Listen now, listen to GOD:
“Take your stand in court.
If you have a complaint, tell the mountains;
make your case to the hills.
And now, Mountains, hear GOD’s case;
listen, Jury Earth—
For I am bringing charges against my people.
I am building a case against Israel.
“Dear people, how have I done you wrong?
Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer!
I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt;
I paid a good price to get you out of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you—
and Aaron and Miriam to boot!
Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull,
and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him.
Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal.
Keep all GOD’s salvation stories fresh and present.”
How can I stand up before GOD
and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings
topped off with yearling calves?
Would GOD be impressed with thousands of rams,
with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
my precious baby, to cancel my sin?
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what GOD is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.
Reflection
This powerful passage is a staple of services for Christian Aid and other calls for justice, and I find it helpful sometimes to use a translation which alters the familiar English translation of “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” so that it ceases to be a mantra and speaks to us afresh.
Sometimes, verses 6-8 are taken out of context, and are read as a call to personal obedience – and the prophet does move from “us” to “I” in these verses. But the context is an imagined courtroom dispute between God and the nation. The people as a whole, not just an individual, have been complaining against God, and the call to justice is not only for individuals but for the whole nation to respond.
When the state gets it wrong, it is much more difficult for individuals to get it right. Those living under dictatorships and oppressive regimes find it far more difficult to be fair, just, compassionate and loyal if the forces of the state make that a difficult or even criminal calling. The growing restrictions on some protests in the UK – notably those around climate change and the arms trade – have made it difficult to speak out on those issues in a way in which others can hear, and increase the likelihood of encounters with those who violently disagree, or with the forces of law and order.
For leaders, the temptation to engage in conspicuous religion remains great. In Micah’s time, this involved drawing attention with ever more lavish Temple offerings, the logical but horrific conclusion of which, he notes, would be child sacrifice. In our time, the political weaponising of attendance at worship, or the use of the cross in protests attacking refugees (in effect, demanding they sacrifice their future for the sake of ours), are disturbing equivalents.
Prayer
God of Justice,
you have shown us what is right,
but fairness, justice, compassion and loyalty
are easier said than done.
Forgive us when courage fails us,
even when we know what we should do.
May we not be led astray
by those who misuse religious offerings
or the symbols or words of our faith
to demonise others or seek their own advantage,
but rather continue to take You seriously.
Amen.