“Called up on the carpet”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, January 29, 2023
Micah 6:1-8 (Forward, p. 92) CEV p. 946
None of us like being called up before our boss or someone else in authority and being told to account for our actions. With an earthly boss or superior, it is bad enough, intimidating enough, but what about with a judge or magistrate? That would be even worse.
Well, what about being called up before the judge of all the earth, the judge of all humankind, the Lord Almighty? That truly would be intimidating—and frightening. In today’s account that is exactly what is happening.
It begins with God quizzing Israel, with the hills and mountains as witnesses (a literary device often used back then). He asks Israel a very pointed question and then follows it up with some reminders:
-He asks Israel whether He has in some way wronged them
-then He reminds them of what He has done for them:
-He freed them, rescued them from slavery in Egypt;
-He gave them Moses, Aaron & Miriam as their leaders;
-He frustrated the evil plans of King Balak & Balaam;
-He saved them and protected them as they journeyed (from Acacia to Gilgal)
-and really, these were just the tip of the iceberg!
The defendant, Israel (which is actually us as well) then has a chance to respond, and wisely, does not try to downplay what God has done or accuse Him in any way—much less to try to excuse its actions. Instead, it asks God what it should be doing. (A very wise move, to say the least). It poses several suggestions, none of which is suitable:
-the sacrifice of a calf or a sheep (thousands of them)?
-the offering of rivers of oil?
-or the sacrifice of their first-born sons as a sort of atonement for their sins?
No, Israel is answered, as are we. God has already shown them, and us, what He requires, what is right:
‘See that justice is done
Let mercy be our first concern
And humbly obey your God” (CEV)
“To do what is just
To show constant love
To live in humble fellowship with our God” (Good News Bible)
“To do justice
To love kindness
To walk humbly with your God” (NRSV)
And, as can be clearly seen, this has both an upward thrust (that is, towards God) and an outward one (that is, towards others). And even here, in the outward thrust, it includes both those who are more or less near or intimate (showing kindness and constant love) and society and the world as a whole (justice).
So, neither Israel nor we ourselves are ‘off the hook’. We know what God has said, what God has ordered, and now it is up to us to do it. The case is dismissed, and we can now exit the courtroom. However, the game is not over for us, not in the least. After having first received the summons from God, we have now been given another chance, that is, a charge, and an obligation going forth from here. It is up to us, with the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit, to do it. Amen.
Forward notes: “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?” (verse 8)
“One of my nun friends says that false humility and pride are merely two sides of the same coin. True humility is to know the reality of how God made you: neither better nor worse than anyone else. It reminds me of the famous story about Rabbi Simcha Bunim, who taught that we should all walk around with two pieces of paper in our pockets. One reads, ‘the world was created just for me,’ while the other reads, ‘I am but ashes and dust.’ Wisdom is learning when to read which slip of paper.
“It is no accident that the prophet today pairs walking humbly with doing justice and loving kindness. Micah first addresses us as mortals: human beings made in the image of God, out of mere dust but made alive through God’s very breath. We are thus invited into God’s plans for the whole universe: justice and loving-kindness. Each of us is called to share in this work in our own way and context. None of us can do our part without others or God’s grace.”
MOVING FORWARD: “In light of Rabbi Bunim’s story, which piece of paper do you need to read today?”
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A concluding note: I am not quite sure that I agree with Rabbi Bunim’s dichotomy. I think that the truth lays somewhere in between the two. We are but ashes and dust, and yet we are precious and valued in the sight of God and are called to partner with Him in His great and glorious purpose. And so, it is not ‘all about me’ or ‘woe is me’ either, but rather what God has created us to be and called us to do.