Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
Chapter 6
Call to Judgment – Complaints and Threats
Hear what the Lord says:“Stand up, let the mountains hear your claim, and the hills listen to your plea.”Hear, O mountains, the Lord’s complaint! Foundations of the earth, pay attention! For the Lord has a case against his people, and will argue it with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you? In what way have I been a burden to you? Answer me.
I brought you out of Egypt; I rescued you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.
“What should I bring when I come before the Lordand bow down to God Most High? Should I come with burnt offerings, with sacrifices of yearling calves?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with an abundance of oil libations? Should I offer my firstborn for my sins, the fruit of my body for my wrongdoing?”
“You have been told, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Commentaries
Call to Judgment – Complaints and Threats.
This chapter has three parts: Call to judgment (6:1-5), Cultic compensation (6-9a), and Denunciations and threats (9b-16). The response to the Lord’s questioning in the first part, which is similar to that in Deuteronomy 26:17, is the primary message of this prophecy and relates to the authority of the priests, who instructed the faithful on the proper sacrifices to be made in the temple (Is 1:10-17). In verse 8, the prophet clarifies what the Lord expects from the people: literally “to practice justice,” “to love faithfulness,” and “to walk humbly with your God.” A liturgy separated from practicing justice and remaining faithful to the covenant does not please the Lord.