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What Doth the Lord Require?

Micah named Bethlehem and boiled true religion down to three things; Habakkuk learned to rejoice while he waited

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 49
  • 📅 Sunday, December 6, 2026
💡 The big idea

The Lord doesn’t want bigger and bigger offerings; He wants us to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him, and to keep trusting Him while we wait for answers.

I can practice one of Micah’s three requirements on purpose this week and keep rejoicing in the Lord while I wait on Him.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah)
Know the chapters

This week covers four short books from the 150 years before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. Micah came from the small town of Moresheth. He preached in Judah under the same kings as Isaiah. Compare Micah 1:1 with Isaiah 1:1. In Micah 3:11 he condemns leaders who judged for bribes and priests who taught for hire. They still insisted the Lord was on their side. A century later, Jeremiah was on trial for his life. Elders remembered Micah’s warning and how King Hezekiah had repented. So Jeremiah was spared. That’s Jeremiah 26:18–19. In 4:1–4 Micah saw the mountain of the Lord’s house in the last days. Isaiah 2:2–4 is nearly the same. In 5:2 Micah named Bethlehem as the birthplace of a Ruler “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Herod’s scribes quoted that verse to the wise men in Matthew 2:4–6.

This lesson centers on Micah 6. It’s written like a courtroom scene. In 6:1–5 the Lord calls the mountains as witnesses. He asks His people what He’s done to weary them. He reminds them He brought them out of Egypt and gave them Moses, Aaron and Miriam. In 6:6–7 the people answer with a rising bid. Burnt offerings. Calves. Thousands of rams. Ten thousand rivers of oil. Even a firstborn child. The Lord’s answer in 6:8 is quieter and harder. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus called these the “weightier matters of the law.”

Habakkuk is a conversation with God. In Habakkuk 1:2–4 he asks how long violence and injustice will go unanswered. In 1:6 he’s told the Lord will use the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, who were worse. In 2:1 he climbs his watchtower to wait. The Lord tells him to write the vision plainly and wait for it. Then comes the line Paul later quotes in Romans 1:17: “the just shall live by his faith.” That’s Habakkuk 2:4. By chapter 3 nothing outward has changed. Yet in 3:17–18 Habakkuk says he’ll rejoice in the Lord. Nahum announces the fall of proud Nineveh. In Nahum 1:7 he calls the Lord “a strong hold in the day of trouble.” Zephaniah preached in King Josiah’s day. In Zephaniah 2:3 he invites the meek to seek the Lord. In 3:17 he promises the Lord will rejoice over His people with singing.

Twenty-five minutes goes quickly. Walk through Micah 6 in three short readings: 6:1–3, 6:6–8 and 6:9–12. Then read Micah’s hope in 7:7–8. Bridge the gaps in a sentence, and give Micah 6:8 real time. Habakkuk is a short bonus. Nahum, Zephaniah and the mountain of the Lord’s house are in the extras. December 6 is the first Sunday of the month, so many may be fasting. Micah’s question about what the Lord really wants fits a fast Sunday well.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Micah 6 in three short readings: 6:1–3, 6:6–8 and 6:9–12. Then read 7:7–8. Ask one question after each. Open with Micah 5:2 and ask why the Lord starts great things in small places. Study Micah 6:8 phrase by phrase. Spend the most time on What Doth the Lord Require? Close with 7:18–19. Invite everyone to practice one phrase on purpose this week.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Micah 6 and 7 once, then Habakkuk 1–3. Mark Micah 5:2, 6:6–8, 7:7–8 and 7:18–19, and Habakkuk 3:17–18.
  2. Decide which phrase of Micah 6:8 is hardest for you and why. If the room is quiet, your honesty goes first.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? Micah 6:8 is familiar, so people may feel there’s nothing new to say. Ask for specific, Tuesday-morning answers. Share your own first.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet,” and wait.
  • “Do justly” can slide into politics fast. Keep it personal and local. Talk about how we treat people at work, at home, online and in our ward. If a debate starts, thank people. Bring it back to what each of us can do this week.
  • Some people are carrying Habakkuk’s question right now. Why doesn’t God fix this? Don’t rush them to Habakkuk 3. Let chapter 1 be honest. Then show that Habakkuk kept talking to God instead of walking away.
  • Visitors or new members? Micah 6:8 is one of the best-loved verses in the Bible, so it’s a friendly place to start. Tap the references on the shared screen. Never ask anyone to read aloud without checking first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board.

1. Hook

Little among the Thousands

3 min

Opens on the first Sunday of December with Bethlehem, and the idea that the Lord works through small things.

  1. SAY“About seven hundred years before the first Christmas, the prophet Micah named the town where it would happen.”
  2. Read Micah 5:2.
  3. Ask, “Bethlehem was ‘little among the thousands of Judah.’ Why does the Lord so often start His greatest work in small places?”
  4. Take three or four answers without comment.
  5. SAY“The same prophet asked what God actually wants from us. The answer is small too. And harder than we expect.”

