Our First Instinct When We Feel Guilty

Open the Bible UK Daily

With what shall I come before the LORD… Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Micah 6:6

These are the words of someone who holds up his hands and says, “You got me. I’m guilty. Now what do I do?”

Our first instinct when we feel guilty is to become religious (burnt offerings). “This doesn’t feel right. Maybe we could give something to the church? Or do some work around the church?”

Notice the ascending scale in the plea bargain. It starts with a few year-old calves. But that doesn’t feel like enough. What about thousands of rams? If that doesn’t cut it, what else can I offer? What do you want from me? "Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (6:7). This is a grandiose gesture. “Maybe I should sell my cabin in the country, or become a priest, or a missionary?”

How do we deal with this guilt? That’s where we come to this marvellous answer: “He has told you, O man, 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?” (6:8).

God is saying, “I want you to separate yourself from the sin of the city, not by coming out of the business world, but by doing business in a different way.”

If you belong to Jesus Christ, God is not looking for you to be religious. Putting a veneer of religion over an unchanged life won’t impress anyone, and it certainly won’t impress God. Your calling is to a life marked by justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Which one of these do you think God wants to talk to you about today: Are you acting justly? Do you love mercy? Are you walking humbly with God?