He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
– Micah 6:8
Micah 6:8 is probably the most well-known verse in the book of Micah. It is more well known really than a lot of the prophets in the old Testament. This is because of its simplicity and clarity regarding what God requires of his people. Now, specifically, this was spoken by God through the prophet Micah, to the people of Israel in the Old Testament, in the context of the system of government that God had set up among his people, particularly with a king through which he would administer justice. At least that was the design.
The problem is God’s people had over and over and over again, settled for injustice: in their laws, in the execution of those laws, in ways that led to oppression of the poor and the weak and all sorts of idolatry and immorality that had crept into God’s people.
Micah 6:8 Reminds Us How We Should Live Our Lives
The lives of God’s people should be marked by kindness, humility, and justice.
So God says through Micah, this is what I require of you as my people, that you do justice, and you love kindness, and you walk humbly with me. Obviously, we want to be careful when we read the Old Testament, not just to make direct application of commands that we see in the Old Testament, particularly if we don’t see those commands in the New Testament, but do we see in Jesus’ commands to his people and the picture of the church in the New Testament, a desire from God, for us as his people to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with him? Surely we do.
And so Micah 6:8 leads us to pray for this in our lives, and really in a sense, to pray for this in our country. Obviously, this verse was not spoken to the United States, it’s uniquely spoken to the covenant people of God in the Old Testament, but doesn’t this verse lead us to pray that we would do justice in whatever country we live in, that we would love kindness in whatever country we live in and that people would walk humbly with God in whatever country we live in?
Micah 6:8 Leads Us to Pray Over Our Lives
So, God, we pray Micah 6:8 over our lives as your people today. We pray that you would help us to do justice and to love kindness. Help us to walk humbly with you, according to your word God, not according to worldly definitions of justice or kindness.
God, we pray that we would humble ourselves under your word. And we would live with justice and kindness according to what you say is just. And according to what you say is kind. God, we pray that you would help us to be marked as your people by humility before you. I pray for this in my life. I pray for this for every single person listening to this right now. Help each of us to walk humbly with you today.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray for Humility
God may our lives be the overflow of walking humbly with you. I’m just driven to pray for that specifically in each one of us. God, please may it be so. May our lives be marked by humility before you and others, and walking with you.
God, I pray for this more than anything else, for the people who are listening right now. And even as I pray for this in my own life, in a fresh way, God help us to walk with you in an Enoch, Genesis 5, kind of way. Help us to walk humbly with you. Then flowing from that God, to do justice, to desire justice, to love kindness, to show mercy in a way that reflects your character. God, we pray for this in our lives. We pray for this in your church. God, we pray for justice and kindness and humility in our country.
We pray for all of these things that you required of your people in the Old Testament. We desire them in our lives as your people today. And in the world around us, even as we pray, “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” May your justice reign, your kindness reign on earth as it is in heaven.
We pray and may many people be brought to walk humbly with you. God help us to lead people to walk humbly with you. Help us to share the Gospel today. Help people to repent of sin, turn and trust in Jesus. And help them to enter into a relationship with you where they can walk with you. God, we pray Micah 6:8 in all these ways in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
