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'He has shown you, O Mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.' Micah 6
On the 22 June 2016 Singaporeans woke up to the horrible news of torture and death of a foreign maid at the hands of her former employer. Myanmar National aged 24 years died as a result of severe abuse and beating the day before. The employer was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The poor young girl weighed only 24 kg at the time of death, the result of severe deprivation and malnutrition. She was literally starved to death. The whole family was involved, husband and mother too, in the heinous abuse.
The three trials, the third trial being currently held, unveiled the extent of inhumanity that can exist in a common household even in peaceful Singapore. All Singaporeans were shocked at the extent of the cruelty, the inhumanity inflicted on an innocent human being. The doctor who examined the poor victim at death noted that her limbs were like just loose skin wrapping bones. Overlaying the last act that resulted in death must have been months of deprivation and exploitation, an example of modern slavery.
Slavery still exists in the 21st Century. According to the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, there are 50 million slaves in 2021. Of these people 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriages. The International Labour Organisation stated that slavery occurs in almost every country in the world. More than half of all forced labour and a quarter of forced marriages can be found in upper-middle and high-income countries.
What happened? What happened to the human spirit, human touch and human gentleness? The Bible recorded another trial in Micah 6:1-8 that exposed the underlying reason for this loss of human dignity.
A court case was recorded in Micah 6:1-8, a court case brought upon all humanity. This time the prosecutor is God Himself.
'Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.' Micah 6:1
'And now O mountains, listen to the Lord's complaint! He has a case against His people. He will bring charges against His people, He will bring charges against Israel.' Micah 6:2
What is the charge? The accusation is that human beings have forsaken God.
'O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!' Micah 6:2
President M. Craig Barnes of Princeton Theological Seminary, in preaching on this passage commented that by forsaking God we forget to be humans. Every time humans forget they have a God, they start to act like gods. That is when the greatest evil will be unleashed on others such as the Holocaust during World War 2 in Europe and the torture and death of the domestic helper, more recently in Singapore.
Many Singaporean families rely and benefit from the hard work of foreign maids. Unfortunately, sometimes these maids are exploited, made to work long hours; without any kindness shown to them. Every year, several employers of foreign maids are convicted of physical abuse on these maids and sentenced to heavy jail terms.
How can we correct ourselves? The Micah passage tells us that it is not by superficialities, false piety and legalistic acts of religiosity. This was what God's people during Micah's time tried to offer in their defence at the heavenly trial
'What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer Him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?' Micah 6:6-7
President Barnes said that these are meagre defence; these are corrupt questions asked by people who try to bribe their way to be in favour with God
It is a sad commentary of the human race, depraved and tainted by sin. When we forget God, we lose our humanity we become cruel. How can we save ourselves?
Instead of pronouncing sentences after the trial, God meted out three corrective measures, clearly telling what He expects of us.
- Act Justly. To act justly is to act morally, to live with a proper sense of right and wrong. Justice is to treat everyone equitably. Every human being is unique, valued and beloved; made in God's image. No one should be treated as less than the other.
- Love Mercy. Be kind to one another. God is a merciful God and He pours out His mercy on all of us. Although we sin and forsake him He will not treat us in the way we all deserve. Instead he shows us kindness, mercy and grace and reaches out to save us. This is an act of lovingkindness and God compels us to repeat the same for all our friends and even to our enemies.
- Walk Humbly. Live in Humility. This humility is anchored in the person of Jesus Christ, placing the highest value on every human being. In the same way, in humility we value others above ourselves. St Paul in Philippians Chapter 2 instructed, 'not looking to your own interests but each to the interests of the others.
Lionel
