Justice, Love, and Humility

                                                                      Sunday School lesson

                                            

Lesson: Micah 6:3-8                                                                                                  
Golden Text: “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?” (Micah 6:8).

I.  INTRODUCTION.  From childhood to grandparent-hood, we face daily challenges to do what God requires: to be just to others, to be merciful to others, and to walk humbly with the Lord.  Too many of us find it easier and think it’s more beneficial to line our pockets with wickedness, wealth, property, and self-recognition.  The words on which this week’s lesson are based---“justice,” “love,” and “humility---bring to mind the sound of the Lord’s gavel as He pounded out the charges He brought against those who had betrayed Him.  Micah’s burden, or ministry, was to call God’s people to repent and return to God’s standard of righteousness.  He had done many good things for His people, but they only responded to His goodness with evil.  Although they offered Him superficial religiosity, their hearts were far from Him.  Their actions demonstrated that they were in clear opposition to God’s character and covenant.  This week’s lesson discusses how Micah reminded the people of God’s controversy with them and of what God required from them.

II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  Micah’s hometown was Moresheth-Gath (see Micah 1:14), located in Judah about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem, near the Philistine city of Gath.  Although Micah primarily preached to the people in Judah, he also had some words for Israel.  He preached during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (see Micah 1:1).  The nation of Judah had maintained its political stability under the Davidic rulers, but spiritual and moral conditions varied with individual kings.  King Uzziah was an essentially godly man but gave in to pride when he Lord prospered him (see II Chronicles 26:1-15).  King Jotham, too, was upright but was a weak spiritual leader and didn’t remove Judah’s high places which were used for idol worship (see II Kings 15:34-35).  Ahaz adopted and actively promoted heathen practices and sacrificed his own son in worship to the pagan god Molech (see II Kings 161-4).  Micah received his messages via visions from the Lord (see Micah 1:1) and in Micah 1:3-7, the prophet spoke of the judgment God would bring upon both Israel and Judah referring to them as Samaria and Jerusalem, the capital cities of Israel and Judah respectively.  In the remaining portion of chapter 1, Micah describes the weeping and mourning that will take place (see Micah 1:8-16).  Then in chapter 2:1-2, he spoke out against those who laid awake at night, plotting wickedness and then getting up at dawn to carry out their schemes simply because they could.  Micah declared that when these wicked people wanted a certain piece of land or someone else’s house (though it was all they had), they would take it by fraud and threats of violence (see Micah 2:3).  Then in verse 3, the prophet declared that the Lord God said that He would reward their evil with evil; nothing could stop Him; never again will His people be proud and haughty after He’s finished with them.  Micah continued to say that when Judah’s day of judgment arrived, they would be ridiculed by their enemies, and no one would be left in the land to divide it into tribal territories (see Micah 2:4-5).  Micah went on to accuse the people of trying to stop him from preaching God’s message of doom, but he continued declaring that God’s Word is good to anyone who lived uprightly (see Micah 2:6-7).  To make matters words, God called His people His enemies because they were stealing from the poor, driving widows from their homes and leaving the children without an inheritance (see Micah 2:8-9).  Then in verse 10, God, through Micah gave the people a way to avoid the oncoming judgment in the form of an enemy invasion.  He told them to get out of the land for it was not their resting place since they had defiled the land.  Then in Micah 2:11, God declared that the only prophet Israel wanted was one that would tell them what they wanted to hear; one that was a liar and a deceiver.  But God in His mercy also prophesied that He would cause a remnant to return after the Babylonian Captivity and He even prophesied the great gathering of all believers when the Lord returns (see Micah 2:12-13).  Note:  God gave his prophets visions of various future events, but not necessarily the ability to discern when these events would happen.  For instance, the prophets could not see the long period of time between the Babylonian Captivity and the first coming of the Messiah, but they could clearly see that the Messiah was coming.  God’s purpose for allowing Micah to see this prophecy concerning Judah’s destruction was not to predict exactly how this would happen, but that it would happen.  In Micah chapter 3:1-4, the prophet denounced the sins of the leaders, including the priests and prophets.  They were the ones responsible for teaching the people right from wrong, but they had set the law aside and become the worst of sinners.  They hated good and loved evil. They were taking advantage of the very people they were supposed to serve.  For sure all sin is bad, but the sin that leads others astray is the worst of all.  Micah accused the leaders of treating the people miserably in order to satisfy their own desires.  And to make matters worse, they had the gall to ask for God’s help when they found themselves in trouble, but God wouldn’t hear them (see vs. 4).  In Micah 3:5-7, he prophesied against the false prophets and seers warning them that since they caused His people to err, the time was coming when they would not receive visions nor be able to divine because of the darkness God would bring over them.  This would cause them to be ashamed, and embarrassed because their prophesies of only good for Judah didn’t come to pass.  Then in verse 8, Micah makes it plain that his message was different from the false prophets because he prophesied by the “spirit of the Lord.”  In verses 9-12, the prophet declared that because of the sins of the leaders in Judah, the nation would be destroyed.  Chapter 4 takes on a different character.  In verses 1-5, God gives Micah a vision of the kingdom age or the millennium.  In verses 6-8, the Lord declared that during the kingdom age, He would re-gather His people again to her land.  But before that would happen, God predicted the Babylonian invasion of the land in verses11-13.  Now in chapter 5:1-2, the prophet prophesies both the rejection of the Messiah at His first coming as well as His birth.  In the remaining verses 3-15 in chapter 5, the Lord through Micah predicts the judgment of the Gentile nations when the Lord’s return.  
