He Has Told You

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

A recent television special was titled "Heaven: Does it exist and how do we get there?" To me, this question was just like asking the same thing about a geographical location. "Hawaii: Does it exist and how do we get there?" Simple, right? Why is it that everybody knows how to get to paradise on Earth, yet so few know the way to heaven, or if it even exists?

In Micah 6:6-7, we read a series of questions posed as to how God might be approached in order to have sins forgiven. Would it take a thousand rams? Ten thousand rivers of oil? The first-born? The answer given is the same that can be given today:

1. He has told you, O man

   1. The short answer to the questions is "He's already told you!" (cf. Deut. 10:12; 30:11-14)
   2. The Bible has been completed for nearly 2,000 years, yet so many choose to neglect it. Too often men seek to figure things out on their own even when the answer is lying right in front of them (cf. Jer. 17:5).
   3. I suppose it is convenient to pose such a question as if it has not yet been answered, in an attempt to discredit or simply ignore the implications of an inconvenient answer (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3).

2. What is good

   1. True goodness is not found within ourselves (Jer. 10:23; Rom. 3:10,23).
   2. Good and evil must be absolute, or else anything is permitted. God defines what is good because he is the source of all good (Gen. 1:31; Ps. 33:5; Ps. 34:8; Ps. 119:68; Matthew 19:17).

3. And what does the Lord require of you but to...?

   1. Do justice (Pr. 21:3)
      1. Judge righteously (Jn. 7:24).
      2. Judge fairly knowing that you will be judged the same (Matt. 7:2).
   2. Love kindness
      1. Love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39).
      2. Forgive others as you have been forgiven (Eph. 4:32), i.e., even if it is undeserved.
   3. Walk humbly with your God
      1. There are far too many who would rather run with the world.
      2. This includes those "Pharisaical" Christians who have an outward appearance of religion, but have neglected the "weightier matters" (Matt. 23:23). These might drop a big check into the collection plate, yet they hardly give of themselves (cf. Rom. 12:1; 1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6).
      3. Our walk with God is not just one hour or one day a week, but a life of faithful service (cf. Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:10; Eph. 5:2; Col. 2:6; 1 Jn. 1:7).
      4. There was, is, nor ever will be one greater, neither one more humble than Jesus Christ, and we have no reason to walk any differently (Phil. 2:3-8).