Micah

Micah 6: No gift can buy God's favour

Begin in prayer

Before we hear the LORD plead His case against His people, please gather your children and ask Him to show you what He requires. Ask Him to show you that no gift you bring can pay for your sin.

Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire. You have opened my ears. You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.

Psalm 40:6

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that no gift of ours can buy Your favour, and show us Jesus, whom You gave for sinners. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

The LORD calls the mountains and hills to hear His case against His people, like a courtroom with the earth itself as witness. He asks what He has done to burden them, and He reminds them of Egypt, of Moses, Aaron and Miriam, and of Balak and Balaam. A worshipper asks how to come before the LORD, and offers calves, thousands of rams, rivers of oil, even his firstborn child. The answer is that the LORD has already shown what is good, which is to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Then He speaks to the city about dishonest scales, treasures gained by wickedness, violence and lies. Because of this He will make them desolate, so they eat and are not satisfied, sow and do not reap. They have kept the ways of Omri and Ahab, kings of Israel who led the people into evil.

As you read Micah 6, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God has shown us what is good, and since we all fall short, no gift can buy His favour.

Micah 6 is a courtroom, and the LORD calls the mountains as witnesses against His people (verses 1 and 2). He reminds them how He brought them out of Egypt and redeemed them from slavery, and sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam (verse 4). When Balak king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel, the LORD would not let the curse stand (verse 5). The worshipper’s offers grow bigger, from calves to thousands of rams to a firstborn child (verses 6 and 7). In Micah’s day King Ahaz made his own son pass through the fire, as the nations around did (2 Kings 16 verse 3). No offering is enough to buy God’s favour. He had already shown them what is good, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him (verse 8). The words of verse 8 were spoken to a redeemed people, and verses 9 to 16 show how far they had fallen.

How does Micah 6 show us that God has shown us what is good, and that since we all fall short, no gift can buy His favour?

The LORD reminds His people of all He did for them.

The LORD calls the mountains as witnesses, and asks His people what He has done to burden them (verses 1 to 3). He then names what He did, bringing them out of Egypt and sending Moses, Aaron and Miriam (verse 4). He also turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing on Israel (verse 5 and Deuteronomy 23 verse 5). Before He asks anything of them, He has already saved them.

No gift can buy the LORD's favour.

The offers grow, from calves to thousands of rams, rivers of oil and a firstborn child (verses 6 and 7). It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should remove sins (Hebrews 10 verse 4). Christ offered Himself once for all, and His offering did what no ram or firstborn could (Hebrews 10 verse 10).

God has shown what is good, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly.

The LORD’s law had already told Israel what He requires (Deuteronomy 10 verse 12), so verse 8 was never new. To act justly is to treat others fairly, and to love mercy is to be kind to those in need. To walk humbly with God is to live every day knowing that we need Him. These are the marks of a people the LORD has already redeemed, and they cannot earn His favour.

Their sin shows how much they need a Saviour.

The city is full of dishonest scales, false weights, violence and lies (verses 10 to 12). They kept the ways of Omri and Ahab, wicked kings of Israel (verse 16). So the LORD makes them desolate, and what they sow and store will not satisfy them (verses 13 to 15). Christ lived what verse 8 asks, and He gave Himself for sinners (Hebrews 7 verses 26 and 27).

Memorise

He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, have I tried to earn God’s favour, and why do I need Jesus?

“How shall I come before Yahweh”, asks the worshipper, and it is the question of every sinner. No ram, no oil and no firstborn could answer it.

God answered it Himself. He did not ask us to bring a bigger offering. He sent His own Son, the Lamb without blemish, who offered Himself and carried the sin of His people on the cross. Three days later Jesus rose, and His one offering is enough for every sinner who comes to Him.

So stop trying to buy what He gives freely. Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus. He forgives all who turn to Him. Those who belong to Him learn to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

Parent's note

Tell your children that no gift can pay for sin, and that God gave His own Son for sinners. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart. Parents, please explain verse 7 gently, since it asks about giving a firstborn child, which the LORD never commanded.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He has shown us what is good and sent His Son to pay for sin, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 John 4:9

Lord God, thank You that You have shown us what is good, and that no gift of ours could pay for our sin. Thank You for Jesus, the offering You gave. Please turn us from trusting ourselves to trusting Him, and teach us to love mercy and walk humbly with You. Amen.