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Micah – Prophet of Uncompromising Principles (4 of 4)

Focus Text: Micah 7.14-20

Micah, as we have clearly seen, was a prophet of uncompromising principles. He was also a man of great passion and empathy. He spoke straight from his heart and yet delivered candid and cutting messages of impending destruction upon rebellious Israel. One might think that a person of this demeanor and thought might lose sight of God’s mercy and goodness. Yet, this was far from the case with Micah; he was a man of strict principle and undiminished hope based upon God’s infinite goodness and mercy. Consider the following passage and its implications.

“Shepherd Your people with Your staff, The flock of Your heritage, Who dwell solitarily in a woodland, In the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, As in days of old. As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders. The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; They shall put their hand over their mouth; Their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the LORD our God, And shall fear because of You. Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob And mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers From days of old.” (Micah 7.14-20).

Things could and would get worse before they became better – but they WOULD GET BETTER! That was Micah’s closing message to his readers; God will remember His promises and restore Israel; His anger would not last forever! God would, according to Micah, pardon iniquity and cast sins into the depths of the sea. This view of God and this confidence in God is the hope that sustained Micah during one of the most dismal times imaginable for the righteous few! In all of this his faith did not waiver and his confidence in God’s mercy was undiminished. Threats of man and threats of Divine judgment could not dampen Micah’s belief in a brighter and more glorious day.

One final word about Micah’s view of God: Micah said that God does not retain His anger forever “…because He delights in mercy.” This seeming paradox is a wonderful and refreshing study. Some see God as one who delights in punishment; Micah saw God as one who delights in mercy! It was this sure knowledge of God’s character that sustained Micah and allowed him to possess hope as well as impart the basis of hope to others. Micah may have been a prophet of doom (at least in one sense of the phrase), but he was certainly not a prophet of gloom.

The balance of disposition in Micah was a balance between the fear of God and the joy that derives from His merciful character. The Psalmist put it this way: “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.” God delighted in Micah because Micah had hope in God’s mercy. Come to think of it, that is the only hope that we have, i.e. God’s mercy. Strict principles do not militate against mercy; they magnify mercy!

Questions:

1. Why might a righteous person get discouraged living in a culture such as did Micah?

2. What would keep a righteous person from becoming discouraged while living in a culture similar to that in which Micah lived?

3. What do you take from the fact that God delights in mercy? How often have you heard this preached or taught?

4. Read James 2.13. What relationship do you see between it and Micah 7.18?

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

Longing For God