Thy Strong Word — Micah 6: The Indictment of the Lord

The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Squires, pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Gurnee, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Micah 6.

Micah 6 captures a profound dialogue between God and humanity, as the prophet challenges the people of Israel to remember their covenant with God. The passage begins with God’s plea for the people to recall His faithfulness and righteousness, contrasting it with their disobedience and lack of gratitude. YHWH emphasizes that He desires justice, kindness, and humility rather than ritualistic offerings. The chapter concludes with a reminder of God’s expectations: to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.

Micah, one of the few prophets of his time still faithful to God in Israel, rebukes the societal injustices of the Israelites and pronounces judgment on the wickedness of the religious and political leaders of the time. Notably, Micah is the prophet who foretells that the future messianic ruler will be born in Bethlehem. Jesus not only fulfilled that prophecy, but he embodies Micah’s call for justice, mercy, and humility, bringing restoration and reconciliation through his life, death, and resurrection.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Micah 6

The Indictment of the Lord

6 Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
    and let the hills hear your voice.
²Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
    and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
    and he will contend with Israel.

³“O my people, what have I done to you?
    How have I wearied you? Answer me!
⁴For 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.
⁵O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What Does the Lord Require?

⁶“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?
⁷Will the Lord be pleased with^[a] 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?”
⁸He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,^[b]
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Destruction of the Wicked

⁹The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
    and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:
“Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!^[c]
¹⁰    Can I forget any longer the treasures^[d] of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
    and the scant measure that is accursed?
¹¹Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales
    and with a bag of deceitful weights?
¹²Your^[e] rich men are full of violence;
    your inhabitants speak lies,
    and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
¹³Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,
    making you desolate because of your sins.
¹⁴You shall eat, but not be satisfied,
    and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
¹⁵You shall sow, but not reap;
    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
¹⁶For you have kept the statutes of Omri,^[f]
    and all the works of the house of Ahab;
    and you have walked in their counsels,
that I may make you a desolation, and your^[g] inhabitants a hissing;
    so you shall bear the scorn of my people.”

Footnotes

Micah 6:7 Or Will the Lord accept
Micah 6:8 Or steadfast love
Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Micah 6:10 Or Are there still treasures
Micah 6:12 Hebrew whose
Micah 6:16 Hebrew For the statutes of Omri are kept
Micah 6:16 Hebrew its

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.