III. GOD STATES HIS CASE AGAINST JUDAH (Micah 6:3-5).  Verses 1-2 are not part of our printed text, but those verses set the scene for the remainder of the lesson.  In these two verses, the prophet presented his message to Judah in the language of a courtroom.  The Lord is seen as calling the court to order with His words “Arise” meaning that it was now time for the nation to stand up and take the witness stand (see Micah 6:1).  God then invited His people to “contend” or explain why divine judgment should not fall upon them (see vs. 1).  In essence, the Lord was saying to Judah in verse 1, “Hear now what the Lord is saying, “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice.”  Then in verse 2, the Lord called on creation to act as the jury as He declared “Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.”  In other words, speaking to creation, the Lord said “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, because the Lord has a case against His people; Even with Israel He has a dispute.”  God’s people voluntarily entered into a covenant, or agreement with Him (se Exodus 19:8; 24:7-8) so He could really sue them for breach of contract.  This is where our lesson begins.
A. God’s challenge to Judah to find fault with Him (Micah 6:3).  In this verse, the Lord says through Micah “O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.”  The words “O my people” are not the words of a Judge, but of a Father who is grieved that His own no longer love Him as He loves them.  It’s important to see that God referred to Judah as “my people.”  This speaks volumes about God’s grace.  Even though God had a case to present against Judah for her sins, they were still His people.  God had not cast aside His covenant people whom He had chosen (see Deuteronomy 7:6-11).  Note:  Being referred to as God’s people, should’ve pricked the nation’s conscience.  Of all the people the Lord might have to contend with, one would not expect them to be His own.  Israel had a high calling; they had privileges that no other nation had.  The Lord had revealed His Person and His will to them.  They had the law, the priesthood, the sanctuary, the covenants, and the prophets.  Indeed they were His people.  We, too as believers who are God’s people, have a high calling (see I Peter 2:9), and we also enjoy privileges that unbelievers don’t (see John 14:13-14; Hebrews 4:16).  God has also revealed Himself to us in the Person of Jesus Christ (see John 14:9; Hebrews 1:1-3) who is also our High Priest (see Hebrews 2:9, 17; 3:2; 4:14).  Like Israel, as God’s people we are in covenant with Him (see Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:15) and have spiritual leaders to teach us (see Ephesians 4:7, 11-16).  But we as believers in Jesus Christ now have something that Israel didn’t have, the complete written Word of God (see II Timothy 3:15-16; Hebrews 4:11).  Yet having privileges, does not guarantee immunity from judgment.  Instead, with great privileges come great responsibility, which in turn increases guilt when that responsibility is neglected or ignored (see John 15:22; Romans 2:17-24; I Corinthians 10:1-12).  Judah had been given great privileges and now carried great guilt.  The same principle applies to Christians today who bear Christ’s name unworthily (see II Timothy 2:19).  With the words “testify against me,” the Lord was inviting His people to give their testimony against Him.  He asked “O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee?”  The Lord demanded that His people show how He had wronged them and caused them to be so disobedient and rebellious against Him.  Note:  No doubt all of us have been in a situation when someone was obviously very upset with us and we had no idea why.  Then, we would sincerely plead with them saying “Please tell me what I’ve done to hurt you.”  We really wanted to get things right.  The Lord was posing the same question to Judah, but His answer was rhetorical and should have quickly prompted a negative reply, because God had done more good for His people than they deserved (see Isaiah 5:1-4; Ezekiel 16:1-15).  Today, occasionally many professing Christians find their religious experience unsatisfying and begin to seek fulfillment elsewhere.  However, many of them have false expectations based on selfish desires rather than on the teaching of Scripture.  If they would examine God’s Word with a humble spirit, they will discover a God who is loving and faithful and deserving of sincere worship.  Only a faulty human perspective sees Him otherwise.  The Lord continued to ask His people “and wherein have I wearied thee?”  It’s hard to believe, but Israel had become weary or tired of God (see Isaiah 43:21-22; Malachi 1:11-13), but it was God who had reason to be weary and tired of Israel, because of their constant sinning (see Isaiah 1:14; 43:24; Malachi 2:17).  Note:  Worship had become a burden to the people, making them weary.  Too many people think that following God is supposed to make life easy and more comfortable.  They are looking for a God of convenience.  The truth is that it often takes hard work to live by God’s high standards.  Sometimes we get weary in God’s service.  We get tired of going to church and tired of prayer.  When that happens, it’s a warning sign to us.  Don’t be like Israel.  Take time to consider your spiritual life.  If you are weary or tired, ask yourself why.  Have you forsaken bible reading, meditation, and prayer?  Are you trying to do too many things for God at one time?  Trust me, you’ll know the answers!
B.  God’s goodness shown to Judah (Micah 6:4-5).  Since the people of Judah could not show any thing that God had done against them, in these verses He shows a great deal that he had done for them, which should have engaged them forever to his service.

