Notes: Micah 7:7-9
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The Bold Repentance of a Sinner-Saint
Micah 7:8-9
罪人-圣徒的勇敢悔改
弥迦书 7:8-9
Theme of Micah: The penalty of judgement and the promise of restoration.
Purpose of Micah: To expose the sin of the nation, warn of impending judgement, and encourage repentance in light of God’s redemptive purpose in the coming Messiah.
Micah’s name means “Who is like Yahweh?” And there is a play on words at the crescendo ending of the books.
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.
This is a God who commands people to seek justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him (Mic. 6:8).
Notice the future tense of Mic. 7:7-9. Future tense indicates faith and trust in the things yet unseen. We cannot see the future. But by faith we can declare things about the future that will happen, because God has said it will happen.
Micah deals mostly with the impending judgement on Judah at the hands of the Assyrians. Micah witnessed the collapse of northern Israel, predicted in Mic. 1:6-7, as well as the near collapse of Judah, announced in 1:8-16; 3:9-12. However, because the southern king repented, judgement was averted (Jer. 26:18-19).
In Micah 7, Micah personifies Jerusalem. He speaks on behalf of the kingdom of Judah. And he cries out about the final hope that lifts out Judah from the darkness of despair. Judah here is symbolic of what the Bible calls the remnant of grace. The people of God, chosen by God, as remnants.
Theme of Micah
The book of Micah is a book of penalties and promises. The penalty for sins, and the promise of restoration. Micah reveals to us that the punishments and penalties that Samaria and Judah faced were not a result of chance or coincidence.
There is no such thing as erasing sins. There is no such thing as doing good deeds and having them outweigh your sins. That’s like saying if a bottle has 51% pure water and 49% poison, it’s safe to drink.
Religious and political situation during Micah’s term
According to Mic. 1:1, the prophet was active across the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Jotham began his sole regency at around 742 BC. And Hezekiah was king until 687 BC. So Micah could have been active for as long as 55 years, or as short as 20 years.
Micah prophesies to Samaria and Judah. Samaria here is the capital of Northern Israel.
What state was Northern Israel and Judah in during this period?
Northern Israel: Political instability and a constant exchange of power. Micah doesn’t mention any of the rulers of Israel, most likely because their kings kept being killed by their own people. And finally, before Micah’s ministry comes to an end, Assyria comes over and destroys northern Israel as a whole.
And Micah takes this as an example and a warning for Judah.
12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
Judah was on the same course as Northern Israel. Destruction was headed their way because of their sins. And Judah’s history during the reigns of Jothan, Ahaz, and Hezekiah set the stage for the judgement to come. In particular, it was king Ahaz who rebelled against God. Ahaz was a king guilty of both religious and political crimes.
From a religious perspective, Ahaz elevated Baal worship, he sacrificed infants in the Valley of Hinom, he replaced the temple altar with a replica of an altar from Damascus, he damaged sacred vessels, and he closed the temple. These actions, Micah describes as the statutes of Omri and the works of the house of Ahab (Mic. 6:16).
16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.”
From a political perspective, Ahaz implemented pro-Assyrian policies. He entered into an expensive alliance with Tiglath-pileser for protection against Northern Israel and Syria. And he paid for that protection by pilfering the treasuries of the royal house and the temple.
By his actions as king, Ahaz put Judah on the fast track to destruction. And in the end, they refused to bury Ahaz in the tombs with the other kings.
The religious leaders during Micah’s day were corrupt and led the people astray (Mic. 3:5, 9-11).
However, Hezekiah stemmed the tide of judgement by implementing a religious reformation. Jeremiah records that prophet Micah had a role in this. His preaching had a positive effect on Hezekiah, and may have been a factor in the religious reformation.
18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “ ‘Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’
But there is the promise of the coming “breaker” (Mic. 2:13)
13 He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Jotham was the fourth
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done.
The Lord will be a light to me
28 For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
God pleads my cause
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
God will cast our sins into the sea and He will have compassion on us again.
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.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, 15 the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself. 16 They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face! 17 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself! 18 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! 19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Micah 7:1-6 describes the direness of the situation.
But Micah 7:7 begins with a “but.”
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
This shows that Micah’s hope in this terribly difficult situation was based on something more than himself or even God’s people.
Several years after Micah prophesied against Northern Israel, they were completely destroyed by Assyria. Ten out of twelve tribes of Israel, disappeared from history forever.
