Chapter 3: Worship or Manipulation

Chapter 3 invites us into the courtroom scene that takes place in the book of Micah. God brings charges against Israel. They had forsaken the covenant. They had forgotten what it means to be the people of God. Their worship had become self-seeking, a tool to “put God in an agreeable and rewarding frame of mind” (48). Al Truesdale points out that “The commandment not to take the name of the Lord in vain (Exod. 20:7) is a warning against using God’s name for contrived human purposes” (48). A danger in any age.

A couple of key charges God makes against Israel stand out for me. The first is that they have forgotten what it means to be his people (54). I think this is a crucial failure. Understanding what it means to be God’s people can drastically change how we understand what it is to be the church as well as redefining the mission of the church.

The second key charge is that Israel and Judah had failed to “connect worship with love for neighbor” (55). It is somewhat ironic to me that the idea of “worship wars” is even an issue within the church, let alone that it can become so divisive, causing such inimical behavior among those who call themselves family. Perhaps if we could make the connection between worship and love for neighbor, our worship could become truly transformational.

Finally, God asks, “Why do you boast of your religious zeal, when your lives contradict my character?” (56). I suppose this charge sums up the others. Religion, worship, being the church, they are all supposed to reflect God’s character. It’s not a matter of cognitive assent to a particular set of propositions. It’s not a matter of doing this and not doing that. It’s not a matter of which church we go to. It’s simply a matter of as a body of believers, do we reflect God’s character (and it is significant to remember that this is not about individuals, but about communities. We can only be the people of God with others, never as individuals or even as a collection of individuals, only as community.).

So what does God expect? What does it mean to be the people of God, to connect worship with love for neighbor, to reflect God’s character? The answer God gives is startling. God says, “I want you to practice justice, show my kindness of love to others, and walk before me in genuine humility” (57).