1. (vs. 4).  In this verse the Lord said “For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.”  The word “For” introduces the historical evidence of the kind, gracious care God had given His people from their earliest existence.  A glance at Israel’s history proved that far from doing things to cause His people to be disobedient, God had done only good to them.  The Lord said “For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”  The Exodus stood at the head of any Israelite’s list of important historical events.  God had graciously delivered His people from Egyptian bondage marking Israel’s birth as a free nation.  But the Lord reminded them that this was no chance happening as He said “I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”  At the time of the Exodus, Egypt was a superpower and the ruling pharaoh was a god-king.  Israel had been in Egypt a little more than four centuries (see Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40; Acts 7:6).  Note:  As Christians, we can look at Jesus’ death and resurrection as historical events that are the basis of all the spiritual benefits we enjoy.  When a Christian’s life begins to lose its luster, he needs a fresh reminder of Christ’s redeeming work.  This is one reason Jesus commanded the observance of the Lord’s Supper (see I Corinthians 11:23-26).  God said that when He delivered Israel from Egypt, He “redeemed thee out of the house of servants.”   The term “redeemed” here is the Hebrew word “padah” and can mean “to cut ties” or “to ransom in order to gain a release.”  Whenever the word “redeemed” or redemption is used in Scripture, it has the idea of human beings being held captive by power or forces they cannot overcome themselves.  Only by the intervention of a third party can bondage be broken and the person freed (see Leviticus 25:25; Ruth 4:6; I Peter 1:18-19).  In the case of Israel, God was the third party that intervened, cut their ties with Egypt and gained their freedom “out of the house of servants.”  They would no longer serve pharaoh, but Jehovah who now owned them.  The Lord also reminded His people that He “sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.”  Having redeemed His people from Egypt, the Lord didn’t leave them to flounder in the wilderness.  He used “Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” who were siblings, to lead in this Exodus from Egypt.  “Moses,” Israel’s great lawgiver, was unique among Israel’s prophets in that God spoke to him “face to face” (see Deuteronomy 34.10) and “mouth to mouth” (see Numbers 12:8).  “Aaron,” Moses’ brother, was Israel’s first high priest.  In Egypt he acted as Moses’ spokesman (see Exodus 4:14-16), and even shared some of Moses’ authority while in the desert (see Numbers 14:5, 26).  Aaron and his descendents represented the nation before God as priests (see Numbers 18:1).  “Miriam” too, was a divinely given leader, for she was a prophetess (see Exodus 15:20).  We don’t know the full extent of her ministry, but she demonstrated her musical praises on the occasion of Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea (see Exodus 15:20).  By naming these three servants, the Lord reminded His people that they had never been without spiritual leadership.  Note:  When we are calling to mind God’s former mercies to us, we must not forget the good teachers and leaders God gave us when we were young.  May we always remember those who went before us to the glory of God.  It was the Lord who sent them before us, to prepare the way for Him, and to prepare a people for Him.        2. (vs. 5). 

