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Micah
Micah 7:18-19

The expression says, 'Good things come to those who wait.' For Micah, like some Minor Prophets, the major comfort comes at the end - good things come to those who read (and wait) to the end.

If Micah were a host, he would have here rolled out the red carpet. If he were an organist, he would have at this point pulled out all the stops. If he were launching fireworks, he would have here brought the grand finale. And as the red carpet is unfurled, as all stops are pulled, and all remaining fireworks shot, major comfort explodes with grand colors and resounding chorus.

At the end of his prophecy the reader leaves, knowing there simply is no gospel comfort for sinners until they are uncomfortable before God. And it is the preaching of law, sin, guilt, and judgment that makes a sinner uncomfortable before God. And Micah has been pounding these foreboding, terrifying drums throughout the prophecy, so that the falsely comfortable would become truly uncomfortable. But for what purpose? That they may then be spiritually comfortable by the gospel. And as he concludes his prophecy he insures that the last words to reverberate in the ears of his hearers be words of major comfort.

But the major comfort comes not from anything in Micah the man. It's not because of his style. It's not because of his ministry as a prophet, or any such thing. Major comfort is because of God. 'Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the rebellious act of His possession,' he asks (v.18). In God, and God alone, there is comfort - major comfort.

We know God as 'a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth' (Shorter Catechism #4). But in Micah's 'catechism,' as it were, he was taught that God is 'he who pardons iniquity, who passes over the rebellious acts of His people, who ceases from continual anger, who delights in unchanging love, who shows compassion, who treads iniquities under foot, who casts sins into the sea, and who gives truth and unchanging love to His people. To Micah, God was not in any way abstracted or merely theorized, but One who relates to His own people in terms of deep seated needs concerning their sin, their acceptance, and their fellowship with Him.

Notice that the people who receive such major comfort from God are a specific people - not every people. They are 'the remnant of His possession' (v.18). At Micah's time they were the Jews who were circumcised externally and internally; not merely Jews ethnically but Messiah-seekers spiritually. These were the 'remnant,' the faithful among many who professed to be of the truth, but were not. The same is true today, though in a different sense. There are many that lay claim to the name of Christ by virtue of baptism, church attendance, or Christian confession. But these do not make anyone truly a Christian anymore than walking into a garage makes you a car, or saying you're Elvis makes you Elvis. It is to the 'remnant' - those who truly know Jesus Christ, who by faith take and love Him as Lord and Savior - that God shows His special, saving grace.

So let these be clear. Micah puts before us - as a parting word of comfort - God in his unchanging love and abiding compassion to His people. And this leads us to see that it is a major comfort that God deals with our sin, and us, as He does. In the words of Psalm 103, 'He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities' (v.10).

There is major comfort in knowing, first, how God deals with our sins. The Bible reveals that God is a holy God. He has no sin. In fact, He hates all sin. He hates all sin in all people. He is pure, having eyes 'too pure to approve evil' (Habakkuk 1:13). Therefore, sin is something that is offensive to God. Just as you would take offense if someone were to throw a bucket of mud onto your newly washed white car, so God has taken infinite offense to your sin. Imagine that - winding up with a bucket of mud and heaving it at God, and then see it stick, and slowly run and drip down His holy, glorious clothes! How offensive to Him! And that is what our sin is to Him.

Sin is a personal matter to God. He takes it personally. It is not just about actions we do or thoughts we think or attitudes we hold, but about thoughts, actions, and attitudes that are an offense to His holy person. Why is sin offensive? Because as He is holy, pure, and free from sin, He created man in that very image and called it 'very good.' Man was created to reflect God: holy, pure, and free from sin. But when opportunity came, mankind triple-jumped from the hill of holiness into the swamp of sinfulness. Purity became impurity, and freedom from sin turned to bondage to sin. That was the nature of his 'fall' in Adam. And there he is polluted, corrupted, and defiled, doing all that he does in the mire of sin, yet indifferent to God. He does not look to where (and how) he once was. He does not see that he has offended God. He does not comprehend that everything he now morally is is not the way he originally was created. And so God takes offense at man's sins - and his sinfulness, because from this comes his sins.

