God’s Requirements

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8

Micah, who was a prophet at the same time as Isaiah and Hosea was warning the people of Israel that judgment was coming upon them because of their wickedness and failure to worship the Lord in the way that He desired. He tells them that God still loves and cares for them and that He has good things in store for them if they will only listen. In Chapter 5, he speaks of the deliverer who would be born in Bethlehem, giving them a promise of better things to come.

Here in Chapter 6, he again turns to their condition and reminds them how God loves them and desires to bless them. He tells them that God requires certain things of them:

• Do justly. No matter how many sacrifices and offerings they brought to the temple, it meant nothing to God if they were not living lives that pleased the Lord. Injustice filled the land, and this displeased God. He looked at their hearts and saw their evil ways.
• Love mercy. As we look at the later verses in this chapter, we see that people were not treating others properly. They were ruthless, cheating with their false balances, and not showing love and kindness to others.
• Walk humbly with thy God. They were only concerned with themselves, disregarding all of God’s laws for how they should treat others. Pride and rebellion filled their hearts.

These words were written to the nation of Israel centuries ago, but as we look around at our world, we can see that the situation still exists. People are concerned only with themselves and are willing to go to any length to obtain what satisfies them.

While seeking God for guidance for this week’s devotionals, the thought that kept coming to me was: “what doth God require of me?”  For the next few days let us consider this question.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us. We want to draw closer to you and to be willing to do all that you require of us.

Devotion by Anne Johnston