Micah 6

Chapter 6 opens the final section (chapters 6–7) of the book of Micah. The preceding chapter, Micah 5, spoke of the ruler who would come forth from Bethlehem and of the restoration of the remnant. This chapter returns to a courtroom scene in which the people are indicted for their sins.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The LORD calls the mountains and the strong foundations of the earth as witnesses. He then begins His controversy (a legal dispute to determine who is in the right) with His people.
• Verses 3–5 God asks, "What have I done unto thee?" He then calls them to remember how He redeemed them out of Egypt, how He sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, what happened with Balak and Balaam, and what took place from Shittim to Gilgal.
• Verses 6–8 The people ask whether they must offer burnt offerings and calves of a year old, thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers of oil, or even their firstborn. The answer is to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.
• Verses 9–12 God rebukes the city for its treasures of wickedness, the scant ephah (a dry measure for grain), wicked balances and deceitful weights, and the violence and lies of the rich.
• Verses 13–15 He declares that they will eat but not be satisfied, sow but not reap, and tread olives and grapes but not enjoy them.
• Verse 16 Because they kept the statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab, He declares that they will be made a desolation and will bear reproach.

Key Verses

• Micah 6:3 "O my people, what have I done unto thee?" — The God who brings the charge speaks here as a wounded covenant partner, voicing His hurt.
• Micah 6:8 "To do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" — This verse is regarded as a one-sentence summary of prophetic ethics. The word rendered "mercy" is the Hebrew hesed (steadfast love). This passage is treated in more detail in the article Micah 6:6–8.

People and Places

• Moses, Aaron, Miriam: Mentioned as the leaders sent before the people at the Exodus.
• Balak: The king of Moab who summoned Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22–24).
• Balaam: The son of Beor, who pronounced a blessing instead of a curse.
• Shittim: Israel's encampment east of the Jordan.
• Gilgal: The first place Israel encamped after crossing the Jordan (Joshua 4:19).
• Omri: A king of northern Israel and the father of Ahab (Ahab and Jezebel).

Points for Reflection

• Courtroom form: Verses 1–5 take the form of a court proceeding in which God is the plaintiff and creation serves as witness. Scholars call this a "covenant lawsuit."
• The meaning of the critique of sacrifice: Verse 8 is generally read not as abolishing sacrifice itself but as a criticism of sacrifice that is not matched by a corresponding way of life. It stands in the same tradition as Amos 5:21–23 and Isaiah 1:16–17. In addition, because verse 4 first recalls God's act of salvation, some interpreters read verse 8 not as a condition for being saved but as the response of a redeemed people.
• Sacrifice of the firstborn: Verse 7 is a rhetorical question set against the background of child sacrifice, a practice found even among the kings of Judah (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6).
• Translation differences: The latter half of verse 9 is difficult in the Hebrew text, and translations differ considerably.
• Connection to the New Testament: Jesus named "judgment, mercy, and faith" as the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23). He also quoted "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6) (Matthew 9:13).

In the Korean Church

Micah 6:8 is frequently cited in sermons and Bible studies on the Christian life and social responsibility, and it is also widely used as a memory verse.