READING: Micah 5-7
“You will again have compassion on us.”
Micah 7:19
The last words of a book matter. The book of Genesis, for example, ends with Joseph’s death in Egypt, but with the hope and assurance of a return to the Promised Land. Matthew 28 concludes with the Great Commission that has driven the church forward for millennia. The book of Revelation ends with a reminder of the return of Jesus. In each case, we are left with a “taste” of the plan of God.
The book of Micah ends in a similar way. The book indicts the people of Israel and Judah for their sin, but it also includes the promise of a ruler/redeemer who would come from Bethlehem. At the end of the book, then, is this description of a God who is like no other:
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. (Mic. 7:18-20)
There is indeed no one like Him. In a world of capricious, albeit false, gods of the ancient world, there was no other God who genuinely forgives sin. He alone stands on righteousness and demands the same, yet He forgives those who do not easily reach that goal. His love is ongoing, steadfast, patient, and merciful. He drops our sin to the bottom of the sea, metaphorically casting it away. He keeps His word and does not let His people down. He is, as we have seen before, always faithful to a people who aren’t always faithful to Him.
There simply is no other God like the God of the Bible!
ACTION STEPS:
- Praise God for being a faithful, forgiving God.
- Knowing that God is still compassionate on sinners, confess all your wrong to Him today. Trust His steadfast love.
PRAYER: “God, who is like You? There is no one quite like You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Kings 16-17, 2 Chronicles 28
