Editor’s Note: Edited content taken from What Micah 6:8’s Call to ‘Do Justice’ Looks Like in the Face of Racism by Brent Rinehart
Micah 6:8 ESV 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?
As our nation grapples with ongoing unrest in response to racial tension and injustice, the best recourse for the Christian is to turn to Scripture. It’s important to not only read it and share it, but to allow the Holy Spirit to use it to challenge and mold us.
During these trying times, of racial tension one of the most quoted and shared passages is;
Micah 6:8 ESV 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?
It is simple in its message and easily quotable. But, it is extremely challenging because it speaks directly to the heart of the racial issues we are facing today.
Essentially, the prophet Micah is saying that God is more pleased with our actions than our words. He’s more satisfied with our obedience than our worship.
Micah mentions three things God “requires”: doing justice; loving-kindness or mercy; and walking humbly. All three actions are important, but I will only deal with justice in this post.
What Does it Mean to “Do Justice?”
Justice might seem simple, but there’s a lot here that many of us don’t always get about the biblical concept. When we think of justice, many of us think of a courtroom, with a judge, attorneys, witnesses and a jury. We usually just think of justice as being a punishment for wrongdoing. Someone has committed a crime, and they receive the punishment they deserve. Justice is served!
The word used for justice throughout the Bible, and in Micah 6:8 , is mishpat, and it includes this type of punishment but, it’s also more than that it also includes giving people their due or right. This is often referred to as restorative justice. It’s proactively seeking out the vulnerable and helping them.
Mishpat is used more than 200 times in the Old Testament, often to speak to the idea of treating all people fairly and as they deserve, having been created in the image of God.
Proverbs 31:9 ESV Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Here mishpat (judge) here is giving people their due, which can include protection and care.
Here's what the Psalmist says about mishpat
Psalms 146:7-9 NCV He does what is fair for those who have been wronged. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord lifts up people who are in trouble. The Lord loves those who do right. The Lord protects the foreigners. He defends the orphans and widows, but he blocks the way of the wicked.
This speaks of God breaking down unjust systems and restoring dignity to the downtrodden.
With this scriptural view of the word for justice in Micah 6:8 it’s clear that the meaning is far beyond just making sure bad guys are punished. If we are passively watching the plight of the vulnerable or oppressed, and giving it what amounts to a shoulder shrug, as most people do,, we are guilty in God’s eyes of shirking our responsibilities.
True Biblical mishpat is when the problems of the vulnerable become my problems. True righteousness, then, is tied to my position toward others in my community.
To fully grasp God’s desire for justice and righteousness, there are 4 things we need to recognize that relate to our current crisis of racism in America.
1. Recognize the Worth of Every Life in Today’s World
In the beginning, “God created man in his own image”.
Genesis 1:27 NCV So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.
We were created in God's image and imprinted with a moral code and an ability to see justice. I want to be clear about this when many of my white brothers and sisters say “All Lives Matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter”, my response to you is of course, all lives matter to God and they should matter to us. But, right now, you need to understand the suffering of African Americans as the first step to helping us all heal.
There’s a powerful image circulating on social media of Jesus going to rescue the one lost sheep while the other 99 are behind him holding “All Sheep Matter” signs. When your Black brothers and sisters are steadily experiencing injustice and inequities, you need to speak up for them. When you really understand the intrinsic value of human life, it’s easier to feel the pain we fill.
2. Recognize the Need for Justice in Today’s World
Christians have no problem acknowledging the fact that we live in a fallen world where sin is prevalent, but we often can’t bring ourselves to admit that sin can infect and become a cancer in our earthly systems. No system is immune to sin’s destruction that includes the judicial system, criminal justice system, education, politics or even the church.
We live in a broken world. Any system created by man, by nature, will be tainted and rife with injustice. Once we acknowledge that, we need to develop a clear picture of who is suffering the most injustice due to these systemic failures.
We need to look at the historic data to discover how it came to be that the average Black household has 60 percent of the income of the average white household, while having only 1/10 of the wealth. Without wealth, it’s hard to send kids to college, start businesses, stabilize during loss of income and so much more.
Many systems that were put into place following the freeing of the slaves and continuing through the Civil Rights Act and beyond that actually led to the reality of these grim statistics.
Realizing there is injustice, and then caring--is the first step to to meaningful change.
Micah 6:8 ESV 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?
As our nation grapples with ongoing unrest in response to racial tension and injustice, the best recourse for the Christian is to turn to Scripture. It’s important to not only read it and share it, but to allow the Holy Spirit to use it to challenge and mold us.
During these trying times, of racial tension one of the most quoted and shared passages is;
Micah 6:8 ESV 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?
It is simple in its message and easily quotable. But, it is extremely challenging because it speaks directly to the heart of the racial issues we are facing today.
Essentially, the prophet Micah is saying that God is more pleased with our actions than our words. He’s more satisfied with our obedience than our worship.
Micah mentions three things God “requires”: doing justice; loving-kindness or mercy; and walking humbly. All three actions are important, but I will only deal with justice in this post.
What Does it Mean to “Do Justice?”
Justice might seem simple, but there’s a lot here that many of us don’t always get about the biblical concept. When we think of justice, many of us think of a courtroom, with a judge, attorneys, witnesses and a jury. We usually just think of justice as being a punishment for wrongdoing. Someone has committed a crime, and they receive the punishment they deserve. Justice is served!
The word used for justice throughout the Bible, and in Micah 6:8 , is mishpat, and it includes this type of punishment but, it’s also more than that it also includes giving people their due or right. This is often referred to as restorative justice. It’s proactively seeking out the vulnerable and helping them.
