Monday, 20 July 2026

What Does the Lord Require

8He 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 (KJV)

The question in the verses before is escalating and slightly frantic. What shall I bring — burnt offerings? Thousands of rams? Ten thousand rivers of oil? My firstborn? It is the voice of someone trying to find the price of God's favor and willing to go higher and higher until something works.

Micah's answer cuts the negotiation off. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good. It has already been made plain. Not a hidden fee, not an escalating tariff. Three things: do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with thy God.

What is striking is how ordinary and how demanding this is at the same time. Do justly means the way you deal with people — wages, honesty, whether you use an advantage when you have one. Love mercy is stronger than practicing it; it means having an appetite for it, being the sort of person who is glad when someone gets more grace than they deserved. And walk humbly with thy God is the daily part — not an occasional grand gesture but a way of going about, close and unimpressed with yourself.

None of it can be bought or outsourced. And none of it requires you to find a bigger sacrifice. It requires you to become a certain kind of person, in the ordinary transactions of a Tuesday.

Read the fuller passage — Micah 6:6–8

Reflect

Which of the three — justice, mercy, humility — would the people who deal with you every day say is weakest in you?

Prayer

Lord, I have tried to satisfy You with things that cost me less than obedience. Show me where I deal unjustly, soften me toward mercy, and teach me to walk humbly with You today. Amen.

Last reviewed 27 Jul 2026.

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