Timmy, Leonard, Ronnie, Frank, Don, and Steve were looking in other parts of the cave. We wanted to build a fire and needed sticks. I saw a good-sized one in a dark corner and bent down to get it. For some reason, I stopped and waited. Then it moved.
Years later, I can still remember my friends coming over with flashlights and discovering that my “stick” was actually a venomous copperhead snake. This event made a big impression on me as a twelve year old in Festus, Missouri. I had done the best I knew to be careful, I was very thankful to be alive, and I made up my mind not to judge things according to my limited understanding. God showed the Prophet Micah something similar.
Micah 6:8:
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require [seek] of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Our heavenly Father tells us what is good, and that is what He seeks for us to do. He simply wants us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. To put it another way: we do our best to carry out His Word; since we won’t be perfect, we love His mercy in our lives; and we humbly walk with Him and willingly obey.
To Do Justly
When I was in the cave, I did the best I knew to be careful. I had been taught not to grab things I couldn’t see. Similarly, we are to do our best to carry out what we’re taught from God’s Word. The Hebrew word for “justly” in Micah 6:8 refers to God’s law or justice. It is often translated “judgments” in Psalm 119. The Psalmist did his best to do justly.
Psalms 119:106:
I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
So how do we do this? What things can we do to know God’s judgments today?
READ: We can prayerfully read His Word (from Genesis to Revelation) to understand His heart for us and His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.
LISTEN: We can hear directly from our heavenly Father by way of His gift of holy spirit within us. That often happens when we are doing the first thing.
FELLOWSHIP: He can also work in our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us as they speak for Him.
BE READY: He can get His Word to us some other way. He is God Almighty.
To Love Mercy
After seeing that snake, I was amazed that my life hadn’t ended at twelve. I thought about the consequences I would have faced if I reached down a foot lower. My parents had taught me about God’s mercy, and I thanked Him to be alive.
Mercy is holding back consequences when they are deserved. Because of His great love, our heavenly Father is rich in mercy. He has plenty to spread around.
Ephesians 2:4,5:
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)
God made us spiritually alive in Christ and saved us by His grace. Jesus Christ died for all of our mistakes—past, present, and future. We can come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace whenever we need it.
Hebrews 4:16:
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Our heavenly Father knows that we will make mistakes. That’s why we are to love mercy! I am so thankful when I don’t suffer consequences for the stupid mistakes I make. I really, really, love mercy!
To Walk Humbly with Thy God
I’ve never again reached into a dark corner when I didn’t know for sure what was there! It takes humility to admit that we don’t always know what is going on. I’ve learned that when I get the help I need, I can walk safely and surely.
God always has a “flashlight” to show us what’s going on. We are blessed as we walk with Him and willingly obey. Walking requires somewhere to go. We can either plan a route based on our own limited understanding, or we can humbly walk with God to get where He wants us to go. And that will always be the best place for us.
Walking humbly is the opposite of being prideful and self-willed. The Hebrew word translated “humbly” in Micah 6:8 is used only one other time in the Bible.
Proverbs 11:2:
When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [the humble] is wisdom.
Jesus Christ was the humblest person who ever lived. He walked with the Father every moment of his life. And he taught this truth to others.
Matthew 23:12:
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Sometimes people try to exalt themselves in their own eyes or in the eyes of others. They work hard to look good so that others will acknowledge and appreciate them. But that isn’t how it works. When we walk humbly with our God, He will exalt us at the right time.
I Peter 5:6:
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
There are many examples in the Bible of those who did this: a slave named Joseph who became ruler of all Egypt, a shepherd named David who became King of Israel and Judah, a young woman named Mary who became the mother of God’s Messiah. The greatest example is Jesus Christ. Matthew 4:8 says the Devil showed Jesus Christ “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.” Jesus could have had unlimited earthly power and world renown. Instead, he chose to walk humbly with his Father.
Philippians 2:8,9:
…he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.
As born-again sons of God, we have Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We can do the works of Jesus Christ and greater works (John 14:12). But to do so, we must walk humbly as he walked.
Do, Love, Walk
What can you do? The best that you know to do as your Father speaks to you. What are you to love? Mercy, because God is gracious and kind to you. How are you to walk? With a humble heart, ready to obey the Lord.
