Who is Like the Lord?
Notes
Transcript
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 113:1-9
Appeal to enemies. Do not rejoice when you see me fall. I am not in darkness. The Lord is my light - I’m not in darkness. You are.
I will bear God’s indignation/wrath, but he will plead my cause.
V18 - appeal to God.
18-20 - our case pleaded.
Here we are at the end of the book of Micah. And as we get into this final section I want to make a few points of review that pertain to the whole book.
Main Idea: Who is Like the Lord?
The main question that Micah is asking and answering in this book is: Who is like the Lord? Remember that Micah’s name means “Who is like the Lord?”, and he brings that thematic idea full circle by posing the question and answer it at the end of the book in verse 18.
Now in the Bible, we see this question phrased in other places, in Psalm 113:5
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,
And it is intended to be a rhetorical question - a question that doesn’t need an answer because the answer is obvious. And we see this sort of answer in
and in Psalm 86:8:
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
Main Themes:
Judgment
Deliverance
And Micah demonstrates this through his main two themes: judgment and deliverance.
The Lord brings judgment on the wicked, but he also offers salvation to those who look to him. Thus Micah’s answer is there is no one like the Lord.
Micah will further demonstrate that there is no one like the Lord, There is no one like the God of the Bible.
And within the categories of judgment and deliverance. Micah demonstrates that there is no one else like the Lord in Micah 7:8-20. Micah demonstrates the uniqueness of God in this ways.
The Lord is Sovereign (vv 7-13)
The Lord is Our Shepherd (vv 14-17)
The Lord is Our Salvation (vv 18-20)
Sovereign
Sovereign
God is the sovereign. He is the supreme leader, there is no one higher, and no one greater.He is all powerful. He, as creator has authority over all people everywhere.
Because God is Sovereign he is a righteous judge, and we see in the first portion of this text, from 7-13, that God is a righteous judge, but he also as the sovereign king delivers his people from his judgment.
Micah has in verse 7, stated that regardless of what the wicked are doing, he will look to the Lord. He will wait for the God of his salvation, and his God will hear him. And then in verse 8, Micah turns to speaking to the enemy. However, it seems most natural to read this, as Micah, speaking on the behalf of the entirety of nation. As it is not just Micah who is facing God’s judgment, but the entire nation. This is evidenced by the use of the feminine plural form of your in verse 10. Generally, speaking when we refer to cities, or nations, we often describe them as she. And that is at play in this text, by who is speaking, as well as the enemy of the speaker. And we see this also verse 10. So Micah is relaying a seemingly hypothetical conversation between Jerusalem, or Zion, and Babylon.
But this is not a unrelated turn from the previous section where Micah makes a statement and then seems to ignore it, but rather it is now Micah demonstrating how indeed he will wait for God’s salvation even in spite of the coming events. Micah is demonstrating what verse 7 looks like in practice. When the nation is destroyed, when he is at loss for what’s next, this is what faith looks like. On the other side of the lament, this is what it looks like to have faith in hardship.
I know I have recapped the history significantly during this series, but against as a reminder: Micah has written of the coming destruction of the Kingdom and deportation of the Jews from Jerusalem. That is the judgment that he has foretold in chapters 1 and 4. And so here in verses 8-9, that is the judgment he is speaking of. But he is also writing a warning for his enemies in response to their judgment.
He’s gotten to the point where he is telling his enemies, don’t gloat when you see this happen. I may fall for a time, I may dwelling in darkness for a period of time. But my God will hear me.
9 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.
Micah acknowledges in verse 9 that any punishment for sins that Jerusalem receives is her getting what she deserves. This is judgment and wrath that the city deserves for their wickedness that has been described throughout this book. In chapters 2-3, we read of how they oppress widows and orphans. So here Micah writes to assert that what they have coming is just punishment for their sins. But this acceptance of judgment is not a gleeful, let it all burn, we’re going to get what’s coming to us. But the voice that Micah takes here is one of a repentant heart, who understands what his sins deserve.