But even as sin is something offensive to God, man is someone yet responsible to God. And as he jumped off the hill of holiness, he is responsible for jumping, for God told him not to. And not only that, man is also responsible for the consequences of his jumping. He is responsible for the slimy mud of sin that now covers his God-given, once holy person. He is responsible for calculating and aligning his steps so that they would reach the swamp of sin. He is responsible for not being in the place he should. And he is responsible for all discomforts the slimy mire brings him - the stench, the feeling, the misery. He should have known better - and he did. He is in every way responsible for his rebellion against God and its consequences. And this man is you! You cannot blame father Adam, because even he was perfect and yet chose sin. (You would have been no different, though you might say so). You cannot blame God because God, who only does what is good and right, laid out the terms of the covenant beforehand - that sin would bring death. You cannot blame Satan because, although he tempts man, he is not responsible for the sin man commits. So who is there to blame? No one but your own self. You are responsible for your sin before God. He is offended by your sin, and you are responsible for your sin as well as the offense God takes.

And so God, if He is to continue being God, must deal with sin. But what shall He do? Shall He condemn everyone to death and the ongoing torments and terrors of Hell? He could have; and He would have been perfectly just and good in doing that. But He chose a way, of which the Psalmist would later sing, 'justice and mercy' (Psalm 101:1). It is in justice and mercy that God deals with our sins.

God deals with our sins by treading them under His feet (v.19). This is an act of justice, an act of giving sinners what they have worked for, what they deserve. That's an arresting image - 'treading under the feet.' But what does it mean? To tread something under foot is a biblical image for judgment. You can understand it better by considering the context of people of Bible times. They were agrarians. They made their livelihood from the earth. And one of the common and useful fruits of the earth was grapes. With grapes you not only had edible fruit, but you could also make wine, as people still do today. It was a basic commodity. But if you were to make wine you had to crush the grapes. The multi-million dollar companies of Welch or OceanSpray were not in existence then. They didn't have complex machinery then. But they had feet. And they would use them to crush the grapes with their feet. (Besides, it was probably a good way to get exercise, too). And out of the crushed grapes spilled the juice, which was then collected in vats or troughs as a consumable liquid. But what would you do with the broken, crushed grapes? You wouldn't want to eat them after feet treaded them, would you? No, they were disposed of.

The Bible many times uses the idea of 'trampling' on paths, enemies, and even innocent people. Some unbelievers 'trample' on the gospel like irrational pigs would do with valuable pearls (Matthew 7:6). The basic idea is to bring to ruin or uselessness; to attempt to take the life out of something or someone.

And the idea served as a fitting image for intense justice, and the victory of it. In Revelation the holy city of Jerusalem was 'tread under foot' by the Romans in their war against the Jews in 70 AD (Revelation 11:2). Jesus said Jerusalem would be 'trampled under foot by the Gentiles' (Luke 21:20,24). Isaiah spoke of God's justice in Christ and said

Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength?

"It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath. Their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment, for the day of vengeance was in My heart. (Isaiah 63:1-4)

He dealt with our sins in His justice. In this way and because of this way, as Micah said, God 'pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession' (v.18). He passes over. It is not the passing over of neglect, or disinterest, or mistaken oversight. It is the passing over of sin on account of the shedding of blood, the pouring out of another's life as was celebrated on the eve of the exodus from Egypt. As God passed over the firstborn of those Israelites who painted the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the door, so He has, as Micah said, 'passed over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession' by the blood of Christ. And that is about you and for you, if your soul's trust is Jesus. And that is what we celebrate this morning in the Lord's Supper - God's passing over our sins in the death of Jesus.

So God dealt with our iniquities in His justice, by treading them under His feet, by spending His holy wrath on His Son. As Micah said, 'He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in unchanging love' (v.18). And we see this love perfectly (and only) in Jesus Christ: 'In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' 'We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us' (1 John 4:10 / 3:16).

And this leads to another aspect of the gospel.

