Micah 6:8

He has shown you O man, what is good; 

and what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

Love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

God’s Instructions to a New Nation

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Introduction

“I can’t get in!” said George Duffield, the new Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His friends watched him standing at the locked church door and called, “Come over here!” He followed them to the side of the church, where they opened a window and pushed him in. He then opened the doors for them. Duffield faced opposition to his ministry even before the Revolutionary War. His support for independence later caused him more trouble, but he eventually became accepted and preached for more than 50 years.

One of Rob Morgan’s 100 verses that made America is Micah 6:8. John Winthrop referenced this verse in his famous sermon, A City on a Hill. John Adams frequently mentioned it, and George Washington referenced it in his 1783 Circular Letter to the States.

God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Do Justly

At the beginning of the war, the British put a price on George Duffield’s head! He went into hiding to protect his life. British soldiers took possession of his church, turned it into a hospital, and burned the pews to keep their soldiers warm. Still, Duffield continued to be an active military chaplain.

There is an old saying often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” The passage of Scripture we are focused on tells us to do justly. One translation puts it like this: “do what is right.”

An old friend of mine, Stan, owned a carpet company with his brother. One time a church made a large carpet purchase from his company. Unfortunately, the carpet didn’t hold up well, and the threads began pulling out. Stan called the manufacturer to make it right, but they would neither replace the carpet nor compensate him.

Stan knew replacing it from his own inventory would cost him a lot of money. Still, he did what was right and replaced all the carpet the church needed at no charge. It seemed Stan lost a lot of money that day, but word got around that his business had integrity and stood behind its product. Who knows how many sales came over the years because he did what was right?

The world tells us to look out for number one. It would tell Stan the defective carpet wasn’t his fault, so why should he lose money? Let the manufacturer deal with it! But the Bible says to do justly. Do what is right.

God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Love Mercy

Stan was also a friend I went to high school with, and he showed that same integrity even back then. We had study hall together. If you’re smart, you’ll get your homework done and study. If you’re like a lot of us, you go in there and mess around.

There were only four of us in the class. One of the coaches was our teacher, and he felt there were better things to do than sit with four students. He told us, “Hey guys, I’m not going to be in here,” and gave us freedom to have fun in the gym. I asked if we could go outside. “Sure,” he said, “as long as you don’t go around the other rooms.” It was going to be a great year. We’d just had freedom handed to us.

One day Stan and another friend, Steve, were playing tag. Steve ran into the gym with Stan chasing him, then held the door shut from the other side. Stan got an idea! Holding the doorknob, he put his foot on the door frame. I heard a cracking noise. The crack went up both sides and across the top. Just like that, the door fell open.

We had torn up the gym door, and we knew it. Steve got as far away as possible. Stan and I thought maybe we could fix it quickly, but the ag teacher walked up. Have you ever done something you know is your fault and wondered what the consequences would be? I wondered if I was going to get kicked out of school. Our parents could have been called in. There could have been a school board meeting.

Instead, the ag teacher, who was known for being a Christian man, looked at the damage and told Stan, “The shop is right over here. Let’s get the hammer and nails.” They came back and fixed the door frame. Justice could have come down on us that day, but he showed mercy. Do justly. But also, love mercy.

An old story is told about a soldier under the great general Napoleon who deserted his army. He was caught and brought back, facing a penalty that could have been death. His mother learned he would appear before Napoleon for judgment and somehow made her way around the guards to plead for her son.

Napoleon told her that her son deserved the justice coming to him and that he wanted to make an example of him. She did not argue his innocence. She fell to her knees and said, “Sir, I do not ask for justice. I ask for mercy.” Napoleon was so touched that he granted mercy and allowed her son to live.

The Bible tells us to do justly, to do what is right. Those words of Scripture were applied to this new nation. We were told America is great because she is good. She does justly because she shows mercy. But if America ever ceases to do good, she will no longer be great.

The world says, “Fight back! Take care of number one.” But Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek.” Hanging on the cross, He looked at those crucifying Him and mercifully said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We can know Christ as our Savior because Jesus is merciful to us. On our behalf He said, “Father, forgive them.”

God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Walk Humbly with Your God

There was a man whose life stretched from the Civil War into WWII. Granny Clampett called the Civil War “the war of northern aggression!” It was a time in America we aren’t proud of, when human slavery was taking place. George Washington Carver was born into slavery during this time. When he grew up, he became an important part of the Tuskegee Institute, one of the early Black colleges in America.

While doing research there, Carver prayed God would give him knowledge of peanut crops. He did all kinds of experiments, and God answered those prayers. He found over 300 uses for peanuts, helping produce a better market for the crop and becoming a well-known man in the United States.

A story is told of Dr. Carver standing in a hotel lobby one day in his everyday clothes. A white traveler walked in, saw him and said, “Hey boy! Get my bags!” Dr. Carver picked up the man’s bags, no questions asked. The hotel proprietor was shocked. “Oh, Dr. Carver! You don’t have to do that. I’ll get someone to take care of it.” The traveler realized his mistake and asked, “Are you Dr. Carver?” Carver simply said, “At your service.”

To walk humbly with our God is our third instruction. The disciples once argued as they walked about which of them would be the greatest. Jesus asked what they were arguing about, and they were ashamed. He used a small child to teach them about greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven and that they must humble themselves and become like children.

In reading the whole passage, we learn what George Washington Carver had learned. Jesus teaches that true greatness is to humbly serve others without thought of reward. Have you ever thought about how Jesus is the Lord of Glory? He was the Lord of Heaven! The Son was in Heaven with the Father and the Spirit, with angels to do His bidding.

Yet He came to earth knowing Judas would betray Him. Jesus was in the garden when Roman soldiers and authorities came to capture Him. When Jesus identified Himself, they drew back and fell to the ground. Still, He willingly allowed them to carry Him off to Pilate.

Here was the Lord of Glory humbling Himself. He became a little lower than the angels, just as the Bible says we all are. He left Heaven’s glory to come to earth and live as humans do. The most powerful being in the universe experienced tiredness and thirst. He was mocked, spit on, and had hairs plucked from His beard. He experienced it all willingly. He came to humbly serve us as a loving Savior.

Conclusion

Jesus is our King. He is The King! He is my King. Oh! He’s such a wonderful King. He is the One who was willing to lay down His power and give His life as a ransom for sin.

You and I owe a debt we cannot pay. He paid that debt in full so that we might be saved. So I ask you, is He your Savior today?