Daily Devotional • October 13
A Reading from Micah 6:1-8
1 Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the case of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has a case against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For 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.
5 O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
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?
7 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?”
8 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?
Meditation
In Micah’s prophecy, God sounds like an anguished parent, calling the earth itself to witness all he has done for the sons and daughters of Israel. Now they won’t come for a visit, let alone show love or respect. “What have I ever done to you,” he pleads, “that you treat me this way?”
The Israelites have other priorities. “Why should we pay attention to the God of Israel?” they ask. “Always the same old stories. Tiresome.”
“Don’t you remember?” God says. “I liberated your ancestors from slavery in Egypt! Protected them from an attack from Moab! Sent you great leaders! You wouldn’t be here without me.”
The people answer with a shrug: “What’s the use of trying to please God? We can’t come up with calves and rams and jugs of olive oil — that’s for rich folks. What does God want — our first born?”
“No, no, no,” Micah replies. “That’s not what God seeks. Don’t you understand? God wants to be with you, doing justice, loving mercy, spending quality time together.”
Maybe Micah had teenagers who were desperately embarrassed by their prophesying father; he certainly nails the frustration and anguish of a rejected parent. We nod. Yes, we’ve seen kids act just like those Israelites.
But are we like them? Do we tire of the same old Bible stories, the same old liturgy, and excuse ourselves from showing up at church? Are we too busy to seek God’s presence? To respond to the Spirit’s prompting?
“Remember!” Micah counsels us. “Remember all the ways God has blessed you in the past!” Thank God for moments of sheer wonder at autumn color, migrating birds, or children’s faces. Deal fairly and show kindness at work and at home. And find quiet moments to wait in God’s presence, just to grow closer to the “I AM” who loves us.
Dr. Grace Sears is past vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as former editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
Church of the Holy Trinity, Vicksburg, Mississippi
The Episcopal Church in the Philippines