In this verse God continued to say “O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.”   Again, God used the words “O my people”

to emphasize the earnestness of His plea to them.  Here, the Lord appealed to Israel to remember how He confounded the evil plans of their enemies.  God said “remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal.”  The incident the Lord spoke of here was the plot of Balak, a Moabite king, to use Balaam, a heathen diviner to curse Israel during their journey to Canaan (see Numbers 22:2-6).  Balak and the elders of Midian offered Balaam a reward and great honor if he would cast an evil spell upon Israel (see Numbers 22:7, 14-16, 37).  The Lord thwarted the plot by causing Balaam to bless His people instead of cursing them (see Numbers 23:7-10, 18-24; 24:2-9; Psalms 105:11-15).  The phrase “what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal” seems to indicate that Balaam answered or replied to Balak’s request from “Shittim,” but this place does not appear in Scripture until after the incident concerning Balak and Balaam.  To make this phrase clear to an English reader, a period should be placed after the word “him” to mark where the Balaam incident ends.  A clearer translation of this verse would be “My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered.  Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord” (NIV).  The words “from Shittim unto Gilgal” should introduce the second episode of God’s care that Israel was to remember.  In other words, the Israelites were to remember what God did for them when they travelled “from Shittim unto Gilgal.”  The last place Israel camped on the east side of the Jordan before entering Canaan was “Shittim” (see Joshua 2:1).  “Gilgal” was the first place they camped after crossing the Jordan River (see Joshua 4:19).  By mentioning “Shittim” and “Gilgal” the Lord was calling His people to remember the successful conclusion to their long journey from Egypt to Canaan.  In particular, God was reminding them of the miracle that enabled them to cross the Jordan River on dry ground (see Joshua 3:13-17; 4:1, 15-18).  With this, the Lord ended His brief review of His care for Israel, but He also stated the purpose of why He did this: “that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.”  The word “righteousness” here refers to righteous acts or acts of vindication.  All of God’s acts in bringing Israel from Egypt to Canaan vindicated both Israel as innocent sufferers in Egypt, and God Himself in His dealings with His people.  At this point God rested His case against Israel.  Note:  God continued to be kind to His forgetful people, but their short memory and lack of gratitude condemned them.  When people refuse to see how fortunate they are and begin to take God’s gifts for granted, they become self-centered.  We should regularly remember God’s goodness and thank Him.  “Remembering God’s past protection will help us see His present provision.”

