Micah 6
Scripture – vs. 9 “Attention! God calls out to the city! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen. So listen, all of you! This is serious business.”
Observation – Micah 6:8… this reference is ingrained in my ears, like a familiar phone number… I know what the scripture is if someone speaks the reference. But not Micah 6:9. Yet, the two verses are to be read together. Actually, they are to be read in the context of the preceding and following verses. What is the context?
The structure of this piece mirrors an open court dealing with a legal issue. (picture Jewish elders at the city gate discussing the issues.) God is bringing a case against his people. The people listen to the charges and respond, “How can I stand up before God and show proper respect to the high God?”
The famous response comes, “…what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
But how do we hear this? I usually hear it with a sense of peace, with a sigh of agreement and reflection… ‘yes, this is good stuff.’ But is that how it was heard thousands of years ago? Isn’t verse 9 an exclamation! Isn’t God seriously concerned with the city and the economics of the people in their urban setting? It was time for business people to develop character, honesty, and integrity and demonstrate loves for one another and demonstrate it deeply.
Application – God is calling out to the city. God loves the city. Everyone is becoming more urban regardless if they live in the city or not. We are all participating in a vast web of inter-dependency. Now is the time to treat everyone as a brother or sister… not as only customer, consumer, client, employer etc. How can I ‘humanize’ those I do business with today?
Prayer –
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
Lloyd Letkeman
Lloyd is married to Carol and the two of them are Regional Mission Mobilizers – Prairie Region for Mennonite Bretheren Mission.