What Does the Lord Require?

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Meera Short

 

I want to share with you today a simple passage in scripture that I believe is very relevant to us living the life that God has created us to live.

Micah 6:8

⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

 

To require something according to Webster’s definition suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, to claim or ask for by right and authority; to demand as necessary or essential. Simply put, it is to have an expectation, or a demand placed on someone. It may also imply that there may be some conditions or consequences placed when these said “requirements” are not met.

 

So, it is fair to say that in this passage of scripture, the Lord is saying to us, I am asking you and expecting you to do some things.

 

Three distinct directives are given to us in this passage of scripture.

1- Act Justly

2- Love Mercy

3- Walk Humbly

 

To Act Justly –

The meaning of just is tied to the biblical word righteousness. To be a just person means that I will conform myself to be a person who is morally upright. It means that my thoughts and actions will line up with doing things that are right and fair. The way that I respond to God will be with honor, reverence, and respect. The way that I treat others will be with moral integrity, honesty, and fairness. It means that I will be law abiding and responsible and that I will choose to do what is right in God’s eye.

If I were to call myself a “just person” and act justly, it would mean that I will walk with integrity, I will be honest, I will be morally upright in my actions, words, and my deeds.

If I have a biblical worldview, it means that I will seek to follow the requirements and the directives of God’s Word. It means that I will submit myself to something that is diametrically opposed to the way things are in our current culture. It means that my standard of living is set by the Word of God.

To Love Mercy –

From the Hebrew word “hesed” – meaning goodness, kindness, faithfulness. It’s speaking of a characteristic of God Himself. It is directly related to how we love our fellow men. Choosing to love others who are created in the expressed image of God by being good to them. Choosing to express kindness to others in the face of adversity, when it’s inconvenient, when we don’t feel like it, when it is unappreciated or rejected. It is remaining faithful and steadfast in the situation that tries and tests us. After all, has not God extended His goodness, kindness, and faithfulness to us?

For me to love mercy, it means that I would look for ways to respond with mercy and compassion toward others.

 

To Walk Humbly –

To walk humbly means that I would put away my need to be acknowledged and received and esteemed by others. It means that I would be submissive when I needed to be, and modest before God and others. A humble person is not a person who hates “on” themselves; it is not a self-condemning person. It is a person who thinks of themselves less and others more.

 

Practically living out these three directives:

1- Because God is just, we too must be just!

The word just is used over 421 times in the Bible. It is used as one of the attributes of God. He is the definition of all that is just, fair, and equitable. He is partial to no one and unbiased towards all. He is all that is perfect and true.

 

All throughout the Bible from the OT to the NT, we see so many stories of God’s just ways.

We can look back in the garden with the first man and woman and see that when they sinned, God showed that He was just. Before Adam and Eve sinned, God gave Adam instructions as to which tree he should not eat from (Gen 2:17). When Adam disobeyed, God had to execute discipline for this sin. If He didn’t do this, evil would continue in man forever, in that man would have been able to live forever. Justice is necessary in life.

 

Moses says in

Deuteronomy 32:4 ESV

“The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.”

 

Deuteronomy 10:17 AMPC

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the terrible God, Who is not partial and takes no bribe.

 

Revelation 15:3 NKJV
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!

 

Being people who are just and righteous in our actions, thoughts and attitudes towards others is a serious responsibility.

 

Scripture talks about when Jehoshaphat appointed judges to judge over God’s people

 

2 Chronicles 19:5-7 Message

And he was diligent in appointing judges in the land—each of the fortress cities had its judge. He charged the judges: “This is serious work; do it carefully. You are not merely judging between men and women; these are God’s judgments that you are passing on. Live in the fear of God—be most careful, for God hates dishonesty, partiality, and bribery.”

 

We must learn to do what is good, to seek out justice, and to correct things that are wrong. We are mandated to help the fatherless and the true widows. To help the poor and those who are oppressed. We must be people who search for truth in all situations.

 

Isaiah 1:17 NKJV

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke [a]the oppressor;[b]Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

 

Psalm 106:3 NKJV

Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!

