Who is Like the Lord

Let's begin a new year with the end of Micah. 

Sometimes we can feel like Micah in the last chapter of his incredible prophetic book. He was living in dark times, before Christ, when the work of the Spirit on men's hearts was rare, and the Church was not yet born. 

Micah 7:1 (ESV) Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.

What is the subject of Micah's woe? First, he mourns the loss of godly men. 

Micah 7:2 (ESV) The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.

Sometimes it seems like that in our day. Where are the faithful ones who delight in the Lord?

Moreover, justice is perverted. 

Micah 7:3 (ESV) Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

And even worse, the family has been torn apart. 

Micah 7:5–6 (ESV) Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; 6 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

Remember that God set a family over His creation in Genesis. It wasn't a president or king. It was a man and wife who were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. Yet, when sin entered the world, the deterioration of mankind was swift, leading God to put in place checks, beginning with Noah, in the form of government, to curb the unrestrained evil possible in men's hearts. Yet what hopelessness abounds when the government is full of unfaithful, unjust, and merciless leaders. Micah knows this story. He's seen it play out in his day. The government of Israel was contaminated, and the nation wallowed in misery. What do you do when all the structures that hold people together crumble? Micah lets us know. 

Micah 7:7 (ESV) But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

You look to the Lord, the savior, the hearer from heaven. He is true and righteous always. He is a balm for the soul in a sin-scorched land. Then, Micah pronounces one of the greatest declarations in all of scripture. 

Micah 7:8 (ESV) Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.

When wickedness abounds, it can seem like the righteous are defeated. But this common theme of scripture points to the grand narrative of the cosmos. The Savior who died at the hands of wicked men was raised to life again. And because He lives, we will.

Micah 7:9–10 (ESV) I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. 10 Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.

Micah identifies with us. Though a mighty prophet, he is a sinner who needs salvation. His hope is not in his own good works but in the Lord who will bring him out to the light. 

Micah's name means, "Who is like unto Jehovah?" And so it is fitting that he ends his ministry, having heard of God's saving plan, by declaring those words in a wonderful doxology to the King of Heaven. 

Micah 7:18–19 (ESV) 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. 19 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.

What does God do? He pardons, he passes over, and He is more merciful than we ever understand. He has cast our sins into the sea, never to be brought up again. Our hope in a seemingly wretched world is the wonderful grace of almighty God.