Micah 6:8 (ESV) – “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?”
Micah 6:8 (CEV) – The Lord God has told us what is right and what he demands: “See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.”
Micah 6:8 is a timeless summary of how God desires His people to live—not just under the Old Covenant, but even more meaningfully under grace through Christ. It is a summary of God’s expectations: for justice, mercy, and humility. It emphasizes the importance of living a life that reflects God’s character, focusing on righteousness, compassion, and acknowledging one’s dependence on God.
“What is God’s Will for my life?”
“What is my purpose and calling?”
“What can I do to please God?”
In the New Testament, Jesus provides the answer to those questions by telling His followers to love God and love people. In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah—empowered by the Holy Spirit—summarized God’s will for Israel by saying:
“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?”
Micah 6:8 ESV
These words were penned during a time when God’s people were trying to please Him with sacrifices, offerings, and going through religious motions, while living lives of deception, violence, and pride. But as the prophet Hosea writes, “I [God] desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6 NIV)
God is after our heart motives, not our outward religious activity or begrudging obedience.
Let’s break down what God desires of us:
1.DO JUSTICE. Under grace, this means living with fairness, integrity, and compassion—not to earn God’s approval, but as a response to the justice we have received through Christ.
Jesus satisfied God’s justice on the cross, and now we are called to reflect that same justice in how we treat others—especially the vulnerable and the oppressed.
Doing justice requires faith and actions working together: helping the hurting, defending the weak, dealing fairly with the people we encounter, and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. In other words, to do justice, we must love others as we love ourselves.
2.LOVE KINDNESS. Grace has shown us abundant mercy. Because of that, we don’t just show kindness—we’re called to love it. This is about having a heart that delights in forgiveness, generosity, and compassion, just as God has done for us in Christ.
The mercy of God is an extreme kindness. Because we have been shown undeserved kindness by Him, we can show undeserved kindness to others. God desires these things more than endless “I’m sorry” speeches. God is kind to the grateful and the wicked (Luke 6:35), so we should be, too.
3.WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD – This means living in constant awareness of your dependence on God. Under grace, humility isn’t self-deprecation—it’s recognizing that all we have is a gift, and walking closely with God in gratitude, trust, and surrender.
Be teachable. Be mouldable. Remember: You’re not God. You have limitations. You need a Creator and Savior. You’re only here because God spoke you into existence. So confidently embrace who you are, and who you are not, because it’s when we live fully surrendered to God that He does incredible things through us.
Micah 6:8 is a call to us to listen to God, to do justice from hearts of mercy and compassion, marked by the humility of Christ. It describes the transformed heart. Through Jesus, we are empowered to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly—not to become accepted by God but because we already are accepted through grace.
Amen.
