Micah 6
by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin

 After pointedly rebuking the sins of Israel and then giving them certain hope in light of the promises of God concerning the Christ who would come, the prophet Micah now calls for a day of decision in their relationship with the Lord.  Speaking to an arrogant people who have not walked humbly with their God, the Lord himself calls upon the mountains and hills surrounding them to testify to his covenant faithfulness to them and to indict his people for failing to keep covenant love themselves.  These hills were standing long before this particular generation came to be and would remain standing long after it’s gone; that alone should give pause to God’s people in their haughty attitude towards Him.

But His heart continues to go out to them in love as he twice calls to them saying, “O my people…”  And he pleads with them empathetically asking them plainly in v.3, saying, “What have I done to you?” In other words, how have I acted unjustly toward you, or how have I been unkind to you? Then he asks even more directly, “How have I wearied you?  Answer me!”  It is as this point that creation itself can testify of how the Lord had given them this Promised Land, of how he brought them up from Egypt, redeemed them out of slavery, led them through the wilderness, and blessed them all along the way, showing forth his righteous deeds unto His people.

And yet, somehow His people are complaining that God has wearied them with excessive demands and continual calls for sacrifice, making it seem as if the Lord would never be pleased with them even if they were to kill thousands of rams and pour out ten thousand rivers of oil, or even if they killed all their firstborn sons to make atonement for their sin.  Even now, these people to whom belonged “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises” are both ungrateful for what God has done and completely ignorant of what God is planning to do in giving them His own as a sacrifice for their sin.  Instead, they pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny the goodness and kindness of the Lord.

In response to their question “what must I do in order to please the Lord,” the prophet replies saying in v.8, “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?”  Indeed, the Lord is not excessive in his demands.  Ultimately he desires the love of his people and for them to learn to love one another.  Is that really too much to ask?

In the rest of the chapter, Micah continues to prove that it is not the Lord who had wearied Israel with excessive offerings but rather Israel who had wearied God with their excessive iniquities.  That seems to be the main point of this passage.  Clearly there is a breakdown in fellowship between the Lord and His people, but it is not the Lord’s fault.  He never wearies us with excessive demands for righteousness.  Rather, we weary him with our excessive sin.  Think about that the next time you feel spiritually fatigued.  The Lord’s yoke is not too heavy to bear.  It is our sin that is burdensome.  But if we learn from Christ, we will find true rest for our souls, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.