Epiphany 4 / OT 4
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
He has told you, O mortal, 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
Micah pictured God arguing his case in a court in which nature was the jury. God served as both judge and defendant against a humanity that accused God of not doing enough. "Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice ... for the Lord has a controversy with his people and he will contend with Israel." First, God asked the people to defend why they had wearied of being a faithful people. Christians can hear God asking the church why are they growing weary of being faithful. "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!" You can hear the respondents complaining that their prayers and worship have not seemed to benefit them in any measurable way.
God then summarized the many ways that God had rescued the Israelites beginning with Egypt and proceeding forward. The people responded by asking in exaggerated terms what God wanted from them. "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?" God responded through Micah with classic simplicity. "[God] has told you, O mortal, 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." All of our religious practices are designed to bring us into a state of reverence for God and compassion for our neighbor. In the supreme court of the universe, we are finally judged by how our lives have reflected love for God and love for our neighbor. I once saw a cartoon in which the petitioner said to God, "How can you allow so much hunger to exist in the world?" to which God responded, "I've been meaning to ask you the same question."
-- Micah 6:8
Micah pictured God arguing his case in a court in which nature was the jury. God served as both judge and defendant against a humanity that accused God of not doing enough. "Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice ... for the Lord has a controversy with his people and he will contend with Israel." First, God asked the people to defend why they had wearied of being a faithful people. Christians can hear God asking the church why are they growing weary of being faithful. "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!" You can hear the respondents complaining that their prayers and worship have not seemed to benefit them in any measurable way.
God then summarized the many ways that God had rescued the Israelites beginning with Egypt and proceeding forward. The people responded by asking in exaggerated terms what God wanted from them. "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?" God responded through Micah with classic simplicity. "[God] has told you, O mortal, 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." All of our religious practices are designed to bring us into a state of reverence for God and compassion for our neighbor. In the supreme court of the universe, we are finally judged by how our lives have reflected love for God and love for our neighbor. I once saw a cartoon in which the petitioner said to God, "How can you allow so much hunger to exist in the world?" to which God responded, "I've been meaning to ask you the same question."
