Inspiration:
How does if feel different to pursue justice for yourself than for another?
Do Justice
People were asking Micah questions about rules and regulations. Their questions were very specific. They were asking, “What do I need to do to get right with my God? What do I need to do in order to lead a meaningful life?” But they were asking in the language of their day: “How many more rams do I have to sacrifice?” Sacrificing in those days was an important part of religious ritual. They wanted to know, “What do we need to do to be in right relationship; what are the rules and regulations of this religion you are asking us to follow?”
Micah responds by saying something that might sound like this today: “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, what’s required of you, what life expects out of you, is not nearly as legalistic as you think. It’s not nearly as legalistic as you’ve been used to,” he tells them. “It’s not an issue of how many rams you sacrifice or how many prayers you say. That’s the good news. The bad news is, religion is no longer a private affair. It’s not so pietistic any more. What’s expected of you is to relate to other people. And while that may sound easy, it’s a lot harder than dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T.’ Your religion is no longer private. You are expected to be public. You are expected to be with other people.” He continues by describing what he means by this and the first thing he says is that they are expected to do justice.
The word for justice in ancient Hebrew is “mishpat.” You lose a lot in the translation. When Micah told the people to “do justice,” they knew exactly what he meant. You see, there are two words that are used in the Hebrew Scriptures for justice. One of them, tzedakah, means “righteousness.” This is almost a state of being in justice. The other, mishpat, means, “to do justice.” It’s active. Everybody listening to Micah understood that.
BY FREDRIC J. MUIR, MINISTER, THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND TO READ MORE
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