to return to your place in the text.To read endnotes, click on the the note number, then click on the
Familiar words. Perhaps you memorized them in Sunday School
in years past, or perhaps you saw them on the wall of the Library
of Congress. (They are inscribed there.) They are an ancient
answer to the modern acronym that Christian youngsters wear on
tee-shirts, bracelets, and necklaces: WWJD - What would Jesus do?
These few words spell it out. What is REAL religion? In other
words, WWJHMD - What would Jesus have ME do? After all, REAL
religion is an attempt to answer that as well as the prophet's
question, "What does the Lord require of you?" Here we have it
in a nutshell, and it is as valid today as it was 28-hundred
years ago. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.
It was in the latter part of the eighth century BC that
Micah prophesied. He was a young contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea
and Amos. He and Isaiah brought God's message to the people of
Judah in the South while Hosea and Amos took it north to Israel.
It was a period of turmoil and change. Assyria was fast becoming
a world power to challenge the hegemony of Egypt. There was one
battle after another with the little nations used only as pawns
in the wider struggle. Israel and Judah were constantly
threatened by one power or another. It was a difficult time.
Like Amos, Micah was a product of the countryside...a
farmer...and like farmers throughout the centuries, he had a
certain mistrust of city slickers. In his case, he had good
reason: it was the city slickers who were fleecing the folks of
the countryside that Micah knew as friends and neighbors; it was
city slicker judges who took bribes to render unfair judgments;
city slicker priests who were immoral and corrupt; city slicker
prophets who would prophesy anything you might want in exchange
for a few shekels. No wonder Micah thought of the cities as
cesspools of sin.
To be sure, he had plenty to complain about concerning the
nation's religious habits. It was bad enough that the prophets
and priests were not living up to expectations, but the reason
they were not was that the people did not want them to. The only
preaching they wanted to hear was "God's in his heaven and all's
right with the world." Micah even joked about it: "If a liar and
deceiver comes and says `I will prophesy for you plenty of wine
and beer,' he would be just the preacher for this people."(1) They
did not want to be embarrassed by anyone who would have called
them to account for their behavior.
It was time for them to hear a word from the Lord. So Micah
came to them with a message that was not only valid for his own
age, but for every age to come.
Micah begins with phrasing which would have put his audience
in mind of a legal proceeding. He employs the formal language of
the law: "Arise, plead your case." But this is no ordinary
courtroom. The judge is God and Micah is counsel. And before
the defendant is called to the stand to hear the charges, an
impressive jury is empaneled - the mountains and hills, and "the
enduring foundations of the earth."
Before the members of the court, Micah, on behalf of God,
makes a case concerning the chosen people. The actual charge is
implied rather than explicitly stated: Israel has grown tired of
God and chosen to go its own way. But why, God asks? Has God
let them down? How is that possible? Consider the evidence of
history. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God gave the people
freedom. When they were without leaders, God gave them Moses,
Aaron, Miriam, and others. When their very existence was
threatened in Moab by King Balak, God rescued them yet again.
When they crossed the River Jordan, from Shittim to Gilgal, God
was with them once again, protecting them, leading them. Clearly
the evidence to the court shows that whatever the reason for
Israel's failure, it cannot be blamed on God.
Now it is Israel's turn to address the court. There is no
dispute about the crime or the evidence - the accused simply
asks, "What must I do to set things right?" But the very
phrasing of the possible remedies betrays the fact that the
defendant still does not understand. Israel assumes the solution
is more ritual - "With what shall I come before the LORD?" The
possibilities start modestly with the only offering that might be
available to a poor worshiper (bowing down), then move to the
more costly sacrifice of a yearling calf, then to the
outrageously lavish sacrifices that would be available only to a
king ("thousands of rams... rivers of oil"), finally to the
forbidden, dark sacrifice of a child, the "firstborn" - the list
runs the gamut. What would satisfy God's wounded dignity?
You can picture Micah standing there and slowly shaking his
head. They still did not get it. Ritual had become an end in
itself, not something that pointed to the people's relationship
with God. The whole sacrificial system and worship of the temple
had been turned into a kind of national insurance policy: we can
sin as we wish, so long as we are up to date with our insurance
premiums at the temple. With extraordinary nerve, the nation was
suggesting to the court that the sins of hypocrisy could be
atoned for by further hyprocisy on an even grander scale!(2)
No. Micah says there is no mystery as to what God requires,
and it has nothing to do with sacrifice and offering. "He has
told you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require
of you? To do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly
with your God." Three elements that constitute real religion.
Then...and now as well.
Consider what he says. He begins with "do justice." "In
its strictest sense, justice means fair play. It means making
sure that all God's children inherit their fair share of God's
good gifts. And if they don't, because someone has swindled them
out of their birthright or because they were not strong enough to
hold on to it, justice means doing whatever is necessary to sort
out what belongs to whom and return it to them."(3) It is not
enough to wish for justice or to complain because it is lacking.
This is a dynamic concept that calls on God's people to work for
fairness and equality for all, particularly the weak and the
powerless who are exploited by others.(4) "DO Justice."
Nothing startling here. The nation had known God's standard
of justice since Moses came down from Sinai with the Ten
Commandments. The first two - it is unjust to delude people into
pursuing false gods, whether ancient pagan deities or their
modern equivalents (money, power, pleasure, etc.) that ultimately
demean and destroy; the third commandment - it is unjust to treat
people dishonestly by not being as good as your word; the fourth
commandment - it is unjust to overwork people (even yourself);
the fifth commandment - it is unjust to allow aging parents (or
anyone else who might be vulnerable) to go without the
necessities of life; number six - it is unjust to deny someone
their very life by killing them; number seven - it is unjust to
put a man's home and family at risk, to jeopardize inheritance
rights, by seducing his wife; eight - it is unjust to take
someone's private property without permission; nine - it is
unjust to subvert the judicial system with false testimony or
anything else. Number ten - setting our hearts on what
rightfully belongs to someone else leads to injustice. The
standard was very clear.
