With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8, NASB)
Micah was a prophet in Judah “in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” God sent His word to Micah concerning the future of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, both of which had turned their backs on the Lord. (Micah 1:1) The portion above comes during Micah’s indictment of God’s people, and a discussion of what God really expects of us. Yes, this applies to us today!
This segment begins and ends with questions. The opening question: “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high?” Presumably the prophet is asking what he should bring for a sin offering, since that’s what his answer is. Burnt offerings, yearling calves, rams and oil were all prescribed as portions of sin offerings according to the Law of Moses. God required the firstborn of both man and beast to belong to Him. However, He mandated a substitute fee for the redemption of the firstborn human.
However, Micah responds that God doesn’t want any of these things. He wants our hearts, and the prophet responds with the final question: “[God] has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” This is actually the fulfillment of what Jesus called the Greatest Commandments, to love God, and love other people. If we could concentrate on loving God and loving others, we would have no problem doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God. Above all, He wants our hearts!