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Kindness Justice Humility

Writer's picture: DeborahDeborah






Micah 6:8 ESV

Micah 1:1 ESV

2 Chronicles 28:1 (King Ahaz was evil)

2 Chronicles 27:1-2 (King Jotham was good)

2 Chronicles 31:20 (King Hezekiah was good)

Micah 1:4 (the mountains will melt)

By Chapters: Micah 1:12 ESV and Micah 1:10-16 (the nations will see the shame of Judah);

Micah 2:12a ESV; Micah 3:12a ESV; Micah 4:2 ESV; Micah 5:2 ESV; Matthew 2:5-6 ESV; Micah 6:15-16a; Micah 7:8 ESV


Years ago I had a handmade piece of artwork made of fabric and thread. At that time I did a lot of handmade embroidery pieces but I don’t remember if I made this piece or if I purchased it at a craft fair.


That wasn’t important to me.


What was important was the message the artwork left on my heart.


See, prior to hanging this piece of art I had not connected to the scripture found in Micah 6:8. The message of that scripture left in indelible mark on my heart.


Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, 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?”


Every every time I passed that piece of hand-made art I was reminded of the message the prophet Micah wrote.


We learn a lot about the prophet Micah from Micah 1:1, “The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.”


We are told that Micah was from Moresheth which was located in Southwest Judah.


He prophesied during the days of King Jotham, King Ahaz, and King Hezekiah.


King Ahaz was an evil king who did not regard God (2 Chronicles 28:1) and he ruled from 735-731 B.C. with his Father King Jotham and from 731 to 715 B.C. by himself. His father and grandfather were both regarded as good kings of Judah.


King Jotham was considered to be a good King who served God from 735 to 750 B.C. (2 Chronicles 27:1-2). He was the son of King Uzziah who was a good King of Judah (2 Chronicles 26:4).


King Hezekiah was considered to be a good king of Judah (2 Chronicles 31:20) and he ruled from 715 to 686 B.C. He was the son of evil King Ahaz and the grandson of good King Jotham. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps.


Micah’s prophesies were primarily about Judah, and Jerusalem. In Micah 1 the prophet makes it clear…God is coming and the mountains will melt (Micah 1:4); “disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem” (Micah 1:12). In Micah 1:10-16 the nations will see the shame of Judah.


What struck me about the kings is knowing that in Judah when the king sought to serve God and loved God, the nation followed and did the same.


When the king did not regard God or serve the Lord’s ways, the nation followed along that path as well.


For example, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel there were no kings who sought to serve God. As a result the people did what was evil in the sight of God. The Northern Kingdom consisted of ten tribes of Israel and their capital city was Samaria. The Assyrians from the north captured and exiled the Northern Kingdom in 721 B.C. Scholars do not all agree about how many were exiled and how many eventually returned, but most do agree that many from the Northern Kingdom tribes were assimilated to be part of other cultures.


In Micah’s introduction (Micah 1:1) when he wrote to Samaria that was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. When the prophet mentioned Jerusalem that was the capital city of Judah.


The prophecies from Micah spanned periods of time from his lifetime until the end of times.


In Chapters 2-3 Micah spoke of the sin and pride of God’s people but the prophet also promises in Micah 2:12a, “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel.”


In Chapter 3, the prophet speaks to the leaders of God’s people and he warns in Micah 3:12a,“because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins.”


In Chapter 4 his prophecies speak of the latter days saying there will come a time when the nations will say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD” (Micah 4:2). In Micah 5:2 the prophet Micah speaks of the one coming, “Bethlehem Ephrathah who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” and his words are quoted in Matthew 2:5-6 when the wisemen went to King Herod to ask “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Their question troubled Herod so he called on the chief priests and scribes to ask what they knew about the child. They quoted Micah’s words (Micah 5:2) telling Herod the ruler would come from Bethlehem of Judea.


In Micah Chapter 6 the prophet tells Israel exactly what is expected of them. God has blessed them and wants them to be just. God has given Israel kindness and wants them to love kindness. God wants humility from Israel. Micah then reminds Israel of the result of their sin of not listening to God. In Micah 6:15-16a he wrote, “You shall sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; And make sweet wine, but not drink wine. For the statutes of Omri are kept; All the works of Ahab’s house are done.”  The prophet points out that while King Omni was their most wicked king, they kept his statutes. Also Israel gave, Omri’s son, evil King Ahab the honor of following his “works”. Israel followed the orders from evil King Ahab’s house, and they did not heed God’s Word. Micah was clear and specific to Israel about what God wanted.


And In Chapter 7 Micah ends with a message of hope for God’s people. Micah tells them in Micah 7:8 they will come to a point when they will say, “Rejoice not over me O my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.” Micah sees hope for Israel and knows God will pardon His people.


Micah’s prophecies speak about darkness and difficult times, but he also  provides hope for a way ahead for those who seek to serve God.


When Micah prophesied to the people of God in Micah 6:8 he was giving them a roadmap ahead. He was telling them exactly what they need to do. Remember what Micah wrote in Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, 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?”


The prophet was clear about what is good…do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.


That is the way. Even today. Humbly follow God, seek justice, and give kindness.


Today’s Spiritual Practice is: The Way


Consider the practical aspects of doing justice, spreading kindness, and walking humbly with God in your life. Choose one thing you can do to practice “the way” in your life.


In God, Deborah

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About Me

I am a child of God. I can’t remember when God wasn’t part of my life. I served in a church setting for 30+ years and now I seek to help others see and find their sacred space. Daily when we turn to God we begin to recognize where God is at work in our lives.

 

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