JUSTICE, HUMILITY, MERCY

What is it to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly? Among the personal papers he left behind, Martin Luther King Jr. reflected deeply on the biblical passage, Micah 6:8. He wrote:

“Here again we find one of the high watermarks of the Old Testament. The divine demand upon men is expressed in terms of elemental simplicity - justice and kindness between man and man, and a humble walk with God. This was religion as Micah saw it. Jehovah’s good will is served not by a careful observance of ritual, or by the bringing of sacrifices, whatever may be their intrinsic value, but by a life in accord with the principles of righteousness, by the diligent practice of kindness and brotherliness, and by a living fellowship with God in the spirit of humility. Few notions so sublime have been conceived in the whole history of religion.”

Micah 6:8 reads:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

In what context were these words written?

They came as an indictment against God’s own people. Over time, Israel had forgotten mercy and justice among themselves. They failed to understand that God did not desire ritual or empty word, but He wanted transformed hearts, hearts of flesh lived out according to His will.

Earlier in Micah 3, God chastised the rulers of Israel, commanding them to live by His justice - Micah 3:1. He also condemned the nation’s prophets, who were motivated by self-interest and deliberately led the people astray - Micah 3:5.

Wearied by this pattern, yet with a slow-kindling fire, God reminded them of His mercy and how He had freed them from oppression under Egypt’s lash, how He fed and cared for them in the wilderness, and how He gave them a land to call home.

The prophet Micah then stepped forward and, despite his own judgment against his people, spoke on their behalf. He asked what it would take to appease God. How many sacrifices would be enough? Thousands of rams? Rivers of oil poured out on the altar? Would things be made right if they went so far as to sacrifice their own firstborns? The posture of their hearts was revealed, they had fallen into performative religiosity that ignored ethical living and true heart transformation.

So what does it mean, in today’s landscape, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God? These aren’t just virtues to hold privately in our hearts; they are mandates we are called to give to others. Justice and mercy are inseparably woven together and they can be found in the story of the Good Samaritan.

When He taught this parable a teacher of the law decided to test Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus then responded by turning the question back to him, “Who acted like a neighbor to the one in crisis?”

There were two priests who on their travels happened upon a man beaten and robbed and left for dead. They were not concerned with the beaten man lying on the roadside, but with what it might ask of them if they did stop to help. The Good Samaritan, an outsider, a man from a people who despised and were despised by the Jews acted justly. His question was not, What will happen to me if I stop? but rather, What will happen to this man if I do not?

There is a moral weight and a deep calling upon all people to do good for their neighbor. Despite our doubts or concerns for our own comfort, the guiding question must not be the priest’s question, but the Samaritan’s. We must ask what will happen to others and ultimately to ourselves if we fail to respond to God’s call for justice.

Our neighbors are not only those like us but are varied and diverse and stretch out across our cities, our nation, and the globe, those who are different from us in belief and lifestyle.

Our hearts may desire to do what is right, but fear of disrupting the status quo or upsetting our own kin often restrains us. We are afraid of offending. Some people of faith, we retreat into the idea that we should preach Jesus alone while avoiding anything that might be labeled “political.” While that is absolutely the right thing to stand by, it would serve us well to remember Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, for his words were not about politics, but about injustice inflicted upon others.

“Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, ‘Wait.’ But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch our mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters… you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.”

Though the place and circumstances may differ, the injustice remains the same.

Truth is before our eyes, yet we are told otherwise. ‘We see, but we do not see.’ We hear hatred spoken aloud, yet we are told that is not what was meant. ‘We hear, but we do not hear.’ And while men and women are violated, with witnesses surrounding, we close our lips. ‘We have sewn our mouths shut.’ We look away from it all because this violence has nothing to do with us and it does not affect us…yet.

Maybe, O man and woman of faith, for such a time as this you were born. Perhaps you were placed here to bear witness to Micah 6:8. God leveled judgment against Israel, and judgment came. They lacked the fulfillment of the incarnate Christ to stand in the gap and empower them, but it stands available now.

The Spirit is present and calls you to act justly, to embrace mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.

Humility is a posture of valuing others above oneself, of offering selfless service. He doesn't call us to compartmentalize our faith, justice or love.

Raise up, people of faith. Go against the grain. Stand as the prophets of old once did. Do not weigh who is deserving of mercy and who isn’t. Stand with your neighbor and the weak. Love mercy. Empathy is not weakness, nor is it a woke invention. It flows from the very heart of God, who has placed you man or woman of faith as an ambassador of an upside-down kingdom, one that does not operate by human pride, but calls us to walk carefully and courageously in dangerous days.

Do the hard things now. The day of trial is already here and you are now under test. Will you be found withered or will you be found deeply rooted and bearing fruit that will withstand holy fire when all is finally accounted for?

Remember that among all the pain, the hurt and the chaos of our day, you are to be the healing balm someone desperately needs to see, hear, and touch.

Be the salve that heals and mends and build where callous hands have only broken and hurt.

Tend to those who are Other than you, like the Samaritan who inherently knew compassion and mercy to one who was supposed to be his enemy.

Your hour is before you now.

I choose to believe in the good, for I believe in the work of His spirit and I believe in you.

I always have.