Mishpat is used more than 200 times in the Old Testament, often to speak to the idea of treating all people fairly and as they deserve, having been created in the image of God.
Proverbs 31:9 ESV Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Here mishpat (judge) here is giving people their due, which can include protection and care.
Here's what the Psalmist says about mishpat
Psalms 146:7-9 NCV He does what is fair for those who have been wronged. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord lifts up people who are in trouble. The Lord loves those who do right. The Lord protects the foreigners. He defends the orphans and widows, but he blocks the way of the wicked.
This speaks of God breaking down unjust systems and restoring dignity to the downtrodden.
With this scriptural view of the word for justice in Micah 6:8 it’s clear that the meaning is far beyond just making sure bad guys are punished. If we are passively watching the plight of the vulnerable or oppressed, and giving it what amounts to a shoulder shrug, as most people do,, we are guilty in God’s eyes of shirking our responsibilities.
True Biblical mishpat is when the problems of the vulnerable become my problems. True righteousness, then, is tied to my position toward others in my community.
To fully grasp God’s desire for justice and righteousness, there are 4 things we need to recognize that relate to our current crisis of racism in America.
1. Recognize the Worth of Every Life in Today’s World
In the beginning, “God created man in his own image”.
Genesis 1:27 NCV So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.
We were created in God's image and imprinted with a moral code and an ability to see justice. I want to be clear about this when many of my white brothers and sisters say “All Lives Matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter”, my response to you is of course, all lives matter to God and they should matter to us. But, right now, you need to understand the suffering of African Americans as the first step to helping us all heal.
There’s a powerful image circulating on social media of Jesus going to rescue the one lost sheep while the other 99 are behind him holding “All Sheep Matter” signs. When your Black brothers and sisters are steadily experiencing injustice and inequities, you need to speak up for them. When you really understand the intrinsic value of human life, it’s easier to feel the pain we fill.
2. Recognize the Need for Justice in Today’s World
Christians have no problem acknowledging the fact that we live in a fallen world where sin is prevalent, but we often can’t bring ourselves to admit that sin can infect and become a cancer in our earthly systems. No system is immune to sin’s destruction that includes the judicial system, criminal justice system, education, politics or even the church.
We live in a broken world. Any system created by man, by nature, will be tainted and rife with injustice. Once we acknowledge that, we need to develop a clear picture of who is suffering the most injustice due to these systemic failures.
We need to look at the historic data to discover how it came to be that the average Black household has 60 percent of the income of the average white household, while having only 1/10 of the wealth. Without wealth, it’s hard to send kids to college, start businesses, stabilize during loss of income and so much more.
Many systems that were put into place following the freeing of the slaves and continuing through the Civil Rights Act and beyond that actually led to the reality of these grim statistics.
Realizing there is injustice, and then caring--is the first step to to meaningful change.
3. Recognize the Most Vulnerable to Injustice in Today’s World
Throughout the Bible, it is clear that God cares for the vulnerable.
Zechariah 7:9-10 NCV “This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: ‘Do what is right and true. Be kind and merciful to each other. Don’t hurt widows and orphans, foreigners or the poor; don’t even think of doing evil to somebody else.’
These are the four specific types of people often mentioned in regards to justice: the poor, widow, orphan and immigrant. These four groups of people lacked the capital, influence or power to improve their situations. They were stuck at the lowest rungs of society. They were often mistreated and abused.
Justice for the vulnerable isn’t just an Old Testament concept.
Luke 4:18-19 NCV “The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly and to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness.”
He expands the four groups that I mentioned earlier, and includes the prisoner, the blind and the oppressed. It’s clear from this that God is for the forgotten, the beat-down, the shut-out and the left-behind.
Today, it’s easy to think about other groups who are vulnerable. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve heard the stories coming out of our nursing homes and other senior living facilities. Elderly people would certainly classify as vulnerable. How about the population of people experiencing homelessness?
In light of everything that has happened in 2020, it’s imperative that we carefully examine our response to racial injustice as well. The African American community is crying out for help. We have been oppressed for centuries, and it didn’t end with Juneteenth.
Our country has an ugly history. A history one that held back many because of their race, while allowing others to benefit with a leg up.
Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote this from a Birmingham jail: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Any neglect shown to the needs of the vulnerable is just a lack of mercy or charity, but a violation of justice, of mishpat. God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power, and so should we. That is what it means to ‘do justice.’”
4. Recognize Our Own Role in Bringing Justice in Today’s World
At the final judgement Jesus describes the sheep being separated from the goats.
Matthew 25:31-46 NCV “The Son of Man will come again in his great glory, with all his angels. He will be King and sit on his great throne. All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then the good people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’ “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.’ “Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ “Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or alone and away from home or without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?’ “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.’ “These people will go off to be punished forever, but the good people will go to live forever.”
Notice that this was not a private faith that He references. He says that His true followers took action.
God’s desire for us to have an active faith. It’s clear He is not as interested in our presence in a church pew on Sunday as He is in our presence working in our community the rest of the days of the week.
James 2:17 ESV So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
The verse before the Micah 6:8 verse hits the nail on the head. “
Micah 6:7 ERV Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I offer him my first child to pay for my wrongs? Should I sacrifice my very own child for my sins?
“If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice when we give all human beings their due as creations of God. Doing justice includes not only the righting of wrongs but generosity and social concern, especially toward the poor and vulnerable,” writes Tim Keller in his book Generous Justice
A closer walk with Christ requires us to care deeply about issues of injustice in our community and in our world. Micah 6:8 makes it clear that we need to place an active role in our community recognizing injustice and then working actively to correct it.
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