IV. GOD’S REQUIREMENTS DECLARED (Micah 6:6-8)

A.  Questions about what to offer God (Micah 6:6).  Having rested His case against Judah, the Lord now waited for the defendant’s reply.  Micah phrased the peoples’ response in the form of questions as if a would-be worshipper was the questioner.  In this verse he said “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?”  Israel’s first question was “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?”  This question implies that Israel recognized that they had sinned and broken their fellowship with God.  The word “Wherewith” means “With what?”  So their first question “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?” implied that a worshipper must be able to do something to gain God’s favor.  “The high God” is from a Hebrew expression meaning the God of height, which is a reference to His dwelling place in heaven (see Isaiah 33:5; 57:15).  In essence, the people were asking “how can we restore our standing with this high and holy God?” which led to the second question: “shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?”  The Old Testament method for approaching God was to bring a sacrifice.  The Levitical sacrificial system was designed by God to give His people a way of making atonement for their sins.  “Burnt offerings” were the first type of offerings described in Leviticus (see Leviticus chapter 1).  When presenting a “burnt offering” the entire animal was consumed on the altar and nothing was left to be eaten by the worshipper.  This type of offering symbolized complete dedication to the Lord.  Calves could be used for this purpose from the age of eight days old (see Leviticus 22:27), but yearling calves without blemish were considered the choicest (see Leviticus 9:3).  Therefore, the people were asking if an offering of the highest quality would cause them to be accepted by the Lord.  The fact was, God was offended by the actions of His people, so what could they really do to heal that?
B. Questions about what would please God (Micah 6:7).  In this verse, still wanting to know what would please God, the would-be worshipper also asked “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”  The third question concerned the quantity of their offerings.  The would-be worshipper might think that the number of animals offered to the Lord would please Him.  Therefore, they would ask “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?”  One ram normally would be enough for a sacrifice, although kings on special occasions would offer thousands of animals (see I Kings 3:4; 8:63; II Chronicles 30:24; 35:7).  Many offerings from Israelite families were determined by their economic ability (see Leviticus 12:8; Luke 2:24).  The fourth question was would the Lord be pleased with “ten thousands of rivers of oil?”  Oil was used in varying quantities in connection with other sacrifices.  However, such a vast amount had never been offered.  But Micah declared that Israel’s would-be worshipper who was trying to appease God wondered if the quantity of oil offered would make a difference with God.  Note:  The Lord isn’t interested in the choicest animals, nor the number offered.  These are factors that belong to a religion based on works and external actions.  Even great amounts of oil will not bring the worshipper into fellowship with God.  The value God puts on one’s offerings was, and still is based on the giver’s attitude, not on the quantity of his offerings.  Jesus commended a poor widow who gave two mites (see Mark 12:41-44), but not the rich who gave much more.  If large amounts of sacrificed animals or vast amounts of oil won’t please God, then the would-be worshipper might ask “shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”  This last question concerned human sacrifices, which the Mosaic Law condemned as a pagan practice (see Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-5).  By even suggesting such an abomination, the Israelites showed their ignorance of the law.  Micah was saying that an Israelite worshipper who wanted to be accepted by God might ask the question, would He be pleased if I sacrificed “for the sin of my soul” my firstborn child who came from my own body?  Note:  Child sacrifice was brought into Jewish life from surrounding peoples and was practiced by some kings of Judah (see II Kings 16:1-3; Jeremiah 32:32-35).  But nothing could have been farther from God’s will.  He had clearly stated that children should be redeemed by a substitute (see Exodus 13:11-15).  Micah was not advocating child sacrifice but was using this extreme example to prove his point.  Even the greatest of all sacrifices could never pay for the sins of Judah, for no amount of human payment could be adequate.  For sure, there are those today who try to play the same game with God that Israel was playing.  They try to substitute things---even good things---for what God wants most.  Such things as attending church more often and giving more to charitable causes are no substitute for obedience (see I Samuel 15:22).

