

2 "Hear, you mountains, the LORD's accusation; 

listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. 

For the LORD has a case against his people; 

he is lodging a charge against Israel.

3 "My people, what have I done to you? 

How have I burdened you? Answer me.

4 I brought you up out of Egypt 

and redeemed you from the land of slavery. 

I sent Moses to lead you, 

also Aaron and Miriam.

5 My people, remember 

what Balak king of Moab plotted 

and what Balaam son of Beor answered. 

Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, 

that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."

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 oil? 

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, 

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has shown all you people 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.

Questions to consider:

  • Can you distinguish between when God is speaking and when the people are speaking?
  • What is the controversy? (We’ll see more in tomorrow’s passage)
  • What does the Lord require of you? Is this an easy request? Why or why not?
Possibilities for prayer:

“And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”

It’s kind of funny to me that this statement is made as though it’s an easy request, or something that should be obvious. We can ask many questions of this requirement: what does it mean to act justly? to love mercy? to walk humbly with God? This verse is one that populates Christian circles, but I wonder how often people stop to think about what their lives would look like if they did all these things truly and completely. As a church, Elm City Vineyard definitely values all of these things, and we try our best to seek after them and make them realities in our community. But a community is made up of individual people, so it’s important that we as individuals place value on these principles. Today, let’s ask God to show us the piece of this “requirement” that could use the most work in our lives. Then let’s pray and listen for ways that we can be more about that part of what God has “required” of us.