Micah 6:8
He hath shewn thee, O man, what is good and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with thy God?
View all translations →Micah 6 opens with Jehovah pleading His case against His people, reminding them of His mercies from Egypt onward, and inviting them to "testify against Me." The famous eighth verse comes as the prophet's answer to a guilty Israel who, knowing themselves condemned, ask what offering could put them right.
Micah 6 is no cold legal indictment but a stirring appeal grounded in covenant love.
Other AuthorsMicah 6 brings before us a touching reminder of God's mercy and goodness, and an appeal to His people based thereon.
MagazinesIn the beginning of the chapter "the Lord hath a controversy with His people, and will plead with Israel"; and He proceeds by the mouth of the prophet to appeal to them in the most touching manner: "O My people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against Me." Then He reminds them, in order to enforce His entreaty, that He had brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed him out of the house of servants.
Verses 6–7 are not God's words but Israel's panicked attempt to bargain. They turn to the prophet, not to the Lord whom they had offended.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinHere the people speak, but it is significant that they do not address the Lord, who had spoken to them by the prophet. They knew themselves guilty and condemned. So they address the prophet and ask what to do… For generations they had brought burnt offerings, thousands of rams and rivers of oil. But it was nothing but an outward worship; inwardly they remained the same. But they were willing to do more in this outward service, even to the sacrifice of the firstborn.
Verse 8 is Jehovah's reply through the prophet — and a warning against twisting it into a substitute gospel.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe prophet gives the answer of Jehovah. "He hath showed 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?" Where has God made the demand? In the law. There is no more deadly error than to hold up this verse as the essence of the gospel and the one true, saving religion… To do right, to love mercy, to walk in humility with God is impossible for the natural man; in order to do this there must be the new birth, and the new birth takes place when the sinner believes and expresses his faith in true repentance.
The verse establishes a divine order: a righteous walk must clothe the worshiper before any gift is acceptable.
Numerical Bible NotesThe removal of evil and the following of righteousness must characterize those who offer their gifts to God… Apart from the accompaniment of obedience and practical righteousness, God can take no pleasure in mere outward observances and lip worship (Isa. 1:10-17; Matt. 15:7-9). He desires mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings (Hosea 6:6). Obedience is better than sacrifice. God looks upon the heart, His searching eye penetrates the mask of outward appearance, and what He desires of His people is that they should do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.
The same call cuts across our easy drift into the spirit of the age.
F. A. HughesHow easy it is for us to become marked by the spirit of a world which is alienated from God and marked by self-will. The word of Micah would be a salutary one to each of us, "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth God require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Israel's failure was met not with abandonment but with a promise — the spirit of Christ would yet be in a preserved remnant who would answer this very demand.
Other AuthorsThe concluding chapter gives us the spirit of Christ in the prophet, feeling and owning the state of the nation… All this voices, no doubt, the thoughts and feelings of the preserved remnant of Israel in the coming day. The spirit of Christ will be in them as in the prophets of old.
- Setting. The verse is Jehovah's answer in a covenant lawsuit — His tender pleading with a guilty Israel who had wearied Him with empty sacrifices.
- Not the Gospel. Micah 6:8 states the law's demand on man, not the way of salvation; treating it as "saving religion" is called a deadly error, since the natural man cannot meet it without new birth.
- Heart Over Ritual. Thousands of rams and rivers of oil cannot replace justice, mercy, and humble walk; God looks on the heart and desires mercy more than sacrifice.
- Right Order. Practical righteousness must clothe the worshiper before gifts are offered — obedience precedes acceptable approach to God.
- Christ and the Remnant. What Israel failed to render, the spirit of Christ will produce in the preserved remnant — and the same call presses on every believer today against the self-will of the world.