Micah 6:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Perhaps you would also wish to argue with My servant Moses, who elevates your mindset and reveals the delight of God, guiding you to lead a life of glory. Or maybe you would criticize the very establishment of the priesthood? For I appointed Aaron to serve as a mediator between you and Me. Do you harbor resentment against this? And what of Mary, who celebrated the fall of the Egyptians and led the women in song? As she struck her tambourine, she sang of the horse and rider who perished in the sea (Exodus 15:20-21). Yet, the victory of God, who allowed you to traverse through the sea while rendering it impassable to your enemies, does not resonate with you. He gently admonishes them, reminding them of the blessings they have enjoyed, and chastises them for neglecting what should forever be foremost in their minds, pleasing the Savior of all by adhering to His will. He has rescued us as well from spiritual Egypt, meaning from darkness and the domain of evil, freeing us from our base desires, and leading us through the sea of life, liberating us from perilous trials, which are closely intertwined with those threats, and inscribing divine precepts in our souls. He has established a priest among us in the person of the Author of our salvation. Additionally, He has sent forth what can be seen as Miriam, symbolizing the Church, which triumphs over the plots of adversaries, giving high praise to God our Savior. In the Church, songs of gratitude, adoration, and glory to God for His goodness continuously abound. Therefore, we must remain vigilant and avoid falling into the offenses of the Jews, and perceiving it as burdensome to do what delights God; for John the Blessed states, ‘His commandments are not burdensome’ (1 John 5:3), and Christ Himself declares, ‘My yoke is good and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11:30). Let us be obedient to God, for His demands are not weighty.

Rather, akin to inhabitants of the same household, we raid and, if you will, as members of one body, we harm one another, leading to our own destruction. This, however, is not the entirety of our dire situation, for we also deceive ourselves into believing our diminishment is somehow an enhancement.

Where the Scriptures reference the ark of the covenant, altar, and tabernacle made from imperishable trees, the Hebrew consistently mentions the Septimus trees, likened to the white thorn. Perhaps the LXX chose to translate scinon as mastic tree, but due to scribe errors over time, scoinoi, or ropes, was incorrectly noted in place of scinoij, referring to mastic trees. Thus, the Lord speaks to the Israelites, calling them to account, inviting them to respond. My people, what have I done that was unjust, or how have I caused you distress? Although those last words are absent in the Greek text, a father grieves for a son who is chastened, just as a shepherd disciplines the wayward sheep. With what toil have I weighed you down? As the Hebrew more accurately states: with what labor have I wearied you? Will you not view My blessings as shameful? As you yearn for the melons and flesh pots of Egypt, will you not lament that I rescued you from Egypt and liberated you from slavery through My might? I granted you Moses, My beloved, Aaron, My priest, and Miriam, My prophetess, as your leaders. If this seems insignificant to you, remember when Balak, the king of Moab, sought to bribe Balaam the prophet against you, and observe that contrary to his intention, he ended up pronouncing blessings (Num. 23); and as he surveyed the Israelite army from Shittim to Gilgal, he attempted to change his location three times, as if I would be unable to follow him from one place to another. I did this so that My mercy and My justifications might be clear to you, indicating My deep love, for though I face daily slander from the mouth of the one who curses, I have not allowed your enemy to cast a curse upon you. The Hebrews interpret the passage, From Shittim to Gilgal, referring to the justifications of the Lord (Num. 25) as a reminder: from when you were unfaithful in Midian until the time when Saul was made king at Gilgal (1 Sam. 10), recall all your transgressions and My blessings, and you shall comprehend My mercy. Thus speaks God to carnal Israel, based on historical events that have unfolded. However, we who sincerely desire to witness the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces, and in truth recognize Abraham as our father, will humbly listen to God's calls for our repentance and His rebuke because we have fallen short. We once labored under Pharaoh, shaping clay and bricks for the Egyptians; but He who gave Himself for the redemption of all has freed us, so that we, redeemed by the Lord, who rescued us from the hands of our foes, and gathered us from many nations, declare: For His mercy endures forever (Psalms 106:1). He also sent before us Moses, symbolizing the spiritual law, and Aaron, the Great High Priest, not merely the ephod, which represents the truth, but one marked with holiness from God the Father. He also sent Mary, foretold by the prophets, and He did more than this—He rescued us from the grips of our enemies. Indeed, let us recall the schemes of the devil, this true Balak, who aims to destroy our assembly through false accusations, for Balak denotes the destroyer, the sovereign of the native waters, and Moab signifies the native waters, as suggested by another etymological interpretation. Therefore, when Balak plotted against us through his misguided followers, represented by the name Balaam, God did not allow us to suffer under their curses but instead blessed us. It was this misguided people, originating from him who was of the flesh, who blessed us, guided by the very truth of the situation, for Beor symbolizes one beholden to the flesh and the deeds of mortality. This empty populace speaks on our behalf, emerging from one enshrouded in flesh, caught in thorns, or entangled in cords, representing the perverse wording of the Vulgate. The thorns, according to the Savior, symbolize the cares of this world, wealth, and desires—vanities in which emptiness resides (Matt. 13:22; Mk. 4:19). A person ensnared in these ropes is bound by their sin, as Proverbs reveals, stating: A man is ensnared by the cords of his sins (Proverbs 5:22), as Isaiah laments: Woe to those who drag along their iniquities like a long rope, their transgressions like the harness of an ox (Isaiah 5:18). Therefore, as one entrenched stands only bound and encircled by thorns, should they wish to escape, their footing is unstable; with errant steps, they arrive at Gilgal, meaning instability or mire. If we observe those who rise against us and seek our destruction with insatiable hunger, and should God’s unfathomable Providence allow adversaries to confront us, we shall assert: Balaam has moved from bondage to Gilgal, that the righteous judgment of God may be made manifest.

Yet, listen to what follows regarding the faithful: He will show compassion to His servants (Psalms 134:14), especially when He grants the promised reward to those who have suffered due to neglect in His name, for it is written, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). Additionally, it is stated elsewhere, He that believeth in me shall not be judged, but shall pass from death unto life; but he that disbelieveth is already judged (John 3:18).