Micah 6 (The Message) 8But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.
The book of Micah is about the difference between the worship we think we are offering God and the worship God really desires. At one point, the prophet Micah tells the priests (who are in charge of worship) that God hates their offerings and sacrifices. This must confuse them. They are simply doing what the Bible tells them to – sacrifice a lamb on this day, a bull on that day, burn incense at appropriate times and offer certain prayers. If they’re following the prescription for worship, what is wrong?
It seems worship had become all about what they did on the worship day with no relationship to what took place the remainder of the week. They established strict rules making it difficult to worship. If you didn’t have money to buy the lamb that was required, you couldn’t participate. If you lived in a certain region or had a certain job, you couldn’t worship.
What happened during the week wasn’t all that important if you were part of the in-crowd. You could loan money at a ridiculous rate or pay your workers substandard wages and it didn’t matter. If you could pay the price and follow the rules you were accepted.
Micah says God cares for the poor and oppressed. God doesn’t respect our worship on Sunday if it has no impact on what we do the rest of the week. God cares that we act in a just and righteous manner – not only with a sympathetic attitude but also in a way that actively brings relief to people in need. Real worship moves our hearts to make a difference to others.
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