“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19
God is holy, and He judges sin. But He is also a God of love, and He wants to forgive. God hates sin, but He does not want to retain His anger against the sinner because He delights in mercy. This means that God loves to give us grace that we do not deserve. The passage above says that God will do four things for His people. First, it says that He will turn again. Our sin separates us from God and causes Him to turn His face from us (Isaiah 59:2), but God loves us so much that He will turn toward us in spite of our sin. When Jesus came into this world seeking sinners (Luke 19:10), God was turning toward us. Second, He will have compassion on us. When God sees our sinful condition, His heart is moved with compassion to help us. Third, God will subdue our iniquity. God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to conquer sin for us by dying on the cross. Fourth, He will forget our sins. The metaphor here is that He casts our sins into the depths of the sea. We cannot see the deepest part of the ocean. We may travel across the surface in a ship, but we have no way of seeing or even knowing what is on the ocean floor. God puts our sins out of His sight. What a blessing for Christians to know that our sins are forgiven!
Morning: Micah 6-7
Evening: Revelation 13