Micah 6:6-8

God required true obedience -- Micah 6:6-8: Not many in Israel had any interest at all in being an honor to God. It seems, however, that some few in Israel asked, "What offering should I bring when I bow down to worship the Lord God Most High? Should I try to please him by sacrificing calves a year old? Will thousands of sheep or rivers of olive oil make God satisfied with me? Should I sacrifice to the LORD my first-born child as payment for my terrible sins?" We would all do well to remember that outward sacrifice means nothing if the heart remains corrupt. Israel did not need to ask or wonder what God required. He had previously said, "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul." (Deuteronomy 10:12)

The requirements of God are simple, (1) See that justice is done, (2) love mercy and let it be a major concern in your life, and (3) humbly obey your God. The presence of these attitudes would then have allowed their animal sacrifices to have been acceptable to God. God showed man "what is good." The Law provided many shadows of the coming Messiah. This good should have kept Israel focused on God. Justice and mercy are valuable characteristics to God. Through the prophet Hosea He said, "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6) What could be more valuable than a humble walk with God where one prays, serves and watches. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Luke 11:42)