Micah 6:6-8

Today is the last in our series, Promises Worth Keeping. We have looked at our human need to make a promise to God, to the church, to other people. Today the question is, what promise does it take to really please God? This is not just a question for Christians, this has been asked in every age by all peoples. In Iraq, the Shia Muslims are about to take over the government and they want to govern by the Sharia, or a Muslim code as much as possible. This code calls for the veiling of women, multiple marriages for men, and restrictions on education and professions for women. Women in Nigeria have been flogged or stoned while men are not usually charged with sexual offenses. I try not to preach against other living faiths, but the US got rid of a secular dictator in Iraq only to allow a new government that will do evil in the name of religion.

 These laws which sound bizarre to the American ear, are simply another human expression of people who are lost without God, wondering what would please almighty God.

 Christians in the United States struggle with this question. And you frequently will hear me say things that do not fit with a lot of television Christianity. We are living in a time when Christian leaders can get rich and famous by saying the right things about war and guns. Jerry Falwell said the other day that the number of Christian leaders that oppose the war could fit into a phone booth. Fortunately, I am thinner than Jerry. If the others are like me, maybe more can get into that phone booth than he imagined.

 But we have to go back to the Scriptures always. And so in the confusion of Christian voices, are there Biblical guides that will rescue us as we ask how to live in a way that pleases God? We join with the writer of Micah who considers even a human offering to be a possible solution.

 So we will look at three simple promises we can make to live life in a way that pleases God. If you are looking for guidance in life, you will want your notes ready for three simple promises that please the heart of God.

 This is a special Bible passage. It is another of the many passages that describe God’s character as a blend of two values – justice and mercy. John describes it as light and life, and grace and truth. Paul refers to righteousness and peace in Romans, and Isaiah speaks about justice and peace.

 This is the Bible text that Jimmy Carter laid his hand on when he was sworn in as President of the United States. Two years ago, 30 churches around the country got together from different denominations to form the Micah 6 Project where they promised to live out these promises to God. And Micah prophesied before three kings of Israel and shook the political world then

 I promise to do justice. So many televangelists do not like that word because it sounds liberal. Justice has a private meaning and a public meaning. We all know about the private meaning. I won’t lie or cheat, I’ll get to work on time and not steal. I’ll provide for my family. I will pray and read the Bible. And there is near total agreement among all Christians on making the promise to live for justice in our private lives.

 But you get us into the public meaning of justice and Christians lose it. You know the hard topics. Iraq. Social Security. Gay Life. Immigration quotas. Civil Rights. Gun Ownership. Welfare and Taxes. The truth is that most Christians vote their pocketbook or the way their parents did.

 I have not said anything on Social Security and the President’s plan to reduce it. I was trying to figure out if it was only a political issue or a political issue where we must look at it from God’s character of justice. It seems more and more clear that this change in social security will reduce the security of older Americans. I have spoken in other sermons of God’s concern for the elderly as in Psalm 71. The Bible speaks again and again about protecting the poor, the elderly, the widow, the foreigner, and the orphan.

 And it is interesting to note that the government normally would have to raise taxes in order to pay for the war. For example, the top tax rate in World War 2 finally raised to 90%. If somehow the benefits are reduced in Social Security it becomes a way to pay for Iraq without obviously raising taxes.

 Christians need to be so zealous about justice that we raise questions about public policy, always trying to see how ideas fit the Bibles values.  It not that Christians don’t believe in justice, but we hate to think about these areas. They are painful thoughts because sometimes we end up with beliefs that hurt our self interest. What if you think through the Bible passages and conclude that you need to pay more tax? And its painful because our voting is heavily influenced by our political party. Wouldn’t it be exciting if Christians were so committed to justice that it would not matter what the Republican and Democratic parties said about an issue? We would all be working on applying a Biblical justice to the social policy proposals.

 We do not have the option that most Christians think possible – to have a faith that is not zealous for justice. Micah is saying that one of the three key ways to say I promise you to God in our public life is in our zeal for justice for all.

 Micah’s second simple rule is for kindness. Justice without kindness will kill all the world. You often hear me preach on grace, because it is the greatest wonder of the Christian faith. In the public sphere, the governments fail. And in the private sphere we each fail ourselves. But grace is God’s gift to get us started again. Every world living faith has to struggle with this. It is an act of some bravery to stand for justice. But strict justice requires that we all be punished. Paul says in Romans that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. But other religions have noted this as well. It is the basis of the cycles in Buddhism to work in life after life towards the pure.

 Because of the gift of Jesus Christ’s life, we shortcut the process of judgment and mercy. And now God says to reflect that in our lives before the world. Practice mercy. Show that you have a faith based on grace and mercy. This is the Hebrew term hesed which means Covenant faithfulness, compassion, loyal love, loving devotion, and steadfast love. It starts in our life together here and becomes part of our giving and mission to the community and in the world.

 The final rule is to walk this path humbly with God. In the Bible, walking a path means to make it your lifestyle. If you are wondering if this is a key Biblical text or just one more good Bible saying, the answer is that it is fundamental. We need to be wholly invested in lives of justice and mercy and talk with God each day about how we are living this out. Those ways of saying I promise you please the Lord.

 Micah writes these words just before the northern part of Israel collapses. He was calling for new politics and new religion that was passionate for justice for all and for mercy. We need Micah 6 churches who will call our nation and all Christians to the promises in public life that God really wants to hear.