Judah did not need to become more formal and ceremonially religious in the way they sacrificed and worshiped God. They did not need to bring sacrifices such as "thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil" to find favor with God and to free them from desolation and destruction. They needed to turn away from their sins by true confession and repentance as the prophets declared unto them. Looking again at verse 8, Micah says, "He (God) 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?"
Judah had no lack of knowledge concerning the right way to live, because they had instructions from Moses' law and the prophets. The problem with Judah was that they didn't want to obey Moses' law, nor the prophets' message from God. They did not want to faithfully practice what God had revealed for them to do in His Word. Rather they chose to listen to false prophets and to follow their desires as they pleased.
Dear Christian, if you would experience God's goodness and mercy in your life throughout the coming year, you must by God's grace apply His Word to your life. Ask yourself honestly and sincerely, "Do I regularly read God's Word, do I meditate upon Scripture, and by God's grace do I put into practice what God requires of my life?"
Micah 6:8 declares that God's people must "do justly." "To do justly" in the Hebrew could be applied in two ways. First, to be righteous by faith, and by grace alone, following God's commandments in all our conduct toward others. Abraham, the chosen servant of God, was also blessed greatly because by the grace of faith, he lived justly before God. Genesis 18:19 says, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."
Secondly, to "do justly" means not only to live righteously through faith, but to defend others who are treated cruelly, unrighteously, or oppressed. In Isaiah 1:16, Isaiah spoke against the unjust treatment of others saying, "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil. Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow."
The prophet Micah also declares to Judah that they are to show mercy to others just as God is merciful to them. Our Lord is the supreme example of love and mercy. We are to show the same mercy even to our enemies as our Lord did. What is it to love in order to show mercy? It is to love to take pity upon those in misery, even though they may be undeserving. A prime example of loving to show mercy to others is demonstrated in Scripture, when our Lord took loving pity upon those crucifying His body on the cross. John 15:12-13 says, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends." Our Lord Jesus showed mercy to his enemies as they were crucifying His body on the cross. Jesus said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Jesus' loving mercy was not only to his friends, but to his enemies.
If we would live our lives to please God in the coming year, we must seek the grace of God to walk humbly with Him all the days of our life. God calls His people to walk with Him with a humble heart. What does it mean to walk with God? To walk with God is to have a constant fellowship and communion with Him. It is to be in agreement with the doctrines and the manner of life that God requires in His Word. Our relationship with God is to be humble, and to esteem ourselves lowly before God while exalting His great attributes.
It was said of Enoch, "He walked with God and was not, for God took Him" (Gen. 5:24). It is also said that before God took Enoch, he pleased God. If we would walk with God we must humble ourselves before Him and please God by believing His Word and obeying what he has to say. King Josiah walked humbly before God and was blessed of Him. 2 Chronicles 34:27 says of King Josiah, "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbled thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord."
Beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ, may the Lord richly bless you this coming year with His abundant grace. Obviously, it is the hope and prayer of everyone, that the coming year will be a blessed and prosperous year. If we would obtain our heart's desire, we must seek to put into practice what God requires of us in His Word. Oftentimes our resolutions center upon ourselves and improving our temporal quality of life; however, to do what God requires puts God's will at the center of our life. God requires, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40).
It is good to make resolutions to improve our conduct and character, but our greatest resolution is to put into practice the precept of Micah 6:8, "He (God) 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?"
The resolutions of the unbelieving world bring the same misery and desolation as Judah experienced, because the world seeks out their own evil inventions which are displeasing to God. Thank God that through true repentance for our sins and faith in Jesus Christ, we are able by God's grace to do what God requires of us. By God's grace we find in Christ the blessedness our soul desires, because we have the love, joy, peace, and blessing of Christ in our hearts.
As we live in loving obedience to what God requires of us this coming year, then Psalm 1:1-3 promises us manifold blessings saying, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
