Micah 6:1-8
Matthew 5:1-12
“First Comes Love”
What does the Lord require of you? That’s an important question that comes up in the Scriptures frequently, and it was likely a priority concern for ancient people.
Most, if not all of them, would have believed in God or in a variety of gods, and they needed to know how to keep the gods happy with them so that they would be blessed. How should they worship and honour the gods? What offerings must they bring to satisfy and please the deities?
The success of their lives depended on these gods – whether their crops would grow, whether their families would grow, whether they would have good health and happiness, and stay safe from other tribes that sought to do them harm.
The prophet Micah addresses this question as he instructs the People of Israel: What does the Lord require of you? The situation there is that the people are really NOT pleasing God at the time. It’s not that they have failed to worship properly or to bring enough gifts and offerings. Rather, God is displeased with them because of their behaviour towards one another.
Micah was living in a time of major socio-economic change in Judah, including … Read more »