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Mic_6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Ver. 8. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good] i.e. what is right, just, and acceptable to himself. He showed it by the light of Nature; for Aristotle (Nature’s secretary) saith, It is not likely that God is so well pleased with the costliness of the sacrifices as with the godliness of the sacrifices. He hath showed it much more by the light of Scripture; there he hath told thee what is the unum necessarium, one thing necessary; in comparison whereof all other things are but side businesses; what is the totum hominis, the whole duty of man, sc. to "fear God, and keep his commandments," Ecc_12:13; what is the bonum hominis, as here, yea, the summum bonum, or chiefest good of man attainable in this life, viz. communion with God and conformity to God.
And what doth the Lord require of thee] But thee? Quia in omni creatura terrena nihil melius fecit te, ipse quaerit te a te, quia perdideras te in te, as Augustine elegantly paraphraseth this text: Inasmuch as God hath among all earthly creatures made nothing better than thee, therefore he requireth thee of thee.
But to do justly, and to love mercy] This is the sum of the second table; as that which followeth is of the first, to walk humbly with thy God. Here then is a brief of the whole Bible, a little Bible, as the eleventh to the Hebrews is by one not unfitly called a little book of martyrs. Do this and live: do this here enjoined, and thou shalt never fall; yea, thou shalt go gallantly into heaven, as St Peter hath it, 2Pe_1:10-11. Certa semper sunt in paucis, saith Tertullian. Things simply necessary, whether to be believed or practised, are few in number but many in virtue; in sight small, but great in weight; like gold, which being solid, is contracted into a narrow room; but may be drawn into so large an extent that one angel may cover an acre of ground, as the naturalists have observed. To do justly is the duty, not only of magistrates, whom God hath intrusted with the administration of his earthly kingdom, by the due execution of vindictive and remunerative justice, but also of all other persons in their various places and stations, whose rule must be that golden saying of our Saviour, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets," Mat_7:12. {See Trapp on "Mat_7:12"}
And to love mercy] This is more than to show mercy; for that a man may do, and yet, for want of love, lose all, 1Co_1:3. He must not only draw out his sheaf, but his soul to the hungry, Isa_58:10, nor distribute spiritual alms, but do it out of deep affection, as Titus, 2Co_7:15; he must be "ready to distribute, willing to communicate," 1Ti_6:18; his mercy must flow from him as water doth from the fountain, or light from the sun; it must not be wrung from him, as verjuice {a} from a crab apple, or as distilled water is forced out by the heat of the fire. Let the love of Christ constrain us to look out some of his receivers (as David did Jonathan’s flock), to whom we may show mercy for his sake. What though we be weak, yet if willing to show mercy, God accepteth according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not, 2Co_8:12. The widow’s mite is beyond the rich man’s magnificence, because it came out of a richer mind. The apostle bids, "put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness," Col_3:12, such as the jailer had toward Paul and Silas; such as the Samaritan had toward the wounded man by the wayside; such as those primitive Christians had, who came to the church with strong affections, with large contributions, Act_4:34. The like is foretold of Tyre, when converted, Isa_23:18; and of Ethiopia, Psa_68:31, that she shall "hastily stretch her hands unto God," Heb. she shall make them run, noting her readiness and speediness in giving her goods unto the saints. The tender mercies of the Almighty, shed forth abundantly upon his, leave a compassionate frame upon their hearts, and do dye their thoughts, as the dye vat doth the cloth.
And to walk humbly with thy God] Or, bashfully, with a holy shamefacedness, and solicitousness of doing anything that may offend the eyes of God’s glory. "Yea, what care," saith the apostle, 2Co_7:11, sc. of walking worthy of the Lord, unto all-pleasing, Col_1:10, as proving your hearts and lives to him in every part and point of obedience. This the Lord in a mystery taught his people, Deu_23:13-14, when commanding them to cover their excrements with a paddle, he giveth this reason thereof: "For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee." They that stand in the presence of princes must be every way exact; and give them all due respect. Now a good man, like a good angel, is ever in God’s presence; and must therefore walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called, with all lowliness and meekness, Eph_4:1-2, with all modesty, and demission of mind and of demeanour (as the word here signifieth), and especially when he draweth nigh to God in holy duties. Then it must be his care to exercise a threefold humility. First, precedent: before he sets upon God’s service, he must in heart devote and dedicate all that he is, and hath, as a due debt to the Almighty, saying with David, 1Ch_29:14, It is of thine own, Lord, that I give thee: ôá óá åê ôùí óùí , as that good Emperor Justinian said. The second is concomitant; when in the performance of good duties he hath grace (this lovely grace of humility especially), "whereby he may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear," Heb_12:28; which is nothing else but an awful respect to the Divine majesty, with whom we have to do, Heb_4:13. The third is subsequent; when after he hath done his best he is dejected in the sense of his many failings in the manner; and looking on his plumes, he looketh also on his black feet, and is abashed and abased before the Lord. Lo, this is to humble himself to walk with his God. And as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
{a} The acid juice of green or unripe grapes, crab apples, or other sour fruit, expressed and formed into a liquor; formerly much used in cooking, as a condiment, or for medicinal purposes. ŒD