Micah 6:6
Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Eighth-century BC Israel maintained elaborate sacrificial systems while oppressing the poor and perverting justice. The question "Wherewith shall I come before the LORD?" reflects transactional religion—treating worship as business negotiation. This mirrors pagan fertility cults where worshipers bargained with deities through offerings.
The prophets consistently condemned empty ritual: Amos denounced Israel's feasts, assemblies, and offerings while they trampled the poor (Amos 5:21-24). Isaiah rejected Judah's incense and Sabbaths when their hands were full of blood (Isaiah 1:11-17). Jeremiah warned that temple presence didn't guarantee security if they lived unjustly (Jeremiah 7:1-11). The pattern repeats: religious people substitute external observance for internal transformation.
Jesus extended this critique to first-century Judaism: tithing herbs while ignoring justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23); honoring God with lips while hearts are far from Him (Mark 7:6-7). The Reformation protested medieval Catholicism's similar distortions—indulgences, works-righteousness, external sacramentalism divorced from faith. Micah 6:6-8 stands as perpetual warning: God desires transformed hearts demonstrating justice and mercy, not mere ceremonial compliance.
Questions for Reflection
- What religious activities or spiritual disciplines might you be offering God as substitutes for genuine heart obedience and justice?
- How does the escalating absurdity of offerings (rams, oil, children) expose the futility of trying to earn God's favor through ritual?
- What would it look like to approach worship not asking 'What must I do?' but 'What does God desire from a grateful, redeemed heart?'
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Following God's recital of His gracious acts (v. 3-5), Micah voices Israel's response—but it's tragically misguided. "Wherewith shall I come" (בַּמָּה אֲקַדֵּם, bammah aqaddem) asks what offering will satisfy God. "Bow myself before the high God" (אִכַּף לֵאלֹהֵי מָרוֹם, ikkaf le-Elohei marom) uses כָּפַף (kaphaph, bow down) expressing physical prostration before אֱלֹהֵי מָרוֹם (Elohei marom, God of the heights, the Most High).
"Shall I come before him with burnt offerings" (הַאֲקַדְּמֶנּוּ בְעוֹלוֹת, ha-aqaddemennu be-olot) proposes עֹלָה (olah, burnt offerings)—whole animals consumed by fire, representing total dedication (Leviticus 1). "Calves of a year old" (בַּעֲגָלִים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה, ba-agalim benei shanah) specifies prime animals, most valuable offerings. This question reveals fundamental misunderstanding: treating God like pagan deities who are bribed or manipulated through sacrifice quantity.
Verse 7 escalates absurdly: thousands of rams, rivers of oil, even firstborn child sacrifice. The progression exposes religious externalism—attempting to purchase God's favor through ritual escalation while ignoring justice, mercy, and humility (v. 8). God doesn't reject sacrifice per se (He instituted it), but sacrifice divorced from obedient heart-worship. Hosea 6:6 states God's priority: "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." Jesus quotes this twice (Matthew 9:13, 12:7), condemning Pharisaic ritualism without righteousness.