Verse of the Day 5-17-22

With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8

How can one come before the Lord? The value of the suggested sacrifices increases to an outrageous level. Indeed, God elsewhere condemns the sacrifice of children (Deuteronomy 18:10), but King Ahaz did this in Micah’s day (2 Kings 16:2-3). First and foremost, God wants a relationship with his people-one in which they walk in his ways, act justly and love mercy. Justice refers not only to legal decisions in court but to acting rightly, like God (Micah 3:1,8 and 9). It includes supporting the needy and vulnerable in society. Such acts do not earns God’s salvation; they are the appropriate response to it (Micah 6:4-5). Yet Israel has failed to do these things and unfortunately for us today the society we have chosen to create fails to do these things as well. And the question we should be asking ourselves is how do we get back to doing these things that God has required of us. Very simply: we must be fair and honest in our dealings with others; we must show genuine active compassion and kindness to those in need; and we must show constant gratitude toward God, being totally reliant on him and having an undying respect for his purposes and following his purposes every day.

Today’s Bible Readings:

1 Samuel 20-21, John 9, Psalm 113:1-114:8 and Proverbs 15:15-17