What doth the LORD require of thee

Micah 6:8

He 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?

Amos was in great straits. He had seen the sin of Israel and the great transgression of the house of Jacob. He warned them, preached to them, told of the coming judgment, and declared to them what their end would be, when God would gather them all together in the end of time. But here he is perplexed. He loves his nation, and wants to atone himself for their sin. But how will he do this? With what device can he make up for their trespasses? And that is when he begins to ask, “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?” Or with “calves of a year old?” Or would the Lord be pleased with burnt offerings? Should he give his own firstborn son, and the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul? Was this necessary to please the Lord? Was this requisite for the atoning of his people? But the Lord stops him and tells him that this is not necessary. The Lord is not asking for burnt offerings and sacrifices. For to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. No! It is not the Lord’s desire to receive offerings and sacrifices. Instead, He only requires a few things from us. And if we do these things, we shall never fall.

Do justly! We should live honestly and holily and fairly. We should live by justice. The Lord affirms that He is pleased greatly with true justice—that which lines up with the ways and the righteousness of God. But, at the same time, we are to love mercy! That doesn’t just mean we should show mercy on others; rather we are to love to show it! We are to cherish mercy, enjoy it, find great relish in administering it to others. We are to be like God! For God is a God of mercy. He is a God of great kindness. He delighteth in mercy! He wants to be merciful to His creatures, and if we are anything like Him, we will also love mercy.

And then, we are to walk humbly with our God. This should be the warp and woof of our lives—our walk with God. This began from the very beginning with Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walked with God, and was not; for God took Him. He walked in the presence of Almighty God. He knew something of the intimacy of communion with the Lord. And the Lord expects the same of Amos, and desires the same of us. Walk with thy God! Never stray far from the very grasp of His hand. Never be out of arm’s length and reach. Always remain in close vicinity and proximity to the Lord. Stay with Him. Remain in step with His will. And walk humbly with thy God. Walk humbly! Not proudly, as if I am someone or have figured out the secret of walking with God; but always humble, always meek. I must walk every day with the Lord, and all the while remain humble in His presence. Oh, what a glory it is to walk humbly with God! This is all the Lord requires of us! And then all else will not be out of sorts, but will fall within His plan and way.

“Now, dear Father, we praise you for the clarity that this verse brings to us today. It is all-inclusive and comprehensive in its depth. We know now what it is that you require of your people. Let us seek to please you in these things, doing all things justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with you. And we know that our walk with you will keep all else in line. Strengthen us to walk with you this day and every day following, and to do so with a humble spirit. In Christ Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”