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Taking God seriously!

It helps to take God seriously. God is God and he is in control. God shows us his goal for our lives. We must change our minds (repent) and put Jesus and others first. We must focus on Micah’s question; “What does Yahweh require of you?”

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does Yahweh [the Lord] require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? [1]

Source: Micah 6:8

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God is in a good mood and has already shown us how to live. Our Master Jesus challenges us to love — Love God and love our neighbor.

This scripture is from the prophet Micah. Micah told the nation (O man means any person in Israel) exactly what God did desire from them.

  • God did not want them to be related to Him in only a ritualistic way.
  • God wanted them to be related inwardly—to obey Him because they desired to, not because it was a burden on them.

That relationship, which is good (beneficial), involves three things: that individuals

  1. Act justly (be fair in their dealings with others),
  2. Love mercy (ḥeseḏ, “loyal love”; i.e., carry through on their commitments to meet others needs), and
  3. Walk humbly with … God (fellowship with Him in modesty, without arrogance). “Humbly” translates the verb ṣāna‘ (which occurs only here in the OT); it means to be modest. (The adjective ṣānûa‘ occurs only once, in Prov. 11:2.)

The Lord had already told them of these demands (Deut. 10:12, 18). Doing justice “is a way of loving mercy, which in turn is a manifestation of walking humbly with God”. Many people in Micah’s day were not being just, or showing loyal love to those to whom they were supposed to be committed, or walking in humble fellowship with God.[2]

Digging deeper into justice:

Justice is a term used for what is right or “as it should be.” Justice is one of God’s attributes and flows out of His holiness. Justice and righteousness are often used synonymously in the Bible. Since righteousness is the quality or character of being right or just, it is another attribute of God and incorporates both His justice and holiness.

Here is a video with some supplemental content on justice. It is not a repeat of this article. Please subscribe if you like the video.

Is justice a quality displayed in Jesus the Messiah’s life? Absolutely. Jesus has been given the authority from God to administer justice. I cannot begin to understand God’s justice unless I first understand sin (missing God’s goal). Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4) and iniquity (Daniel 9:4-5; Micah 2:1; James 3:6). It embodies everything contrary to God’s holy nature and is offensive to Him. Thus, sin is a crime against God and justice demands a penalty (Romans 1:18-32; 2:5; 3:23). God sent His Son, Jesus the Messiah, to earth to pay that penalty for us (Romans 5:8-11; 6:23) and made salvation available to all who believe in His name (John 1:12; 3:15-17; 20:31).

  • Matthew 23:23  — “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
  • Matthew 12:18–21  — “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel, nor cry out; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory. And in His name the Gentiles will hope.”
  • John 5:30  — “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
  • Isaiah 42:1–4  — “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mic 6:8.

[2] John A. Martin, “Micah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1489.