C. What God really requires of His people (Micah 6:8).  After giving examples of what a would-be worshipper in Israel thought God required of them, in our final verse, Micah gives the real answer.  He said “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?”  The phrase “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good” means that God had repeatedly declared His requirements through the prophets.  Those requirements were not only for the Jews.  The generic term “man”  may refer to the entire human race as they walked before their Creator, but more likely it only refers God’s people as seen in the words “thy (your) God.”  The Lord God, Jehovah is God only to those who He has claimed as His own by faith in Christ.  So, exactly what then did God require of His people?  He demanded first that they must “do justly” or do right.  This was a reminder that the law required equitable dealings with everyone (see Leviticus 19:35-37; Deuteronomy 25:13-16).  Instead of showing respect for the rights of others, God’s people had turned to defrauding, cheating, and other sins.  Note:  In Micah’s day, Judah was riddled with injustice (see Micah 3:9-11; 6:11-12; 7:2-3) and the people too often tried to cover it up with religious observances (see Amos 5:21-26).  But God wouldn’t have any of that!  Their worship would remain sinful until they cleaned up their politics, business dealings, and family life (see Jeremiah 22:3-4).  This same basic command to do right is for us today as well (see Proverbs 3:27-31; Romans 12:10-11; Galatians 6:10).  God’s second requirement of man is “to love mercy.”  This means that God requires us to demonstrate an inner attitude of loving kindness that replaces selfishness.  “Mercy” is giving others what they don’t deserve.  It is demonstrated by a forgiving spirit.  God had been merciful to His people time and time again, so mercy reflects the character of the true God (see Psalms 136:1-16).  If He had given Israel what they deserved, they would have been destroyed ages ago.  But instead, He constantly gave them what they didn’t deserve---“mercy.”  He expects no less from us (see Luke 10:30-37).   Finally, Micah said that God requires His people to “walk humbly with thy God.”  This means to be constantly fellowshipping intimately with Him.  Walking with God implies having a personal working relationship with Him as we stay in step with, and conforming to His will, not ours.  When God’s people “walk humbly” with Him there’s no room for arrogance and pride.  Since the Israelites regularly attended the temple and went through the motions of worship, the false prophets assured them that God would not judge them.  Solomon was correct: Pride does go before destruction and it would lead Israel into Captivity.  The person who pursues such fellowship with God will learn what pleases Him in specific instances in life, and will choose that course.  More specifically, when we “walk humbly with thy God” we will learn to see things as God sees them and not react to situations according to our own limited perspective.  Note:  God kept it simple for everyone to understand.  He required justice, mercy and humility.  He didn’t give them a complicated list of mandates as people tend to do.  Micah, as God’s messenger, only spoke about the three responses God would require of His people.  He didn’t add any man-made commandments or restrictions.  He kept it simple for all to understand and obey.  In addition, so there aren’t any misunderstandings, we should be aware that these actions of doing justly, practicing mercy and kindness, and walking humbly with God do not lay out the way to receive salvation.  Instead, doing these things demonstrate the results of salvation.  God is speaking here of what He expects of those who already know Him (note that Micah says “thy (your) God”).  The person who comes into a relationship with Him by faith will practice these things in a greater and more consistent manner as he or she grows in the Lord.  How much easier life would have been for God’s people if they had fallen into His arms of love and humbly followed His desires instead of their own.  Christians today can learn from Micah’s message.  Being active in church and being visibly religious are no substitutes for doing what’s right and walking humbly with God.

                                    

V. Conclusion.  As mentioned in the introduction, the words on which this week’s lesson are based, “justice,” “love,” and “humility” bring to mind the sound of the Lord’s gavel as He pounded out the charges He brought against  His people, Israel who had betrayed Him.  They had not responded to God in a positive way even though He had graciously delivered the nation from Egypt and had provided the people with numerous blessings.  External religion, as good as it may seem, is no substitute for what the Lord requires.  God’s people must behave justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.  These requirements have not changed.  Christians today must apply Micah’s message to everyday living.  Don’t be fooled, being active in church and being visibly religious are not substitutes for walking humbly with God and doing what is right.