Day 392 · Year 2 · Life with God
Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly
Micah gives the shortest summary of the godly life in the Bible.
Today's passage
Micah 6:6-8
6With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
7Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Israel asks what God wants from them — sacrifices? thousands of rams? Micah answers with stunning simplicity. Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God. None of these three can be dropped without distorting the others. Justice without humility becomes self-righteous. Mercy without justice becomes sentimental. Humility without justice becomes passive. Today, ask which leg of the stool is weakest in you — and ask the Lord to grow you there.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
Ambrose of Milan · Latin & Eastern Doctors · 4th c. · Milan
Ambrose of Milan confronted emperors for the sake of the weak, modeling that Christian humility before God leads to courage before the powerful when justice requires it.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What three things does Micah summarize the godly life as?
- Why must justice, mercy, and humility be held together?
- Which of the three is weakest in you right now?
A prayer to pray
Bring the weakest leg to God. Ask him to grow you in justice, mercy, and humble walking — together.