 

Zechariah 7: 9 AMPC

Thus has the Lord of hosts spoken: Execute true judgment and show mercy and kindness and tender compassion, every man to his brother;

 

Proverbs 21:3 Message

Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.

 

We are required as children of God to walk justly with others; to do and keep before us what is morally right. Just like Jesus did.

 

1 John 4:16 NKJV

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

 

2- Because God is merciful, we too must show mercy!

When God exercised justice with Adam and Eve when they sinned, it was the first example of His mercy shown to us. He makes a better covering for them to cover their nakedness (Gen 3:21). When Cain sinned by killing his brother Abel, God again judged the sin. When God told Cain what the consequences for his sin would bring, Cain cried out to the Father and said this was too much to bear; he cried out to the Father that others would try to kill him. And Father God in His compassion, with His merciful heart, did something for Cain to protect him from being destroyed (Gen 4:13-15).

 

Lamentations 3:22-23 AMPC
It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

 

Being a just person gives us the ability to be merciful to others.

Zechariah 7:9 AMPC

Thus has the Lord of hosts spoken: Execute true judgment and show mercy and kindness and tender compassion, every man to his brother;

Jesus speaks to us about this.

 

Luke 6:36 AMPC

So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these].

 

Matthew 5:7 AMPC

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!

 

James the Elder writes to us:

James 2:13 Easy English Bible

God will not forgive anyone who has not forgiven other people. But God is kind! He judges us, but even more than that, he forgives us!

If I show mercy to others, I will receive mercy from God.

 

3- Jesus is humble, we too must be humble!

Charles Spurgeon ~ “I would not advise any of you to try to be humble, but to be humble. As to acting humbly, when a man forces himself to it, that is poor stuff. When a man talks a great deal about his humility, when he is very humble to everybody, he is generally a canting hypocrite. Humility must be in the heart, and then it will come out spontaneously as the outflow of life in every act that a man performs.”

 

Look at Jesus. He was entirely lowly and submissive to the Father’s will and plan. His entire human life, and choosing to lay down His life, had to do with thinking of the Father and reconciling us back into relationship with the Father. Remember, a truly just person will be merciful. Christ is our example.

 

Philippians 2:5-8 Message
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Can we put aside our positions, our titles, our justification to be upset and get that last word in, can we put our rights aside and consider the needs of others above our own? Can we be okay if no one knows our name or acknowledges us? Can we be okay when no one sees us, and no accolades are given to us? Can we be okay with knowing that God sees us and knows us?

 

James 4:6 Living Bible

But he gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, God gives strength to the humble but sets himself against the proud and haughty.

 

Proverbs 15:33 NKJV

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.

 

Philippians 2:3-4 AMPC
³ Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves].⁴ Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others

 

We are to walk in humility with others, considering that we would be nothing without Jesus and His forgiveness. It’s this humbling of our heart that we will begin to look at others through the eyes of the Lord.

 

Another quote from Charles H Spurgeon ~ “True humility is thinking rightly of thyself, not meanly. When you have found out what you really are, you will be humble, for you are nothing to boast of. To be humble will make you safe. To be humble will make you happy. To be humble will make music in your heart when you go to bed. To be humble here will make you wake up in the likeness of your Master by-and-by.”

Moving Forward:

What are some areas that you may be compromising in that are unjust?
It could be as little as working for a restaurant and giving away free drinks without your employer’s permission. It could be stealing time from your company. We must choose to walk justly before God. Turning a blind eye towards the willful sin of others that you share responsibilities with. These are all unjust behaviors that if left unchecked will turn into major life challenges.

How can you be more merciful towards others?

Evaluate your compassion toward others when they have done something that you can’t get over. Consider the things God has delivered and forgiven you off.

 

How do you look at others? Do you look down on others? Do you show partiality towards others based on their social status?

Think on how you engage others. Do you change how you behave and talk from one group to another, with one person or another? Consider how you feel when you are right about something, or when someone knows more than you. These are little things that can make a big difference inwardly.

Proverbs 6:16-19 AMPC
16 These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him:17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren.

We must be diligent to pursue what pleases God!