But the standards had gone by the boards. What kind of
standard was being met by judges who took bribes? What kind of
standard was the rule for the unscrupulous land-grabbing of the
nobles in the cities? What standard would result in the
oppression of the poor? What type of standard could there have
been in the temple with prophets letting it be known that they
would only come through with something favorable if the
petitioner would cross his palm? As Paul would write later, "the
love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,"(5) and it was
certainly apparent in the days of Micah. The standard of God was
being ignored.
The problem is no less acute in our day. No one would deny
that standards have been lowered. We have rewritten the Golden
Rule: "Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you." Do we have
officials taking bribes? Is there any land-grabbing going on?
Are the poor in America being oppressed? We know the answers all
too well. America's standard is not God's standard.
Moving along. Have you ever seen Judge Judy on television?
I never have but I am told her motto is "Justice with an
Attitude." In a unique way, in the prophetic understanding of
real religion, Micah encourages something similar, only the
attitude he pairs with justice is kindness (compassion), or
"loving-kindness" as the Hebrew word here, chesed, is frequently
rendered. Chesed is difficult to translate with any single
English word. It is a relationship word. It has the connotation
of "getting inside someone's skin." Just as we might say "look
at it through my eyes," or "put yourself in my shoes," the
feeling is one of a changed perspective. To the Hebrews it would
have been a special word because it is one of the principal
attributes of God in the Old Testament. As God always acted
toward the people in loving-kindness, so too God expected them to
act in the same way toward one another. If God's people are to
be just, they are to be even more - they are to give where no
giving is deserved, to act when no action is required. It is not
only an activity, it is an attitude. Chesed. Loving-kindness.
No, Micah's nation was not what it should have been in
regard to chesed. How could one say that offenders were treated
kindly when the judges had been bribed to render unfair verdicts?
What kindness was displayed when shady deals deprived people of
their houses and land? What kindness was evident when the people
who were suffering the most - the poor - were systematically
ignored?
Our society is no different. We think of ourselves as kind
people: we are gentle with animals; we do not mistreat prisoners
of war; we give billions to charity...but the same indictments
could be laid at our doorstep as those for ancient Israel. We
think of our judicial system as fair, but we know it is much more
"fair" with those who have money and power. There are laws on
the books to protect people from the shady business practices
that can bankrupt good families, but thousands lose millions
every year because there are so many loopholes in the laws. Yes,
we give money for the relief of suffering, but we give out of our
abundance - what we do not really need - with the result that
what is given is not nearly enough. In short, we are a kind
nation...whenever it is convenient. Safe to say, Micah would
object.
A student told about a famous lecturer who came to the
college he attended who spoke about feeding the people of India.
He listed several good reasons for doing so - more people would
be employed, friendlier relations with other countries would be
established. In addition, we would continue to be in the good
graces of the Indian people and of the government. During the
informal discussion which followed, the oldest and most revered
professor at the college asked, "But, Doctor, don't you think
maybe we ought to feed them just because they're hungry?" That
is the question that joins justice and kindness.(6)
Justice and loving-kindness...critical to the living of
lives that are pleasing to God. But one can be just without
being religious. One can be kind without any religious
inclination. That is why Micah says REAL religion requires one
thing more: a humble walk with God.
It is the daily walk with God that energizes the commitment
to do justice and go even beyond to treat people (even the
undeserving) with loving-kindness; the ritual of the temple that
was so important to Israel could give expression to the vitality
of that walk, but it could never be a substitute for the daily
companionship that is part and parcel of a life of faith.
"Walking humbly with God is a call to do more than to come to God
with offerings thinking to buy God's favor, but to spend the time
walking, living life, with God in ways that would work out in
every aspect of life. It implies a sensitivity to the things of
God, a concern...to allow our heart to be broken by the things
that break the heart of God. It is a deep desire to see the
world through the eyes of God, to act in the world as God would
act."(7) When this final requirement is placed cheek by jowl with
the first two, walking with God becomes synonymous with having a
heart for justice and compassion. The three cannot be separated,
for walking humbly with God, living all of life in relationship
to God, will result in both.
Do justice. Love kindness. A humble walk with God. Sounds
very much like the answer to WWJD - What would Jesus do? In
fact, it is in Jesus that we see what justice and loving-kindness
look like in a walk with God. WWJD. Jesus is still looking for
followers. Not admirers, followers. So the correct question for
you and me is WWJHMD? What would Jesus have ME do?
How is this for a summary? Enter Micah: "He has told you, O
mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but
to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your
God."
Amen!
1. Micah 2:11 NIV 2. Peter C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets, Volume 2: The Daily Study Bible Series, John
Gibson, Gen. Ed., (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1985), p. 46 3. Barbara Brown Taylor, Bible lecture via Internet at the meeting of the National
Association of Congregational Christian Churches, Hartford, Connecticut, June 27, 1999,
http://www.naccc.org/hartfor/features/bible_3.html 4. Daniel J. Simundson, The Book of Micah, The New Interpreter's Bible, electronic
edition, CD-ROM, (Nashville: Abingdon, 2000) 5. I Timothy 6:10 6. Bible Illustrator for Windows, (Hiawatha, IO: Parsons Technology, 1994) 7. Dennis Bratcher, via Internet, copyright © 2000 Christian Resource Institute,
http://www.cresourcei.org/lectionary/YearA/Aepiphany4ot.html
click and send us mail