©Michael Player
Chapter 6:6-8 (ESV) - “With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, 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?
Question to consider: What part of the peoples’ response hints that they are not sincere in answering the LORD?
After the LORD inquired what He had done wrong to warrant their unfaithfulness, Micah provided the response. As the prophet, Micah would have delivered the LORD’s message to the rulers and priests and received their response which he included in today’s passage. Quite honestly, the response is so brazen that if I were Micah, I probably would have unloaded on them rather than appeal to their conscience in the kind way that he did.
Essentially, their response to, “Oh my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you?” was “What more do you want from us?” It was a question of appeasement with more than a hint of acrimony, “You are obviously not satisfied with our current offerings. Do you want us to bring more and better ones? Obviously, we’re not bringing enough oil. How about ten thousand rivers of it? It must not be enough for me to offer animal sacrifices for my sin, do You want my firstborn son? How about all of my children?”
By the grace of God, Micah’s response did not start with, “You insufferable, ungrateful jerks!” Instead, he just reminded them that God didn’t need to be appeased (like the gods of the nations). God does not desire our sacrifices. He desires for us to give justice to the oppressed, to be kind and loving toward our neighbor, and to show some humility.
King David understood this. The entirety of Psalm 51 reiterates this, but of note are these verses, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:15-17)
The kings of Judah may have been star-struck by their ancestor David’s ability to wage war, but it was his contrite spirit that made him a man after God’s own heart.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Amen.