There’s a famous story about President Calvin Coolidge. As he was coming out of church one Sunday, a reporter intercepted him and, hoping for a controversial soundbite, asked the president what the topic of the sermon had been. Coolidge, who was never one for being longwinded, replied, “Sin.” The reporter knew there was no story there, and so he asked a follow-up: “What did he say about it?” Coolidge replied, “He was agin’ it.” Now, I realize many people feel this story is apocryphal, but Coolidge was a master of brevity, and his summary of the sermon exudes an economy of expression which, in my book, is a vote for authenticity. After all, a good summary is hard to find. It’s not every day someone recaps Beauty and the Beast by saying “Stockholm syndrome works” or condenses Star Wars: Episode V by saying “talking frog convinces son to kill his dad.” As I said, a good summary is hard to find. And so, when Micah summarizes the entire will of God down to three points, we are on to something great. 

We are looking at Christopher JH Wright’s The Old Testament in Seven Sentences (IVP Academic, Downers Grove, IL, 2019). It’s an engaging book that surveys the whole Old Testament through the lens of seven verses. By now, you know that we’ve explored four verses, which means we are ready for our fifth verse—the one verse that everyone saw coming—and rightly so. It is a masterpiece of theology in one verse.

 

The Fifth Verse: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

Let’s get a quick feel for Wright’s chapter by looking at three quotes (my favorite three of the chapter).

“The point of these powerful summaries is to remind us that being in a right relationship with God is not just a matter of check-box compliance with all the instructions and regulations. It is a matter of fundamental commitment to God himself, expressed through love and humble submission to God and acting with justice and compassion in human affairs. Such as the essence of the covenant relationship between God and Israel in the Old Testament, and it is the job of the prophet to remind the people of this truth.”

“The job of the prophets is to tell the people of Israel what God is thinking and saying about their present situation, whatever is going on in their own time. Sometimes, of course, they do speak about the future (whether as a warning or an encouragement). But when they do that, it is usually in order to make the people think and act differently in the present. Future predictions, in other words, are intended to affect the present, not just leave people gazing into the distance. Prophets should be thought of as forth-tellers, not foretellers.”

“Outward religion without ethical transformation is abominable to God. An unmistakable message of the prophets is that God does not want enthusiastic worship without practical social justice. Sacred rites do not compensate for social wrongs. God will not be worshiped and cannot be known apart from commitment to righteousness and justice, faithfulness, and love, the things that define God’s own character and are his delight.”


Four Reasons Why I Like Micah 6:8 as One of the Top Seven Verses

Reason #1: It is the love God (“walk humbly”) and love others (“to act justly and love mercy”) verse of the Old Testament. Indeed, it is a brilliant summary of the whole Law.

Reason #2: It is the climax of an amazing sermon where God brings charges against his rebellious people (see v. 2: “For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel”). At the heart of these charges is a question: How has God wearied his people so they no longer want to obey him (v. 3 – “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me”). God’s defense is overwhelming: he has poured out his grace and love upon the people for centuries, but they have not replied in kind. Instead, they believe all that is necessary to honor God is to offer the right number of sacrifices and go through the necessary motions of religion. Micah’s point is that such sacrifices are meaningless and such worship is worthless. Instead, Micah says, this is what God requires of you: “But to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Not only is this a great sermon, but it dates back to the eighth-century BCE. And yet, it is still as relevant today as it was back then. God doesn’t want our religious acts. He wants a whole-heart response to his grace and love.

Reason #3: Because Micah is a prophet’s prophet. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes: 

“The prophet’s word is a scream in the night. While the world is at ease and asleep, the prophet feels the blast from heaven.” 

And because it is so good, here is another quote from Heschel: 

“The prophet is a man who feels fiercely. God has thrust a burden upon his soul, and he is bowed and stunned at man’s fierce greed. Frightful is the agony of man: no human voice can convey its full terror. Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of this world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophets’ words.” 

That may describe all the prophets, but it is quintessentially Micah specifically.

Reason #4: Because not only is a great verse, but it is also a nice song.


Reasons Why I’m Not Wild About Micah 6:8’s Inclusion as One of Our Seven Verses

Reason #1: It’s a big Old Testament, and there are a lot of verses that are worthy of our consideration. The problem is that we are not as familiar with them as we are with Micah 6:8. Worse, I fear if we didn’t sing Micah 6:8 every now and again, most of us wouldn’t even know this verse existed (or for that matter, the whole book of Micah!). And that gives me pause to think before I give my stamp of approval on this verse. Now, don’t get me wrong here. I love this verse and absolutely believe it ought to be included, but it makes me wonder if, instead of choosing the seven most profound verses in the Old Testament, we are content to choose the seven most popular.

Reason #2: Closely related to my first reason is this one. There are other great summaries that are equally important. Consider these verses that are similar to Micah’s sermon in chapter 6, verses that address the peoples’ sin and call for a response of justice and mercy. For instance, here are three of the most powerful (the bold narrows down the whole sermon to a verse, plus or minus): 

  • Isaiah 1:16-18—“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. ‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”
  • Jeremiah 2:5-7, 11-13—This is what the Lord says: “What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’ I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. . . . My people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
  • Amos 5:21-24—“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”


My Conclusion about Micah 6:8 as One of the Seven Verses

Micah 6:8 is one of the great verses of the Old Testament and has to be included. It not only says everything that needs to be said, but leaves enough unsaid to push us to think deeply about how we are to live out this verse. Does our definition of the “good life” match what Micah says here? Do we live lives of gratitude that overflow in heartfelt worship or are we prone to mechanical obedience? Do we act justly in our treatment of others, in our purchases and in our nation and in our world? Are we an advocate for mercy and peace and faithfulness everywhere we go? Do we live in faithful obedience to the Law of Christ, especially in regards to our calling to love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we live each day circumspectly, knowing that we are God’s people? 

Any verse that makes you think this deeply, in my opinion, ought to be considered for one of our seven spots. Micah 6:8 is definitely one of those verses.