Micah 7:1. The land has become barren. It is harvest time, but there’s nothing to harvest. This symbolizes the moral barrenness of the nation. Is. 5:1-7 also shows a similar agrarian image. What is God seeking to harvest? Mic. 7:2 tells us that it is a godly person. An upright person. One who seeks justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with the God of Israel.
Mic. 7:3 shows us how this has come about. The leaders of the nations have become corrupt. The prince and the judge seek for bribes. And Mic. 3 tells us that the priests and religious leaders have also become corrupt.
Mic. 7:4. And so God calls “the best of the nation” a brier, which is a woody thorny vine. And the most upright of them, God calls a thorn hedge. And God declares that the day of punishment has come. The day of confusion is at hand. The word “confusion” appears no where else in the Bible except in Isaiah 22:5. Both of these occurrences refer to the encroaching Assyrian army toward Jerusalem.
Mic. 7:5-6. You can’t trust anyone.
Rejoice not over me
“Where is your God”?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
Assyria’s king mocked the God of Israel during Hezekiah’s reign.
13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand?
14 Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?
15 Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’ ”
After the Lord slaughters the Assyrian army, their king Sennacherib returns with shame on his face.
21 And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword.
Seven qualities of Yahwah in Mic. 7:18-19.
God…
pardons iniquity
passes over transgression
does not retain anger
delights in steadfast love
shows compassion
treads down iniquities
casts away sins.
Why can Micah declare on behalf of Judah, “when I fall, I shall rise”? Why can Micah say “When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me”? The answer is in Mic. 7:20. It’s because of God’s faithfulness to Jacob, and God’s steadfast hesed love to Abraham. It’s because Abraham is their father, and not in a biological sense, but spiritually. It’s because by faith, they share and participate in the covenant that God made with Abraham. And by faith, we too share in that same covenant, we too share in Abraham’s genealogy, and we too share in the unending ocean of God’s mercy and grace.
Micah 6:6-7. Nothing you do can pay for your sins. Nothing can earn God’s favor toward a sinner.
Mic. 6:8. This is not religion. This is not religious action. God wants your heart.
Sometimes, our sins make it so that no one gives us the light of day anymore. A man might fall into a gambling addiction, and he might lose all the hard-earned money he and his wife have saved for years and years. Or he might fall into adultery, and lose his wife and kids, as well as the respect of those nearest to him. We can make some big mistakes that drive away everyone else like this. But look at what Micah says. “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
And is there any one of us who hasn’t experienced the hand of God’s discipline?
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
I read this week that a preacher is less like a chef and more like a doctor. A chef cares about the taste. A doctor cares about making the most precise diagnosis, regardless of how it makes you feel.
Assyria’s victory over Northern Israel
Assyria’s victory over Northern Israel
Micah saw the collapse of the northern kingdom of Israel. He had prophesied about it, he had warned them to repent, but they didn’t heed the warning. And so the Assyrians march up to northern Israel and completely destroy them. That was in 722 BC.
And not too long after, the Assyrians set their sights on Judah to the south. This was in the time of king Hezekiah. If you recall, Micah was active into the reign of Hezekiah. And so the king of Assyria, whose name was Sennacherib, marches his huge army to Judah. An army of
sends his messengers to Jerusalem to create doubt
What does Jesus save us from? He saves us from God.
#1. The Short-lived Victory of the Enemy
#1. The Short-lived Victory of the Enemy
Now, let us consider this. What does our great spiritual enemy want? What does the enemy of God and God’s people want?
Satan doesn’t really care about whether we hate him or not. Satan doesn’t care about being liked or loved. What he really wants, his victory, is to have the people of God under the wrath of God. That’s what he wants.
And we see this happen time and again in Israel’s history. God’s people are constantly seduced into sin.
You recall the corrupt prophet Balaam, who advised the king Balak of Moab, to have the Moabite women seduce the Israelites into idolatry and sexual sin.
16 Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.
Micah’s enemies, the enemies of Judah, say that God is against His people, and the evidence of that is God’s hand of punishment. The evidence of that is the darkness which comes over Judah, whether by the plague of judgement at the plains of Moab, or when the Babylonians laid seige to Jerusalem and ultimately took the people into captivity and destroyed the temple. The enemy says “I have succeeded. The victory is mine.”
But this victory is only temporary. It is short-lived. The enemy rejoices but for a while.
But what does Micah say? Here we come to the second point.
