What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “Do justice!”

This summer in the US, most of us think immediately of racial issues: the deaths of George Floyd and others, protests, and the subsequent articles and arguments about white privilege, systemic racism, and related matters.

“Do justice” is a biblical command:

What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8b)

What does this command mean? How is it related to the national issues that come to mind these days when we hear the phrase?

Let’s look at the verse and its context in order to answer these questions. We shall see: While Micah 6:8 speaks only tangentially to society-level justice, it is especially relevant to the situation facing our country today.

The Context

“The LORD has an indictment against his people” (Micah 6:2). God continues: “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!” (Micah 6:3). So the people are weary of God. They are tired of Him.

God then emphasizes His past goodness toward them – indeed, His purchasing of them as His own: “I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6:4). They are in relationship with God – and have been for hundreds of years. He is their redeemer, their Savior – as well as the provider of their great human leaders.

The people respond in verses 6-7, expressing their weariness of Him, their frustration with Him. In effect, they say:

“What do you want from us, God? Thousands of burnt offerings? Huge contributions of oil? Or perhaps our firstborn sons! You’re so unreasonable! You’re so hard to satisfy! You’re impossible!”

God then, in His grace, speaks the words they need to hear:

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? (Micah 6:8).

God says: “I’ve told you what is right and good; remember what I have spoken in word and communicated in deed. I am the source of your freedom from slavery; I am the source of your existence as a people; you are recipients of great grace! And my ‘requirements’ are not actions you take to appease me nor pro forma religious rituals.”

God then gives them three “requirements.” Let’s consider them in reverse order.

Walk humbly with your God

That is: He is your God. He is your Redeemer. You belong to Him! You are His people! So don’t think in a demeaning way about Him – as if He is unreasonable and so you are justified in being weary of Him. And don’t think highly of yourself. Don’t think highly of what you can offer to God or do for Him. Instead (using the words of Deuteronomy 6:5 which Jesus highlights as “the great commandment,” on which all the prophets depend, including Micah) love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

So God’s third “requirement” points toward the great commandment; the first two “requirements” point toward the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Love kindness

We could translate this phrase from the Hebrew as “love love” since Micah uses two words that both refer to love, often in the context of a covenant. But scholars tell us the emphasis here is not on emotions but rather on love in action: We are to show respect, benevolence, mercy, grace, kindness, concern, generosity and faithfulness to others, not conditioning our care for them on their response. Instead, since we have received mercy and grace and kindness from God, we are to show others the same (Matthew 18:21-35).

We clearly live out this “requirement” in our families, churches, workplaces, and neighborhoods, as well as with those individuals we encounter along the way (as in Luke 10:25-37). This “requirement” concerns our personal interactions with others – not our attempts to change the wider society.

Do justice

The NIV and Holman-Christian render this “act justly;” a commentator suggests, “Practice justice.” That is: Treat others as if they are made in the image of God – for they are! In particular, treat as God’s image-bearers those you might be tempted to look down upon – those weaker than you, or less influential, or less well-informed, or less educated, or less cool, or younger, or older, or of a different ethnicity, or of a different religion, or holding different political opinions, or having different interests. Remember, you are no closer to God than anyone else because of who you are or what you have done. If you are closer to God than others, it is only because of His grace toward you. So give all others the justice they deserve as God’s image bearers.

As with “love kindness,” we live out this “requirement” primarily in our personal interactions with those in our circles of relationships. So this, again, is a way of actualizing “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Societal Issues

So if we fulfill Micah 6:8’s third “requirement” by loving God, and the first two “requirements” by loving those in our circles of relationships, does this verse have anything to say about societal issues?

Yes. We care about societal issues because we love our neighbors. We care about how society treats or mistreats individuals that we love. So if we are to do justice and love kindness, we will do what we can to influence our public institutions so our neighbors experience justice and kindness. Indeed, parts of the Old Testament – which was written not only to common people but also to kings, rulers, and high priests – explicitly command these influential people to effect justice and kindness in the nation (see, for example, Deuteronomy 17:18-20, Ezekiel 34, Micah 3, and Isaiah 58). Living in a democracy, we all have at least a modicum of influence over the direction of our society – and we should exercise that influence to achieve the same outcomes God instructs Old Testament kings to pursue.

However, we must always remember: We do justice and love kindness first and foremost in the way we act toward individuals around us. Unless I become president, this is where I have the greatest influence.

Furthermore, history shows us that those who dedicate themselves to righting what they perceive as injustices in society very often violate Micah 6:8. They often fail to walk humbly before God, thinking of themselves as saviors to society; and in their attempts to bring about a future utopia, they trample over thousands – and sometimes millions – of individuals. They also often stir up a hatred for their political opponents. And hating those who hate your neighbor is not the same as loving your neighbor.

So do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly before your God. By all means, after praying for wisdom, vote in the way you think will improve our country, state, and city. Consider being involved in other ways that influence our wider society.

But Micah 6:8 instructs us: whatever your involvement on societal issues, always, on every occasion, walk humbly before the God who redeemed you, who had mercy on you. And so act justly to the individuals around you and to those you encounter. Love kindness. Love your neighbor as yourself – for Jesus’ sake.

[This is an edited version of the devotion Coty gave at the August 23 DGCC members meeting.]