June 2021
David Hixon • June 18, 2021
Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
Many times, when believers are asked to sum up their purpose in life, I have heard them quote this verse from Micah. Micah 6:8 “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? (KJV)” The ESV translates it this way: “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 NLT says: “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Sometimes when I hear people quote Micah 6:8 I think but wait shouldn’t our life verse have something to do with the gospel found in the New Testament? I still think that, but this verse has a lot of powerful principles for living out our lives and we would do well to follow these.
Act Justly
The first step, God says, is to act justly. Acting justly, or doing justice, is “the quality of being impartial or fair.”
God tells us to “do justice.” Perhaps you struggle to know what it means to do justice. How did I do justice this past week? What does it look like? We have often defined justice by placing it primarily in a political, economic, or judicial realm. These definitions make it difficult to identify that we are doing justice on a regular basis.
Within each of us God has planted a sense of justice. I often see this play out in weird and unusual ways. Jennifer chides me sometimes for my driving habits while I implore to her the value of justice. But more importantly how does that play out in our daily lives? I do believe it is more than just acting justly but when we talk about doing justice it means seeking to right wrongs. It means acting in such a way that we take up for those who are being treated poorly. It means seeing injustice all around us and doing our best to bring justice to those who cannot do it themselves. Maybe this means feeding the poor or bringing hope to those without hope.
“In our daily lives, we all have the opportunity to do justice with actions that help people help themselves. In this, we are creating an environment where people can thrive and achieve their full potential.”
Love Mercy
The next command offered by God in Micah 6:8 is “to love mercy.” According to the Encyclopedia of the Bible, mercy requires both an inward disposition and an outward action.
“It is evident that mercy combines a strong emotional element, usually identified as pity, compassion, or love, with some practical demonstration of kindness in response to the condition or needs of the object of mercy.” – Encyclopedia of the Bible
It is easy for our hearts to harden and our minds to judge. These people are being both foolish and manipulative. They are taking advantage of our care. And we need to hear God say once again, “As one of my people, I hope you love mercy—for that is what you have received.”
Mercy is more than just an attitude. Mercy requires action. When we love mercy we have a heart of compassion for people that God loves. We show we love mercy when we actually do acts of mercy. This could mean feeding the poor or providing housing for the homeless or providing for widows and orphans. In Jamaica we see needs all around us. Many of these are physical needs as people struggle often to just put food on their table. We have changed from our initial policy of not giving to beggars to one where we try to give in small amounts but to anyone who is in need. And we have provided for other more substantial needs as we can but certainly we don’t possess the resources to meet all the needs around us each day (though some Jamaicans think we surely must be rich). But we also have to be careful as giving too much can actually hurt. It can create a culture of dependence and often people will keep asking until you ultimately have to say no. Sometimes showing mercy means knowing when to say No. It also means going beyond the physical to the spiritual which is far more important.
Walk Humbly
The third command in Micah 6:8 is “to walk humbly with your God.”
“Walking humbly with God is of key importance when working with people living in poverty. Too often, people think that the poor have nothing to teach or to share. In contrast, walking humbly with God recognizes the poverty of mind, soul, spirit and body that we all possess without the grace of God.”
“To “walk humbly with God” is the basis for loving mercy and doing justice. Because of what God has done, we fully invest in healing the world around us through mercy and justice. Cultivating our walk with God provides the power and passion for us to fully engage—it grounds everything else we do.”
The “walk” metaphor is used often in Scripture to describe the overall direction one’s life is heading. It is often used to describe a daily endeavor. It is something that implies an ongoing relationship with God.
“The adverb “humbly” moves us away from arrogance and the egocentric need to always be better than others, to the simple acceptance of the gifts that God has placed within us. The hymn “Trust and Obey” might come to mind: “When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.””
Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
This is what God requires of us. May it be our goal and ambition today!!