📊 Micah 6:8 | More = Better?

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Happy Tuesday, everyone!

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here!

In today’s email…

• 😰 Israel’s response to conviction

• 📈 Does more = better?

• 📊 A trivia question on the unique literary style of Micah 6..

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

He has told you, O man, ____ __ ____; 

and what does the Lord require __ ___

but to do ______, and to love ________,

 and to walk _____ with your God?

Micah 6:8

CONTEXT 📕 

While Micah 6:8 is often quoted on its own, it certainly doesn’t stand on its own.

It’s actually an answer to a question.

And that question comes in the middle of a courtroom drama.

Micah 6 opens with a bang:

The prophet calls the mountains and hills as witnesses because God is taking His people to court. Yikes!

The charge? Covenant betrayal.

The evidence? Centuries of injustice, idolatry, and forgetfulness.

The judge? God Himself.

But before the hammer falls, something surprising happens: God asks a question, not to shame, but to remind:

He recalls how He rescued them from slavery led them through the wilderness, and blessed them again and again (6:4–5).

The stories you might have been raised on in Sunday school are the same ones God reminds His people about.

Check out Israel’s reply.

They’re convicted, but confused.

It escalates quickly. And that’s the point.

They’re trying to buy back God’s favor with religion on steroids.

“Let us do more! Give more! Offer more! Buy back your love more!”

But God isn’t interested in their sacrifices.

He wants their hearts.

Then comes the mic drop.

“He has told you, O man, what is good…” (6:8)

This isn’t new information. This is a return to the basics. A summary of what God has always wanted.

• Not performance

• Not perfection

• Not rituals without relationship

But three things:

• Do justice

• Love mercy

• Walk humbly with your God

That’s the turning point.

It’s where the question of “What does God want?” gets answered.

Tomorrow, we will break down each of those words to fully understand the heart behind them. But for now, let today’s idea fully sink in.

You can’t “buy back” God’s love, but you can choose to give Him the thing he’s always wanted from you.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

It’s tempting to think we can impress God.

We serve, tithe, attend church, and volunteer for Vacation Bible School (VBS).

We assume the equation is: more = better.

But Micah 6 cuts through the noise.

God’s not asking for more. He’s asking for what matters most.

🧠 Reflect: Where have you been trying to “buy” God’s favor? Are you substituting religious effort for relational obedience?

📖 Read: Micah 6:1–8 again slowly. Picture the courtroom. Hear the exchange.
Let verse 8 hit you like the final word it is.

🙏 Pray

Lord, You are the righteous Judge, yet full of mercy. I confess that I often try to earn Your favor—through effort, performance, and religion.

But You’re not asking for more. You’re asking for my heart. Teach me to walk in what You truly desire: To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You. Strip away anything false in me, and draw me back to simple, faithful obedience.

I surrender again today. Amen.

TRIVIA 📊 

Click one of the options below to choose your answer. Let’s see how you do…

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ANSWER KEY ✅ 

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