John Calvin Commentary Micah 6:6-8

"Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?" — Micah 6:6-8 (ASV)

The Prophet now inquires, as in the name of the people, what was necessary to be done. He takes these two principles as granted: first, that the people were without any excuse and were forced to confess their sin; and second, that God had until now contended with them for no other end and with no other design but to restore the people to the right way. For if His purpose had only been to condemn the people for their wickedness, there would have been no need of these questions.

But the Prophet shows what has often been stated before—that whenever God chides His people, He opens to them the door of hope for their salvation, provided those who have sinned repent. Since this then must have been well known to all the Jews, the Prophet here asks, as if speaking for them, what was to be done.

He thus introduces them as inquiring, With what shall I approach Jehovah, and bow down before the high God?

Shall I approach him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? But at the same time, there is no doubt that he indirectly refers to that foolish notion by which men generally deceive themselves. For when they are proved guilty, they indeed know that there is no remedy for them unless they reconcile themselves to God. Yet they pretend by circuitous courses to approach God, while they desire to be ever far away from him.

This dissimulation has always prevailed in the world, and it prevails now. They see that those whom God convicts and their own conscience condemns cannot rest in safety. Hence, they wish to discharge their duty towards God as a matter of necessity. But at the same time, they seek some fictitious modes of reconciliation, as though it were enough to flatter God, as though he could be pacified like a child with some frivolous trifles.

The Prophet therefore detects this wickedness, which had always been too prevalent among them, as if he said: "I see what you are about to say, for there is no need of contending longer. Since you have nothing to object to God, and he has innumerable things to allege against you, you are then more than condemned. But yet you will perhaps say what has been usually alleged by you and always by hypocrites, even this: 'We wish to be reconciled to God, and we confess our faults and seek pardon; let God in the meantime show himself ready to be reconciled to us, while we offer to him sacrifices.'"

There is then no doubt that the Prophet derided this folly, which has always prevailed in the hearts of men: they always think that God can be pacified by outward rites and frivolous performances.

He afterwards adds, He has proclaimed to thee what is good. The Prophet reproves the hypocrisy by which the Jews willfully deceived themselves. It is as if he said, "You indeed pretend some concern for religion when you approach God in prayer, but your religion is nothing; it is nothing else than shamelessly to dissemble. For you do not sin either through ignorance or misconception, but you treat God with mockery."

The Prophet's imagined discourse continues: "How so? Because the Law teaches you with sufficient clearness what God requires from you. Does it not show you plainly enough what true reconciliation is? But you close your eyes to the teaching of the Law, and in the meantime pretend ignorance. This is extremely childish. God has already proclaimed what is good, even to do judgment, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God." We now perceive the design of the Prophet.

Since then he says here, "With what shall I appear before God?" we must bear in mind that as soon as God condescends to enter into trial with men, the cause is decided, for it is no doubtful contention. When men litigate with one another, there is no cause so good that an opposing party cannot darken by sophistries.

But the Prophet intimates that men lose all their labor by evasions when God summons them to a trial. This is one thing. He also shows what deep roots hypocrisy has in the hearts of all, for they always deceive themselves and try to deceive God. How is it that men, proved guilty, do not immediately and in the right way return to God, but that they always seek indirect ways?

How is this? It is not because they have any doubt about what is right, unless they willfully deceive themselves, but because they dissemble and willfully seek the subterfuges of error. Hence it appears that men perversely go astray whenever they do not repent as they ought, and do not bring to God a real integrity of heart.

And hence it also appears that the whole world which continues in its superstitions is without excuse. For if we scrutinize the intentions of men, it will eventually come to this: that men carefully and anxiously seek various superstitions because they are unwilling to come before God and to devote themselves to him without some dissembling and hypocrisy.

Since this is so, it is certain that all who desire to pacify God with their own ceremonies and other trifles cannot escape by any pretext. What is said here is, at the same time, strictly addressed to the Jews, who had been instructed in the teaching of the Law.

And such are the Papists of this day; though they spread forth specious pretenses to excuse their ignorance, they may yet be refuted by this one fact: that God has prescribed clearly and distinctly enough what he requires. But they wish to be ignorant of this; hence their error is at all times willful.

We ought especially to notice this in the words of the Prophet, but I cannot proceed further now.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as you have made known to us your Law, and have also added your Gospel, in which you call us to your service, and also invite us with all kindness to partake of your grace, O grant, that we may not be deaf either to your command or to the promises of your mercy, but render ourselves in both instances submissive to you and so learn to devote all our faculties to you, that we may in truth avow that a rule of a holy and religious life has been delivered to us in your law, and that we may also firmly adhere to your promises, lest through any of the allurements of the world, or through the flatteries and crafts of Satan, you should suffer our minds to be drawn away from that love which you have once manifested to us in your only-begotten Son and in which you daily confirm us by the teaching of the Gospel, until we at last shall come to the full enjoyment of this love in that celestial inheritance, which has been purchased for us by the blood of your only Son. Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

We have seen in the last lecture that hypocrites inquire how God is to be pacified, as though they were very solicitous about the performance of their duty, and that in the meantime these are mere disguises; for by circuitous windings they turn here and there, and never wish to come directly to God.

The way might have been easily known by them, but they closed their eyes and at the same time pretended that they had some concern for religion. And this is also very commonly the case in our day. Common experience, if anyone opens his eyes, clearly proves this: that the ungodly, who do not deal sincerely with God, profess a very great concern, as though they were wholly intent on serving God.

Yet they turn aside here and there and seek many bypaths (diverticula), so that they may not be constrained to present themselves before God.

