Micah 6:6-8
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Summary
- A summary of the basic obligations that humans have in life.
Details and/or Comments
- Obedience to the two basic commands about love for God and neighbor takes precedence over the practice of religious activities, even if those religious activities are required by God.
- This doesn't mean "Do the one and not the other," but rather, "Do the one and then the other"!
Scripture
Micah 6:6-8
| Scripture Passage | Comments and Links |
| Mic 6:6 How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? | What is our supreme duty before God? What should we offer him? |
| Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Mic 6:7 Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? |
Shall we offer him religious activities?
A variety of potential offerings are given here. For emphasis, there is a progression in this list of sacrifices, going from a few sacrifices to the most extreme. The last of these - human sacrifice - was utterly forbidden by God, and would only be offered by the wicked - by worshipers of false gods. Though, in the Old Covenant context, sacrifices and other offerings were important, they were intended to be outward expressions of a person's inner (heart) attitude. The things mentioned in verse 8 were to be the primary focus... and only then would the religious activities be pleasing to God. Religious activities will be different today, under the New Covenant, but the principle remains the same. |
| Mic 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? | Love for God and neighbor?
These things are greater in importance than religious activities. We should value them higher than religious activities (though religious activities are also important). These things are another way to express the "two greatest commands," as defined by Jesus (who quoted the Old Testament, when he gave them to us).
2. Love for God Isaiah 1:11-17 shows us that God hates religious activities, when love for God and neighbor are not present. |
Scripture Passages
(Only books that have relevance to this study have active links. The others are in italics.)
Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • Joshua • Judges • Ruth • 1 Samuel • 2 Samuel • 1 Kings • 2 Kings • 1 Chronicles • 2 Chronicles • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther • Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Ezekiel • Daniel • Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi Matthew • Mark • Luke • John • Acts • Romans • 1 Corinthians • 2 Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thessalonians • 1 Timothy • 2 Timothy • Titus • Philemon • Hebrews • James • 1 Peter • 2 Peter • 1 John • 2 John • 3 John • Jude • Revelation |
—— To avoid any copyright issues, all Scripture is either from a public domain translation (such as the World English Bible), my own translation, or a combination of these. ——
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The name "Yahweh," when present in an Old Testament passage, represents the Hebrew name for the God of the Bible.
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Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.
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