Micah 6:1-8 – What does God want from us?

Micah is like a courtroom with God showing the people of Israel and Judah how far they have fallen away from him. v6-7: The people respond with more and more outlandish ideas of how to please God. God does not want their sacrifices, he wants their hearts wholly for him.

God wants his people to walk humbly in his presence. There is no point in sacrifice if it doesn’t change your heart or attitudes.

Hosea 6:4-6

The Pharisees in the New Testament had the same attitude. 

Matthew 12:1-8

God doesn’t want a sacrifice, he wants us to know and love him – he wants our hearts.

What Does God require of his people?

Micah 6:8

Justice (Mishpat) and Kindness (Hesed) are the two most used words in the bible to show the character of God. We are made in his image so these should be part of our character too. 

JUSTICE – God is a just God and has to deal with the problem of sin in the world and in our lives. Jesus was the final sacrifice to reconcile us back to a right relationship with God. We are justified by Jesus. He turns away God’s wrath and turns it to favour through sacrifice, propitiation.

1 Corinthians 6:11 

KINDNESS (Mercy) – God has a steadfast and unfailing love for his people – The whole of our redemption is based on his mercy towards us. His kindness endures throughout eternity and is available every day as – see Psalm 52:1.

Ephesians 2:7
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 6:35-36

Let’s be merciful and show kindness as Christ has done the same for us. Deserved? No! But given anyway and immeasurable!

WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD.

Have the same attitude that Christ had. To walk humbly, we recognise that there is nothing that we can bring to God to gain our salvation and to make him love us any more than he already does

Rock of Ages
“Nothing in my hand I bring – simply to thy cross I cling
Naked come to thee for dress – Helpless look to thee for grace
Foul, I to the fountain fly, wash me saviour or I die”

Total reliance on God for our salvation and for his mercy to get us home to be with Jesus. This attitude is personified in Jesus himself-

Philippians 2:5-8

Pride is the opposite of humility. We have nothing to be proud about. We are all sinners, all have fallen short of God’s standard and can do nothing in our own strength to make the situation better – Ephesians tells us that we were DEAD in our sins and are only made alive because of Gods great love and mercy – by grace you have been saved.

James 4:6 in Amplified Bible

When we walk humbly with God we become so much like him in our actions and attitudes that justice and steadfast love flows out of us – These are God’s characteristics. We become more like him by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22

God is interested in what is in our hearts – not what we do outwardly as sacrifice.

The first commandment is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength

Jesus is talking here about an attitude in a relationship not compliance to a law. This love encompasses our whole heart and is sacrificial in that we give him everything. This love will impact us in extraordinary ways, behaviour, speech and personalities. We cannot and must not reduce this love to mere duty or ritual.

Our love for God should be like his love for us – consistent, permanent, passionate, sacrificial and should be the driving force that empowers our lives – We only love him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)

Matt Redman – When the music fades

I’ll bring you more than a song, 
for a song in itself is not what you have required,
You search much deeper within through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart.