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Memorizing
Scripture
Verses for May
2007: What the Lord Requires
By
Jerry Truex
This month
we are memorizing Micah 6:8, which emphasizes the essence of biblical
faith:
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Micah
6:8.
He has told you, O mortal, 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? (NRSV) |
It is here
that Micah reminds the people of Israel what they already know about
God’s character and their obligations. As God’s children, they were
obligated to imitate God. We have the same obligation.
We must
practice justice. Like God, we must defend the poor and the
powerless, so they will not be victimized and trampled by powerful
groups in our society.
We must
love kindness or mercy (hesed). Like God, we must
model hesed. More than feelings, hesed is the type of
steadfast loyalty that exists among members of the same clan, tribe, or
family. Hesed is a community-oriented activity expressed by
protecting and helping those in need in a spirit of solidarity.
We must
walk humbly with God. God wants us to walk with him, seeing
through God’s eyes and responding to others the same way God has through
history. Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others “walked with God” (Gen 3:8;
6:9), and God walked with Israel in the Exodus. Humility helps us to
receive divine grace for the journey (James 4:6).
May the word
dwell in you richly (Col 3:16).
Teaching |