Micah says, “My God who punishes me is the same God who restores me. And not because of anything I have done, but because I will look to Him, I will wait for Him, I will call out to Him, and He listens.”
If I were Ahaz, I might think, “I didn’t do anything against God. I didn’t hit Him, I didn’t hurt Him. I can’t even see Him. All I did was live my life. It’s my life.”
So someone comes up to you and says, “You’re Christian right? You think I’m going to hell unless I repent of my sins. But why should I change my whole life just because of what the Bible says?
What would you say?
First, it doesn’t matter what you believe or don’t believe. It doesn’t change the truth. You ask any of our students. They take an exam, they believe their answer is correct. But does it mean it’s definitely correct? No. It doesn’t matter how much you believe something, it doesn’t change the reality.
But that’s not enough. These days, girls think they are boys and men think they can get pregnant. So you need a second point.
You know what Micah says? Micah says that even if you devote your whole life to doing the right things, it’s still not enough. Even if Ahaz had sacrificed thousands of rams and rivers of oil, and offered burnt offerings to God for his whole life, that could never be enough. Why? Because God desires our hearts. He didn’t create us only to obey Him. He created us to be in relationship with Him.
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
But here’s the thing. The sin of Ahaz is something that every person in this room struggles with day after day. It is the sin of idolatry, of loving something more than God.
Do you remember the sin of Ahaz? Idolatry. What is idolatry? It goes beyond simply offering sacrifices to idols. Idolatry is not having God at the top priority in your life. Something else is sitting on God’s throne in your heart. That’s idolatry. And the scary thing is that even in the church, our acts of worship do not always reflect the reality of our hearts. Isn’t that true? We come to church and do the acts of worship, we sing the songs and listen to the sermon, but week after week we refuse to tear down the idols in our hearts.
Our founding pastor Rev. Abraham Park said this: “The worship we give to God with our hearts enthralled by anything in the world other than God is abominable and abhorrent before God.”
So repentance is not only about being sorry for what you’ve done. It’s about taking a long hard look at the state of your heart, and you see how sin has twisted it.
And you know you can’t change your heart on your own, so you cry out to God “God, create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10).
Do you see? When Micah says “when I fall”, what’s he talking about? All these attacks from the foreign nations. It’s a big fall. A huge fall. And when he says “when I sit in darkness”, it is a deep deep darkness. It is an abyss of hopelessness. The nation is crumbling and defenseless.
Micah calls these the indignation of who? The Lord.
See, Micah knows that behind all these attacks, behind all of this pain and suffering and bloodshed, it is the hand of God against His people. Why? Because of the sin of Ahaz. The sin of idolatry, the sin of disobedience, the sin of forsaking the path of righteousness. And because of Ahaz’s sin, the people of Judah fell into sin.
Ahaz dies and is buried somewhere else other than the tombs of the kings. It’s a symbol that he is not going to share in the final resting place of the other godly kings. But from the loins of Ahaz, God raises up Hezekiah, who brings the nation into a great spiritual reformation.
Until He executes justice for me
Micah here puts himself in the shoes of the people of God and cries out. That was what a spiritual leader did. He would put himself in the shoes of his people, and intercede on their behalf. You think of Job, who offered burnt offerings to God every day in case his children had sinned. You think of Moses, who climbed Mt. Sinai on the 7th time to plead for forgiveness. You think of Jesus, who in humility received the baptism of John at the Jordan River, to show that He stands with us and not against us, and on the cross He cried out on our behalf to the Father, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Micah does this here on behalf of Ahaz and the people of God, fallen and drenched in sin, sitting in darkness.
And what does he say?
And this points us to Christ. When Saul persecuted the Christians in Acts 9, and Jesus comes and says “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And even right now, at the Father’s right hand, Jesus speaks on our behalf, interceding for us.
What does God want from us?
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
God wants us to walk humbly with Him. But the problem is that He looks upon the heart of man. C.S. Lewis said “We don’t need to become nicer people. We need to become new people.” Our hearts need to be renewed and transformed. Only a transformed heart is a heart that doesn’t commit idolatry. And we cannot change our hearts on our own, so we must cry out with David in Psalm 51:10
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
That is faith. That is repentance. Repentance must always begin with faith in God. True repentance says, “Lord, You be the One to lead me out of this darkness. You made this promise to Abraham, You made this promise to David, so You be the One to restore me. And until You do, I will bear Your indignation.”
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Alvin Choo. Pray for right leg to be heal.