On the screen: 🌟 Why does the Lord so often start His greatest work in small places? · Micah 5:2

2. Story

Micah 6 in Short Readings

8 min

Walks through the Lord’s case in Micah 6 a few verses at a time, then Micah’s hope in chapter 7, with one question at each stop.

  1. SAY“Micah 6 is written like a court case between the Lord and His people. We’ll take it in four short readings.”
  2. Show one scene at a time and give its setup. You read 6:1–3 and 6:9–12, where the Lord speaks. You or a volunteer reads the others.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question and take two or three answers. Keep each stop about two minutes.

On the screen: ⚖️ Micah 6: the Lord’s case against His people, and what He really requires · Four short readings: 6:1–3 · 6:6–8 · 6:9–12 · 7:7–8

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: The shared screen (TV or device) with Teach Mode open

  1. SAY“Micah 6 is written like a court case. We’ll take it in four short readings.”
  2. Read 6:1–3, 6:6–8, 6:9–12 and 7:7–8. Give each setup in your own words first. You read 6:1–3 and 6:9–12, where the Lord speaks.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question aloud and take two or three answers. Keep each stop about two minutes.
3. Scripture

Three Phrases

4 min

Studies Micah 6:8 phrase by phrase so each requirement becomes concrete.

  1. SAY“Let’s slow down on the Lord’s answer.”
  2. Read Micah 6:8 while the class follows on the screen.
  3. Ask, “Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with thy God. What does each look like on an ordinary Tuesday?” Take one answer for each.
  4. Point out Matthew 23:23. Jesus called “judgment, mercy, and faith” the “weightier matters of the law.”
  5. Share Elder Dale G. Renlund’s words about loving mercy from “From general conference” below.

On the screen: ⚖️ To do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. · Micah 6:8 · What does each phrase look like on a Tuesday?

4. Talk it over

What Doth the Lord Require?

7 min

Helps adults talk honestly about where justice, mercy and humility get tested in real life.

  1. SAY“Micah 6:8 is so familiar it’s easy to nod along. Let’s talk about where it actually gets hard.”
  2. Pick two or three questions. Ask one, wait, then ask its follow-up before you move on.
  3. Count to seven before you rescue a silence. If needed, share your own honest answer first.
💬 Ask the class
  • Elder Renlund says loving mercy includes delighting when God is merciful to others. Why can that be hard? Follow-up: Who taught you to delight in it?
  • Where does “do justly” get tested for you? At work, with money, online, at home? Follow-up: What helps you choose the honest scale when no one would notice?
  • Some of us are capable, busy and used to being in charge. What does walking humbly with God look like for us? Follow-up: When has walking with Him slowed you down in a good way?
  • Which of the three is the Lord stretching you on right now? Follow-up: What would one step look like this week?

On the screen: 🚶 What doth the LORD require of thee? · Micah 6:8

5. Testimony

He Delighteth in Mercy

3 min

Ends with testimony of Jesus Christ, who delights in mercy, and one simple invitation.

  1. SAY“Micah ends his book with a question of his own: ‘Who is a God like unto thee?’”
  2. Read Micah 7:18–19.
  3. Invite one or two people to share what one of Micah’s phrases has meant to them. Then testify of Jesus Christ, who delights in mercy.
  4. Invite: “This week, choose one of the three phrases. Practice it on purpose, in one specific place.”

On the screen: 🌊 Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. · Micah 7:18–19 · This week: one phrase, on purpose.

6. Talk it over

Yet I Will Rejoice

4 minBONUS

Uses Habakkuk to show faith that keeps talking to God while the answer is slow.

  1. SAY“Habakkuk asked how long injustice would go on. The answer troubled him even more.”
  2. Read Habakkuk 2:1–4. His question and the troubling answer come just before, in 1:2–6.
  3. Read Habakkuk 3:17–18.
  4. SAY“Nothing outward changed between chapter 1 and chapter 3. Habakkuk did.”
  5. Ask one or two questions with follow-ups, then close on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Habakkuk brought God a hard question and then climbed a watchtower to wait for the answer. What does his example teach about honest questions? Follow-up: What question are you waiting on?
  • Chapter 2, verse 3 says, “Though it tarry, wait for it.” What has helped you keep faith while an answer was slow in coming? Follow-up: What did the waiting teach you?
  • In Habakkuk 3:17–18 the fields are still empty, yet he rejoices. Where have you seen someone live that kind of faith? Follow-up: What was their secret?