God also deals with our sins by casting them into the sea (v.19). This, contrary to his treading our iniquities under His feet, is an act of mercy. He tread upon our iniquities with His feet in justice, but then He throws them into the sea in His mercy! Hallelujah! 'What good are these broken, crushed grapes?' says the winepresser. 'I'll cast them into the rubbish pile.' 'What good are these broken, crushed sins that I've just tread? I'll cast them into the sea,' God says. And so has He done. Hallelujah! Our sins have been removed from us, not by works of righteousness on our part, but by His own mercy. 'I'll sing of justice and mercy.'

What an awesome image - the sins of the remnant of God's possession being cast into the sea! Generations have stood in awe of the stories, and now the latest movie, of the Titanic sinking in the cold Atlantic waters; and what sadness there is in that event. People stand in awe of movies with meteorites crashing into the Pacific; and what panic there is from those scenarios. But they all pale in comparison to the great drama of redemption wherein the sins of God's people were cast into the depths of the deepest sea, a sea where no man has dared to fathom; yes, what joy there is in that episode of the drama of redemption! There is no sadness. There is no panic. There is pure joy and celebration! God deals with our sin in such a way that we rejoice over it and glorify Him. It is a major comfort that God deals with our sin as He does.

But note, if the sins of the remnant of God's possession were cast into the sea:

How large, then, is the size of our sin! Our sins are cast into the sea; not a lake; not a pool, not a puddle, for there they would not fit. The water there is not deep enough; it is not wide enough to hold the multitude of sin, transgression, and iniquity against God. The largest bodies of water are the seas, and they are fitting for housing the great extent of our many daily sins against God. They were not only created to house the great sea monsters, fish, and other creatures of God created 'very good.' They were designed to be the spiritual dumping grounds (as it were) for the most offensive, heinous, and abominable creations man would ever make. How enormous is our sin against God!

How immense, then, was the splash of our sin! We know that Jesus made proclamation of His victory over sin and death to the imprisoned spirits of Noah's day (1 Peter 3:19-20). Paul says that Jesus 'triumphed over the rulers and principalities, making a public display of them' (Colossians 2:15). How great a splash our sin must have made when it was cast into the sea! Enormous, solid black object dropping from the heavens, plunging into the sea, large ripples forming, tidal wave consuming the shore.

If our sins have been cast into the sea - and therein sunk to the bottom - how much space is there between them and us? 'As far as east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us' (Psalm 103:12). God has cast them into a depth that no man can possibly fathom. No expedition crew will ever find them, let alone bring them up. There will be no Robert Ballards to find them. God has placed an anchor on them made of the heaviest, heavenly steel forged by grace in the halls of eternity. What God has sunk, let no man resurface. Satan will try to get you to do this. He poses to be successful at it - and we often believe him. There we often go on an expedition in a heavily pressurized bubble to the bottom of the sea.

Our high powered sea-lights are on. Our remote controlled robot arms are extended. We have our equipment ready, in search of some evidence Satan's lie is true that the sin God forgave may very well float to the surface again to be placed against us. Or perhaps we doubt that it really was cast into the sea. And there we go in search of. But the word of God is true and every insinuation of Satan is a lie: the water between us and our sin is great indeed. 'Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the One who justifies' (Romans 8:33). How deep is the water covering our sin! Deep enough that we should not, cannot - indeed, may not - visit them again. What God has sunk, let no man resurface.

If the size of our sin is large, the splash of our sin immense, and the water covering our sin deep:

How final, then, is the dealing against our sin! Do you know what your sins are like before God, if your reliance is on Christ alone? They are like the city of Atlantis - lost forever under the depths of the sea. And though Satan may dive deep into your conscience child of God, and bring back news (like many do with Atlantis) that your sins have been found out before God, what he reports is of no matter to God. God Himself has tied a millstone around the neck of your sin and cast it into the sea. There it went, sinking, sinking, sinking, sunk. And there it remains: lifeless, immobile, unliftable, and irretrievable at the bottom. There it is, as useless as centuries of dumped cargo, wrecked ships, and worldly goods. And there it will stay for all eternity.

God has tread our sins under His feet. God has cast our sins into the sea - major comfort for a soul made miserable by sin. There is major comfort in knowing how God deals with our sins.

But there is major comfort in knowing, secondly, how God deals with us. We've seen how God deals with our sins, and found major comfort. But there is even more comfort in knowing how He deals with us.