Micah knows, and is even telling his enemy that the coming destruction of Jerusalem, was not mere happenstance, nor was it God’s impotence, but rather it was God’s hand actively working to yield his purposes - to execute justice for sin, to keep his promises for curses for disobedience (Deut 28), and the bring repentance. And to add more to that, he is acknowledging that they deserve it.
what do your sins deserve?
Even though, Micah knows that he, and his people, are facing the Lord’s discipline he knows that God has not abandoned his people. And this is true for all Christians. And that’s how the text progresses - that God is righteous. He is not hasty, he does not execute discipline or judgment without knowing the end result. God disciplines those he loves.
But on the other side of this, is the warning that Micah writes to his enemies.
Micah is warning his enemies to think twice before mocking, because while he may be disciplined for a while the Lord will defend his cause, the Lord will bring him to the light. But the enemy will not be given the same privilege. And that’s the core of verse 10.
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.
The enemy mocked saying “Where is your God now?” Micah’s comfort is the same as the comfort of all who are in Christ, even when hardship comes, even when life is hard, even when the evil seem to prosper while you’re in the dirt… you can remember Micah’s words here. That there will be a day when the Lord will plead your cause, the wicked will be humbled as see the righteous vindicated, and themselves judged.
when the scoffer asks where is your God we can respond with I know where my God is. He is risen. He is reigning. He is seated on his throne and working all things for my good and his glory.
The boastful will be humbled, and the humble will be exalted.
So those who looked at Jerusalem in 587 and laughed, asserting that their gods are greater than YHWH, will not long after be trampled down. And it’s as if the mocker looks at the Christian in hardship and says “Where is your God?”, but then only a short while later they are facing the same or worse hardship, but the Christian has hope and joy. The Christian knows that God was working even in the hardship - yet the mocker has no hope and lies there in the dirt wondering how this could happen to them. And in this moment, when your enemy falls, we don’t gloat either.
There a story is of a 16th century reformed martyr John Bradford. Charles Spurgeon tells it that he lived in a house where people would were to be taken to Tyburn to be handed. In many cases, some of these crimes were punished too harshly where he would see a criminal lead to execution and would remark
“There but for the grace of God, Go (John Bradford).”
Spurgeon continues to say “He felt that he was by nature, capable of doing just what they had done, and that only grace had made him to differ from them; and when I hear or read of some atrocious sinner, I say to myself, “That man is what I might have been if I had left me to take my own course; for by nature, I am no better than he is.”
This is the opposite of the attitude that Babylon has here. And yet, it is what Micah understands to be true of himself here. And how each of us ought to feel. Humility is not gloating when others face the punishment they deserve, by reflecting upon ourselves and understand the judgment that we also deserve for our sins - and celebrating God for his grace that he has not done the same for us.
In spite of the enemy’s boasting, there is a promise to rebuild. And they do, after 70 years of exile, they return to the land and rebuild the city. And it is because of the defeat of Babylon at the hands of Persia that this is able to happen. Those who are warned of boasting at their enemies fall are destroyed, while those who were destroyed rebuild. And verse 11, shows us that they will not only rebuild but they will rebuild beyond what happened before.
This text shows us a lot about humility.
11 A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended. 12 In that day they will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
In verses 11-13, we read of this prediction of a rebuilding of the city. And yet, the language that is contained there in those verses is far bigger than simply the description of Jerusalem as a physical city. The picture here is that Jerusalem/Zion, will be so large that the boundary will be extended. Zechariah 2:4-5, gives a similar picture of Jerusalem being so large that it will be unable to have walls. This clearly conveys a spiritual community. The picture is ultimately of that of the church, as we saw in chapter 4. The law goes forth from Zion. From Jerusalem the word of God goes forth, and thus the city of God spreads in the message of God concerning the Son of God.
And then in verse 13, we read of the fate of the rest of the earth.
13 But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.
You will either be a citizen of the city of God, or a citizen of the city of desolation.