We have already seen that this false pretense is fully exposed, inasmuch as God has demonstrated enough, and more than enough, in his Law what he approves and what he requires from men.

Why then do hypocrites, as if still uncertain, make the inquiry? It is because they are willfully blind at mid-day. For the doctrine of the Law ought to have been to them as a lamp to direct their steps, but they smother this light; indeed, they do what they can to extinguish it completely.

They ask, as though perplexed, "How can we pacify God?"

But it ought also to be observed (for the Prophet says, Shall I give my first-born, and the fruit of my loins, as an expiation for my soul?) that hypocrites will withhold nothing, provided they are not to devote themselves to God. We see the same thing under the Papacy at this day: they spare no expense, nor even the greatest toils. Provided the ungodly always have freedom to live in sin, they will easily grant to God all other things.

For through a false conceit they make a sort of agreement with God: if they mortify themselves, and toil in ceremonies, and if they pour forth some portion of their money, if they sometimes deprive nature of its support, if with fastings and by other things they afflict themselves, they think that by these means they have fully performed their duties.

But these are frivolous trifles, for in the meantime they consider themselves exempt from the duty of obeying God. Still unwilling to be regarded as alienated from God, they, at the same time, obtrude on him their meritorious works to forestall his judgment and to exempt themselves from the necessity of doing the principal thing, that which he especially requires—to bring a sincere heart.

Thus then hypocrites wish to divide things with God, so that they may remain inwardly as they are; and they spread forth outwardly many frivolous things for the purpose of pacifying him. And this is the reason why the Prophet says now, Shall I give my first-born? For hypocrites wish to appear as though they were burning with the greatest zeal, saying:

"Rather than have God remain angry with me, I would not spare the life of my first-born; I would rather be the executioner of my own son. In short, nothing is so valuable to me that I would not be ready to part with it, so that God may be propitious to me."

This indeed is what they boast with their mouth; but at the same time, they will not offer their heart as a sacrifice to God. And as they deal dishonestly with God, we see that all is nothing but dissimulation.

If anyone objects and says that the other rites of which the Prophet speaks here had been enjoined by God’s Law, the answer is easy; but I shall now only briefly touch on what I have elsewhere handled more extensively: The Prophet denies that sacrifices avail anything for the purpose of propitiating God.

This may seem inconsistent with the teaching of the Law, but in fact it altogether agrees with it. God indeed wished sacrifices to be offered to him, and then this promise was always added, Iniquity shall be atoned. But the purpose must be noticed, for God did not command sacrifices as though they were of themselves of any worth; but he intended to lead the ancient people by such exercises to repentance and faith.

It was therefore his design to remind the Jews that they did no good unless they themselves became sacrifices; and it was also his will that they should look to the only true sacrifice, by which all sins are expiated. But hypocrites, like falsifiers of documents, abused the command of God and adulterated the sacrifices themselves.

It was then a profane sacrilege for them to think that God would be propitious to them if they offered many oxen, calves, and lambs. It was the same thing as if one asked the way and, after having learned it, rested quietly and never moved a foot.

God had shown the way by which the Jews might come to repentance and faith, and they ought to have walked in it. But they wickedly trifled with God, for they thought that it would be a satisfaction to his justice if they only performed outward rites.

Whenever then the Prophets in God’s name repudiate sacrifices, the abuse by which God’s Law was corrupted is always to be considered. This occurs when the Jews brought only sacrifices and had no respect for the end in view, and did not exercise themselves in repentance and faith.

It is for this reason that our Prophet declares that all sacrifices were of no account before God but were vain things: they were so when they were separated from their right end.

He then says that God had shown by his Law what is good, and then he adds what it is: to do justice, to love mercy, or kindness, and to be humbled before God.

It is evident that, in the first two particulars, he refers to the second table of the Law, that is, to do justice and to love mercy. Nor is it any wonder that the Prophet begins with the duties of love; for though, in order, the worship of God precedes these duties and ought rightly to be so regarded, yet justice, which is to be exercised towards men, is the real evidence of true religion.

The Prophet, therefore, mentions justice and mercy, not because God casts aside that which is principal—the worship of his name—but because he shows, by evidences or effects, what true religion is. Hypocrites place all holiness in external rites, but God requires what is very different, for his worship is spiritual.

But as hypocrites can make a show of great zeal and great solicitude in the outward worship of God, the Prophets test the conduct of men in another way: by inquiring whether they act justly and kindly towards one another, whether they are free from all fraud and violence, and whether they observe justice and show mercy.

This is the way our Prophet now follows when he says that God’s Law prescribes what is good, and that is, to do justice—to observe what is equitable towards men and also to perform the duties of mercy.

He afterwards adds what in order is first, and that is, to humble thyself to walk with God; it is thus literally, "And to be humble in walking with thy God." No doubt, as the name of God is more excellent than anything in the whole world, so the worship of him ought to be regarded as more important than all those duties by which we prove our love towards men.

But the Prophet, as I have already said, was not so particular in observing order; his main object was to show how men were to prove that they seriously feared God and kept his Law. He afterwards speaks of God’s worship. But his manner of speaking, when he says that men ought to be humble so that they may walk with their God, is worthy of special notice.

Condemned, then, is here all pride, and also all the confidence of the flesh. For whoever arrogates to himself even the least thing, does, in a manner, contend with God as with an opposing party.

The true way then of walking with God is when we thoroughly humble ourselves, indeed, when we bring ourselves down to nothing; for it is the very beginning of worshipping and glorifying God when men entertain a humble and low opinion of themselves.