How does God deal with sinners on whom He has been pleased to pour His grace? His dealing with sin is obviously with a certain violence or intensity. It should be, because He hates sin. But for the remnant of His possession - and for them only - His dealing is with love and grace. For this remnant - and them only - God loves them, though they are sinners, while hating their sins. And so God deals with us in what Micah says is 'unchanging love.' This is the covenantal love of God to a people He pledged to be His own through Christ. It is a loyal love that abides faithful.

God deals with us as an owner does his possession (v.18)

It is true, there are some people who own things that they do not care for. There are homeowners that do not care at all for their homes or their property. Their lawn is never mown. Their flower beds are filled with weeds. They horde all sorts of goods in their space. Their house is filled with broken appliances. Broken cars line their property. But we must not allow the sinfulness of man to ruin the manner in which we accept God's word.

God relates to all sinners who sense their need for mercy, who hate the sins they commit, who turn from them with sorrow, and who beg forgiveness of God with great care. They are His special possession. He is like the man who has just bought a new car. He is careful not to drive over potholes. He washes it regularly. He brings it in for a regular tune-up, tire rotation, and oil change. He vacuums it weekly. He'll even park at the back of the parking lot lest another car door, upon opening, dings his car. He is careful, and meticulous in that care.

And such is something of the manner in which God deals with us. We are His very own possession. He has bought us by the costly payment of the blood of His Son, a 'precious [costly] blood' (1 Peter 1:19). And we are His possession. Some translations render the word as 'inheritance' (NIV; cf. KJV). And if we follow that translation, even more the case! How much more careful is one to guard what remains of an inheritance? At that point there is a special, scrupulous care given to the remnant, and so it is with the people of God in Christ. He deals with us as His own dear possession purchased at the great price of His only Son.

But God also deals with us as a father does his children (v.19)

Again, we must not allow the sinful abuses of earthly fathers to mar that true Fatherhood God reveals to His people. A father is to have compassion on his children. He is to regard them with a deep, intense, gracious, and patient love. Psalm 103 says it best:

Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust (vv.13-14).

That is something of what Micah is saying, 'He will again have compassion on us' (v.19). He was speaking to the compassion God would show His people as a Father. And not just any father, but the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; a Father who would adopt us as His own dearly loved children with all the rights and privileges of His love and fellowship. 'Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.' And this He does for those who commit daily sins, even many sins.

Oh yes, a father will give correction. He will chasten his children very firmly at times. His spankings will bring pain and sadness. And God does this to His own children, too, in a manner of speaking. But do not regard this as His anger, for, as Micah said, 'He does not retain His anger forever' (v.18). His anger toward us is gone, gone, gone because of Christ. That which you sense in the path of your disobedience and straying from God, is not anger, but the loving correction and chastening of a father. It is an expression of His love, not His anger. 'Those whom I love I reprove and discipline' (Revelation 3:19). 'God deals with us as with sons…He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness' (Hebrews 12:7,10).

Can you say that God has loved you in this way? Have you come to the point of sensing the offense you and your sin are to God? Have you submitted yourself to Christ, bowed your knees and asked that God be merciful to you the sinner? If you have not, you must, if you are to be saved. I urge you to that point.

And if you have, do you think too low of God's powerful salvation toward you? Do you think too much of the devil's accusations? Do you really believe that your sins have been fully trodden in the death of Christ? Do you really believe that there in the depths of the sea, as it were, your sins rest with a 'No Fishing' sign above? Do you see that He deals with you as a special possession, as a heavenly Father?

The trial of faith is not so much understanding these things, but believing them. But as we do, and rest upon them, God brings major comfort. As the Apostle Paul said, 'joy and peace in believing' (Romans 15:13).

What shall we say to these things? What is a fitting response to God and His dealings toward us and our sins? Micah leads the way, 'Who is a God like You' (v.18). If you have come to know this unchanging love and compassion in Jesus Christ, then your response is to join in with the wonder and awe that Micah himself came to know - 'What God is like You?!' Your response is to join in with all those who are enamoured and captivated by the mercy of God in forgiving sins, 'Who is a God like You?' There is no other. None. So worship Him alone.