And this idea carries on into the next section. Though Micah seems to shift his address to now speak to the Lord, rather than Babylon. He is addressing how God will treat the citizens of the City of God vs the citizens of City of Desolation.
Shepherd
Shepherd
In verses 14-17, Micah return to the Shepherd language from chapter 5. But he also draws on the history of Israel. He pleads with the Lord to shepherd his people with a staff. The staff is a common device used for control of the sheep. It was a tool for guidance. Micah is asking that the Lord may guide his people. Though they wander away in sin, God will correct them and discipline them. Through his discipline he will lead them in paths of righteousness for his namesake. And this shall be an example to the nations. The marvelous things of God. Shall be an example to all other nations.
Christians ought to be an example of their shepherd. The Lord Jesus himself told us that we should let our light shine before the world so they might see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf; 17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall be in fear of you.
Though Micah wraps up this section in verses 16-17 to demonstrate that the example of the people of God will be a reason for judgment for the nations. But also the nations will by the example of the church turn to the Lord. There’s some debate concerning what is meant by the end verse 17. Some suggest that this is a forced submission where God through his people will conquer over his enemies and thus the nations will submit in dread to the Lord, alternatively there’s the opposite side where it is a voluntary trust and submission. In the grand scheme of Scripture, this seems like a “Why not both” moment. Through the spread of the gospel to each and every nation, Holy Fear will spread to the nations and they will submit. Alternatively, when Christ returns every tribe tongue and nations will confess that Jesus is Lord.
As we get to the final section of this book, we get to a closing poem that is a Crescendo of God’s salvation/mercy.
Salvation
Salvation
18 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. 20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
At the end of Micah’s work he demonstrates the ultimate way in which God demonstrates his uniqueness. Who is a God like you… And Micah’s assertion finds it’s ultimate reality and fulfillment in Christ Jesus. The remarkable depths of God’s love, mercy and forgiveness are demonstrated in Christ Jesus.
Through Christ, God has pardoned our iniquity.
Micah demonstrates God’s uniqueness by stating that he will pass over transgression.
As in the Passover event in the Exodus, God will against passover the sins of his people because of the blood of a lamb. As the shepherd himself will take on human flesh, and present himself as the true Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Verse 19 - if you are in Christ then you sins are cast as far as the depths of the sea.
This is somewhat similar to the language of Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” East never meets west, and west never meets east. And Micah illustration here conveys the same idea.
Micah, as the Psalmist did, makes the comparison for God’s forgiveness to be in an unmeasurable aspect. Micah could not have fathomed how deep the ocean is. And I am not certain that we can either. As of June 2024, only 26% of the seafloor had been mapped out.
The deepest known natural point of the Ocean is the Mariana Trench, located in the Western Pacific Ocean, South of Japan. The deepest part of the Trench is called The Challenger Deep is 36,000 feet deep. For context, Mount Everest is 29,029 feet high. Most commercial jets fly at about 35,000. So the highest mountain you can climb, and the average high that you would fly in a plane are both not as high as the ocean is deep.
3000 years after Micah had written his book, and we still cannot fathom the depth of the Ocean. And how much more the riches of God’s mercy.
And as Micah concludes he reminds the reader of God’s goodness to those who have faith in him. Galatians reminds us that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith in Christ Jesus. And God’s faithfulness and steadfast love extends to his people whom he has adopted in Christ Jesus.
And Micah’s book here, demonstrates the answer to the question that people pose all of the time. Aren’t all religions basically the same?
To which of course we would say no. And the reason for that is the uniqueness of God. He alone is sovereign, he alone shepherds his people, he alone saves. He alone is God.
To which some might reply well okay, but all the Abrahamic religions are basically the same. To which again we would have to say no.
Because Jesus.
He alone took on human flesh, in order to take the punishment we deserved on him self, on the cross - so that he might tread our iniquities underfoot. So that our sins might be cast into the depths of the sea - God became a man. Because of the cross and the empty tomb we can have confidence that our sins are forgiven - and that our sovereign shepherd is the God of our salvation.
God never changes. God is always true to his attributes. So God will always be sovereign.
