In the sixth chapter of Micah, God is taking the people to court. Their behavior has been unwarranted and offensive, and God wants to make a plea against them. So God calls the mountains and the hills to be witnesses in the case against the Israelites. This passage reveals to us that God is upset and perhaps even angry, enough to make a formal complaint against God’s own children. But before we focus on the valid anger, it is important to remember that God is so upset because God takes the relationship with humanity seriously. During the time of this passage, that relationship is in jeopardy because the Israelites aren’t living as though the relationship matters as much to them.

We all know what it’s like to have a supposed friend who claims to be committed to the friendship but then never quite makes the effort to work on its weaknesses. Some of us currently are in relationships just like that. The “friend” or partner just does not care enough to react. But God is committed to having a strong and life-giving relationship with us and will let us know when we’ve hurt or offended God and will hold us accountable in our relationship. We may find it strange to think of hurting God, but love comes with vulnerability. Loving others gives them the power to hurt us. And God loves us deeply. While it may be mind-blowing to think of God’s choosing to be vulnerable with us, this passage reminds us that God has been choosing vulnerability since Creation, even before the Incarnation, which was the ultimate act of holy vulnerability.