Micah 7:18-19

 

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
    into the depths of the sea.

The book of  Micah was written during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.  (If you'll refer back to our "good kings/bad kings " chart, you'll see they were all kings of the southern kingdom of Judah, and they were good/bad/good, respectively.)    The theme of this book is very similar to other books by prophets--oppression, exile, judgment, redemption.  God says He can hardly tell the difference between His people and the enemy, because of their actions.  (2:8) The tribe of Judah, from top to bottom, chooses time after time the exact opposite of what God has commanded.  According to  6:8, they knew what was expected of them--"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  A famous verse in Micah is one we hear at Christmas (I love to find Christmas in the Old Testament 💓), and it is a wonderful promise--"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days."  (5:2)  Many people will reject the Messiah, born in Bethlehem, born in Judah, but there will be a remainder who will follow Him.  

I know some find the Old Testament hard to read and understand, and it can be.  God uses these historic truths to show us human nature is rebellion and disobedience.  There are days, no matter how "good" I think I am, that God surely has a hard time picking me from a lineup of enemies.  Because I KNOW what God requires of me, and I still choose to disobey.  We may think "What difference does it make to me what happened thousands of years ago, thousands of miles away?"  But the book of Micah tells us what difference it makes.  In a little bitty town, in the middle of a mostly rebellious, mostly disobedient nation to whom God pledged His undying love, Jesus was born. Their Savior.  Our Savior.  He taught us what is required of us by living it.  It is in Christ Jesus that He pardons iniquity, passes over transgression, treads our iniquities under foot, casts our sins into the depths of the sea.  His anger has a time limit because He prefers to show unyielding, changeless, unfailing steadfast love to those who love Him.  Who is like our God? 💓