Micah 6 V8 Here we have a clear summary of how God wants us to live. To walk humbly with God is to know him intimately and to be attentive to what he desires and loves. And what does that consist of? The text says to ‘do justice and love mercy’, which seems at first glance to be two different things, but they are not. The term mercy is the Hebrew word chesedh, God’s unconditional grace and compassion. The word for justice is the Hebrew word mishpat. Here in v8 mishpat puts the emphasis on the action, chesedh puts it on the attitude (or motive) behind the action. To walk with God then, we must do justice out of merciful love. The word mishpat in its various forms occurs over 200 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. The most basic meaning is to treat people fairly, rightly. It also means giving people their rights. The mishpat or justness of a society according to the bible is evaluated by how it treats the groups of people found in Zechariah 7:10-11, which we will discuss soon: This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice, show mercy and compassion to one another. DO not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the immigrant or the poor. This is one of the main things He does in the world. He identifies with the powerless, he takes up their cause. This sets our God apart from all the other ancient gods whose power was always channelled through and identified with the elite of society. Our God was and is always on the side of the powerless and of justice for the poor, needy and vulnerable. If God’s character includes zeal for justice that leads him to have the tenderest love and closet involvement with the socially weak then what should God’s people be like? They must be people who are likewise passionately concerned for the weak and vulnerable. Today look around you and see how you can do justice out of merciful love.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:05:06 +0000
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