Micah 6:4

God’s people have not answered him. So again he accuses them. But God speaks with great love for his people. His speech is full of kindness and truth. God’s purpose is to bring his people, the nation called *Israel, back to himself. He wants them to remember his *covenant with them. God wants his people to obey their part of the agreement. He speaks to them about two main subjects.

Firstly, God reminds his people about how he saved the *Israelites before. This was in their early days as a nation. God brought his people out of Egypt. They had been slaves there and he freed them. God gave special leaders to his people. Moses was the chief leader. Aaron was the chief *priest. Miriam was a female *prophet and she was also a poet (Exodus 15:20-21).

However, at the time when Micah lived, things were different. The main problem then was that *Israel had bad leaders. Its leaders were completely evil. The people could not respect them. Those leaders were terrible leaders. So God is asking the people to remember Moses, Aaron and Miriam. These three leaders did not just happen to be leaders. God says, ‘I sent them.’ He sent the leaders to go in front of the people. He sent them to lead the people. This is what God is saying by Micah’s words. This is what God’s message means. ‘I did that at the time when Moses lived. And I can do it again now. You may be tired of your present leaders. They are not good leaders. But I can still send other men and women. They too will go in front of my people to lead them.’

God wants to remind his people about the history of the *Israelites. He wants his people to remember the good events that have happened to them. There is value in the name of a place or person. It helps to bring back memories. In those good events God had rescued his people. He had saved them from their enemies. These memories will give a new purpose to the people. They will desire to obey God again. God had provided leaders. They were Moses, Aaron and Miriam. God used them. They went in front of the people. The people spent a long period in the desert. God helped them then. But later *Israel did not have good leaders. (Look at Micah chapter 3.) That was not God’s fault. He was still kind to them. He still gave his power to them. But the people in *Israel did absolutely whatever they wanted to do.

v5 My people, remember Balak the king of Moab. Remember what he planned to do to you. And remember what Balaam, Beor’s son, answered him. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal. Remember those things. Then you will know that the *LORD is right.