Micah 6:8 – Verse of the Day 10/5/14

Jesus had many difficult conversations with the Pharisees, but his harshest words probably came when he referred to them as “whitewashed tombs.” His point was that they looked fresh and clean on the outside but on the inside they were dead and rotting. True wisdom recognizes that God does not just care about what we do, but he cares about our hearts too. He cares about why we follow Him. 

This verse is the climax of the prophet Micah’s charges against Israel. God required the people of Israel to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly, but they were guilty of disobeying God on each count. Rather than upholding God’s commands, the people of Israel had offered hypocritical sacrifices, not out of genuine repentance, but as a means of whitewashing their own unrighteousness. In the following verses, Micah unfolds the Lord’s judgment for the people’s sin.

God does not desire empty religiosity but rather genuine praise and faithful living. Genuine religion involves both the right actions and the right motivations. As you pray, admit your own inability to praise God from a pure heart and ask him to help you. Pray that you would worship God faithfully and love your neighbor genuinely as a sign of your true worship.