On the screen: 🍂 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. · Habakkuk 2:1–4; 3:17–18

Read it together

The Lord’s Controversy with His People

Micah 6:1–3; Micah 6:6–8; Micah 6:9–12; Micah 7:7–8 ↗

Scenes

  1. ⛰️ The mountains are called as witnesses

    Micah frames this like a court case. Let’s read Micah 6, verses 1 to 3. The Lord calls the mountains to hear His case. Then, instead of accusing, He asks a question: “O my people, what have I done unto thee?”

    💬 Ask: Why might the Lord open with a question instead of an accusation? Follow-up: When do people feel wearied by Him?

  2. 🐂 “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD?”

    In verses 4 and 5, He reminds them He brought them out of Egypt. He sent them Moses, Aaron and Miriam. Now read verses 6 to 8. Listen to the price rise. Calves. Thousands of rams. Rivers of oil. A firstborn. Then comes the quiet answer.

    💬 Ask: Why is a dramatic offering sometimes easier than changing how we act every day?

  3. 🧺 Scant measures and wicked balances

    Now verses 9 to 12. The Lord shows what injustice looked like in their marketplace. Short measures. Rigged scales, and “the bag of deceitful weights.” Then, in verses 13 to 16, the consequences follow. They’ll eat and not be satisfied. They’ll sow and not reap.

    💬 Ask: What do rigged scales look like in an ordinary week? Think of work, money, or online.

  4. 🕯️ “When I fall, I shall arise”

    In chapter 7, verses 1 to 6, Micah mourns that trust has collapsed, even inside families. Now read verses 7 and 8. In the dark, he makes a choice: “I will look unto the LORD.”

    💬 Ask: When have you had to wait for the Lord in the dark? Follow-up: What helped you keep looking?

Key verse

Micah 6:8 ↗
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
In plain words: God has already told us what He wants: treat people fairly, love showing mercy, and walk with Him humbly every day. It’s simpler than a grand offering, and it asks for more of us.

More verses

Micah 5:2 ↗
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
In plain words: Centuries ahead, Micah named the little town where the Savior would be born, and testified that He existed long before His birth.
Micah 7:18–19 ↗
“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
In plain words: No one is like our God: He loves to forgive, and when we repent He sends our sins as far away as the bottom of the sea.
Habakkuk 2:3–4 ↗
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
In plain words: The Lord’s promises come on His schedule. While we wait, we live by faith in Him.
Habakkuk 3:17–18 ↗
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
In plain words: Even if every crop fails, Habakkuk chooses joy in the Lord. His faith doesn’t depend on circumstances.

From general conference

“Loving mercy means that we do not just love the mercy God extends to us; we delight that God extends the same mercy to others.”

— Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God,” October 2020

Share in Three Phrases, after the class describes what each phrase looks like on a Tuesday.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • O Little Town of Bethlehem Hymns, no. 208

    The first Sunday of December and Micah’s Bethlehem prophecy. A warm opening hymn. Find it ↗

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    A hymn about following the Savior in daily life, the heart of walking humbly with God. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

One Phrase, On Purpose

Pick one phrase of Micah 6:8. Do justly, love mercy, or walk humbly with God. Practice it on purpose this week in one specific place. It might be a talk at work, a bill you owe, someone you’ve judged or a daily prayer. At week’s end, notice what changed in you.

Take it home

In Sunday School we read Micah. In Micah 5:2 he named Bethlehem seven hundred years early. In Micah 6:8 he summed up what the Lord wants: “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” At home, read Micah 6:8 at dinner. Have everyone name one way to live one of those phrases before Christmas.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🏰 A Strong Hold in the Day of Trouble · 4 min

  1. Explain that Nahum announced Nineveh’s fall about a century after Jonah preached there.
  2. Read Nahum 1:3 and 1:7. Ask, “How can the Lord be both slow to anger and great in power?”
  3. Read Nahum 1:15 with Isaiah 52:7 and Mosiah 15:18. The feet of the one who brings good tidings point to the Savior.

🍷 Settled on Their Lees · 4 min

  1. Read Zephaniah 1:12. People “settled on their lees” say the Lord will do neither good nor evil.
  2. Explain that wine left too long on its sediment turns thick and stale. Zephaniah is describing spiritual complacency.
  3. Ask, “What stirs us when we’ve settled?” Then read Zephaniah 2:3 and 3:17.

📜 The Scribes Knew the Verse · 3 min

  1. Read Matthew 2:3–6. Herod’s chief priests and scribes quote Micah 5:2 to find where the Christ child is.
  2. Ask, “They knew exactly where He’d be born, but the wise men were the ones who went. What’s the difference between knowing the scriptures and acting on them?”

⛰️ The Mountain of the Lord’s House · 4 min

  1. Read Micah 4:1–4. Point out that Isaiah 2:2–4 has nearly the same prophecy. Two prophets saw it.
  2. Ask, “Micah says people will go up to the Lord’s house so ‘he will teach us of his ways.’ What has the temple taught you?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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