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Text: Micah 6:6-8

We can all recall the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." And he goes on to say, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the pure in heart… Blessed are the peacemakers… Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…" We all know these words to be the Beatitudes.

But did you know there is an Old Testament Beatitude? Micah 6:8 is often called the "Hebrew Beatitudes." Like the Beatitudes of the New Testament, Micah 6:8 offers a number of short, terse, statements that hold within them great truths and great challenges for human behavior:

"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?"

It is easy to let these wonderful words roll off our tongues, but it quite another to live by them.

Micah prophesied in the latter part of the eighth century B.C. He was a contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea and Amos. It was a period of turmoil and change. Assyria was fast becoming a world power. 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. He brought a message of judgment concerning judges who took bribes, priests who were immoral and prophets who would prophesy anything in exchange for a few shekels.

Micah begins with phrasing which would have reminded his audience 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 empanelled - 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.

God responds like a parent who is brokenhearted about the wayward actions of a child. God asks, "Why?" Has God let them down? Surely not. Then God recounts something of the history of their relationship. 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.

In verse six, we find that 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?" 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 moves 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, he moves to the forbidden, dark sacrifice of a child, the "firstborn." 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. The people thought, "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 hypocrisy on an even grander scale. (David Leininger, "Real Religion," St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, N.C., http://www.unidial.com/~stpaul/micah.html)

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."

1) Do Justice

If any group on earth should have been sensitive to God's desire for justice, it was the Hebrews. They knew through their own history what it was like to be unfairly treated by others, to be used by others, to be the victims of prejudice and bigotry. And yet, we find throughout Hebrew history that when they got the upper hand over their neighbors, it was often necessary for them to be reminded that God wants justice for all people. They embraced the notion that they were chosen to be God's special people, but they misinterpreted it as being chosen to rule the world rather than being chosen to be God's servants in the world.

Someone has suggested that we can interpret all of the Ten Commandments in terms of justice.

The first two commandments say "You shall have no other gods before me." and "You shall not make for yourself an idol." These mean that it is unjust to delude people into pursuing false gods. The ancients pursued false gods like Baal, and we moderns pursue false gods like money, power and pleasure. The third commandment "You shall not use the Lord's name in vain" says it is unjust to treat people dishonestly by not being as good as our word. The fourth commandment "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" says it is unjust to overwork people (even ourselves). The fifth commandment "Honor your father and mother" says it is unjust to allow aging parents or anyone else's parents to go without the necessities of life. Number six says "You shall not murder" and means that it is unjust to deny someone their very life by killing them. Number seven says "You shall not commit adultery" and it means that it is unjust to put a man's home and family at risk, to jeopardize inheritance rights, by seducing his wife. Eight says "You shall not steal" and means that it is unjust to take someone's private property without permission. Nine says "You shall not bear false witness" and it means that it is unjust to subvert the judicial system with false testimony or anything else. Number ten says "You shall not covet" and means that setting our hearts on what rightfully belongs to someone else leads to injustice. These standards of justice are very clear.

I once heard a story about a Pastor Smith who was well-loved by his congregation. "St. Martin Lutheran Church was a well-heeled suburban congregation in one of the older, well-established communities near a major metropolitan area. St. Martin prided itself in their beautiful new worship center, perfectly manicured landscaping, and their friendliness to all who attended. They spared no expense when it came to taking care of their church.

"He preached good sermons where he reminded the people over and over how good God has been to them and how much God loved them. And the people in turn loved their new pastor and raised his salary every year, and said they hoped he would stay a long, long time. . .

"As the years passed, Pastor Smith began to preach more about how God's love should make a difference in how the people responded to injustice and to their persecuted brothers and sisters. And the people, of course, still loved their pastor, but some began to wonder if 'perhaps he was under a lot of stress and maybe needs a nice vacation to help him relax. He seems awfully serious-minded these days.'

"But Pastor Smith only preached harder to his people about their obligation to help the poor and the suffering. He told them they must all work harder to change those systems which caused oppression.

"But the people whispered among themselves. 'The world's problems are just too big and too many to do much about. Pastor Smith should go back to preaching about God's love. That's what we're used to hearing.'

"And then one day it happened. The pastor finished the Prayer of Consecration over the bread and wine. But instead of giving Communion to the people, he took the chalice from the altar and solemnly walked to the head of the chancel steps. And there, amid the gasps from the people, Pastor Smith slowly poured the wine on to the carpet.

"The people were indignant. 'He has defiled the Sacraments. We cannot have a pastor who does such disrespectful things. The Church cannot tolerate such blasphemous acts. The Bishop will hear about this.'

"But in a calm voice, Pastor Smith asked the people to sit down and please listen for just a minute. Then he asked them, 'Why are you so indignant and upset? This is, after all, only a symbolic spilling of the Blood of Christ. I have been telling you for five years about places where Jesus is really suffering with the people - in cities, among the rural poor, in countries all over the world. Where was your moral indignation then? I hope you will not take the wine stain out of the carpet. Let it remain there to remind all of us of the real blood spilled every day in a hundred ways and in a thousand places.'

"And soon there was a new pastor in town. And every Sunday the new pastor told them about how richly God has blessed them and how much God dearly loves them. (David A. Tietz, PRCL, February 1, 2002)

We don't have true Christian spirituality unless we are committed to justice.

2) Love Kindness

The Hebrew word is chesed. It is difficult to translate with any single English word. The early English translators had to make up a new word, "lovingkindness." And it is one of the principle attributes of God in the Old Testament. 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." As God always acted toward the people in loving-kindness, so too God expected them to act in the same way toward one another.

The Kingdom of God is the kingdom of right relationships. If we are to have right relationships, we need to have more kindness in our life. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Not long ago I preached on kindness from the text in 2 Samuel 9:3, "The king said, 'Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" We cannot help but admire David because he was kind to Mephibosheth. Kindness becomes a king. Kindness becomes us as well.

I love the passage from Ephesians 4:31-5:1 which says, "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore, be imitators of God…"

We don't have true Christianity spirituality unless we love kindness.

3) Walk humbly with your God

Such a relationship with God is at the heart of our faith. We always need to ask ourselves if we are simply walking humbly with God.

Think of Adam and Eve walking daily with God in the garden of Eden. Think of Enoch who the Bible says "walked with God and was not." Someone has suggested that one day on their walk God simply said, "Listen, we are closer to my house than to yours. Let just go there."

Last Sunday we sang that favorite hymn entitled, "In the Garden." Listen again to the words:

"I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses; and the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own, and the joy we share, as we tarry there, none other has ever known."

(Words and music by C. Austin Miles, 1913)

Does that hymn accurately describe our intimate walk with God? Or are we like the Hebrews who kept their daily life separated from their weekly worship in the temple? What do we do during the week to keep us aware of our walk with God?

Not long ago one of the men in our church asked me a sincere question, "How can I surrender completely to God?" Every pastor lives for the day when people would ask him such a question. I think I told him that one way is to exercise the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, worship, stewardship, service and prayer. These classic disciplines are a valid way of walking humbly with God every day.

But Micah gives us an even better answer: "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?"