Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.
Who is a God like you
When I was studying this verse, I noticed in the notes that phrase might be a pun on Micah’s name which means “Who is like the Lord?”. It’s a good question. Who is like that? Not me that’s for sure.
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
What a beautiful thing to know about our God. That He doesn’t stay angry forever. He has every right to, but he doesn’t. Sometimes I think a parents love is like this. We get mad. Boy, do we get mad. But we don’t stay mad at our children. We love them in spite of themselves. They may drive us crazy, but we love them. Ok – some of you may know this is not a perfect reflection (especially if you put one of those Dr. Phil cameras in your house – you know some problems never go away!).
God delights to show mercy
When is the last time you were delighted. Close your eyes and think about it. I can think of a time I was recently delighted. My friend Tara sent me a present out of the blue. It was a very special, encouraging present. It was unexpected and amazing. My heart delights when I think about it now. Delight is such an amazing thing.
1
: a high degree of gratification
: joy;
also : extreme satisfaction
2
: something that gives great pleasure <her
performance was a
delight>
3 archaic : the power of affording pleasure
It brings God joy to show mercy.
He does show us mercy, doesn’t he. I know when I was in college, I was stupid. I made a lot of mistakes. It wasn’t until later that I found out that my mother had been praying all those years for my sister and I. She was praying that God would not give us the full consequences of our sins. That He would show us mercy. And thank God He did.
Are you given the full consequences of your sin?
In Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We’re told that the wages (consequences) of sin is death, but that’s not what God gives us. By His mercy he gives us more than we deserve. He gives us eternal life, because of Jesus Christ.
Why do good things happen to Bad people?
I’m sure your friends, Christians and non-Christians alike, have asked “Why do bad things happen to good people?”. But the truth is, we’re not good people. We’re sinners. I think a better question to ask is Why do good things happen to bad people. The answer is the Mercy of our God through Jesus Christ. Because of Him we don’t get the full consequences of our sin. I’m grateful my mom prayed this prayer for me, and today it is my prayer for my family and you as well. May you never have the full consequences of your sins, but instead receive the mercy given you through the death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
and faithfulness.
God is... 