NOBODY ELSE LIKE YOU
it is His Unchanging Love that looks beyond our faults and blesses us in spite of.
TEXT
Introduction
THESIS
He is the God of Forgiving Love
Micah begins with a rhetorical question, מִי־אֵל כָּמוֹךָ, “Who is God like you?” The expected answer, of course, is “No one!” (cf. Deut 3:24; 2 Sam 22:32; Ps 77:14). The description of Yahweh as the one נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל־פֶּשַׁע, “who lifts up guilt and passes over transgression,” is reminiscent of Exod 34:7: “who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (NASB). The first part of the Exodus verse shares several words with this line of Micah. This similarity suggests that Micah’s words are meant to recall these words in Exodus. Micah’s statement of theology is not new but is founded in the Pentateuch. Yahweh has not changed in the many years since he spoke those words to Moses on the mountaintop. It is also important to note that Yahweh’s actions here are described with a ptc., which indicates that his actions are continual, with no reference to time. This is an abiding characteristic of Yahweh.
The lifting up of guilt is found in the Mosaic covenant in the Day of Atonement. When the scapegoat was released into the wild, it would “bear [נָשָׂא, “lift up”] on itself all their iniquities [עָוֹן] to a solitary land” (Lev 16:22 NASB). In saying these words Micah is prompting the audience to recall this very important feature of the Mosaic covenant (Wolff, 229). Just as the goat represented the removal of their iniquities, so Yahweh will actually remove their iniquities (cf. Isa 53:12).
For those for whom the earlier judgments were just issued, for those who would read and repeat these words while in exile, for those returned from exile, and for the faithful of Yahweh throughout the centuries, these words bring utter hope. For the original audience who was facing judgment for their sins, there was great relief in the affirmation that Yahweh נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן, “lifts up guilt,” and עֹבֵר עַל־פֶּשַׁע, “passes over transgression.” This statement of salvation is limited by the context to those who are his (נַחֲלָתוֹ, “his possession”). This verse specifically applies this to the שְׁאֵרִית, “remnant,” that will be left after the judgment of exile.
The next affirmation of Yahweh’s character is that לֹא־הֶחֱזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ, “he does not cling to his anger perpetually.” It is important to notice what this verse does not say as well as what it does say. It does not say that Yahweh does not get angry. It actually says the exact opposite. It takes Yahweh’s anger (against sin) as a given. Guilt and transgression make Yahweh angry. The good news for those who sin, aside from his removal of sin, is that Yahweh’s anger will not last perpetually. For those facing Yahweh’s judgment, and especially for those who were in exile, it likely seemed perpetual, never-ending. During those times they were to cling to this statement of profound theological truth.
Just as it is a fact that Yahweh gets angry, it is also a fact that חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא, “he delights in mercy.” The depth of this line can easily be overlooked. It seems like a simple statement, but the reality of its truth is staggering. Yahweh takes pleasure in the relationship he has with his people. He takes pleasure in remaining faithful and showing mercy to those he has entered into a covenant with. Yahweh’s relationship with his faithful is often viewed as a relationship wherein the humans rejoice, but Yahweh is often wrongly understood as merely fulfilling an obligation or as fixing the mess that humans created with their sin. But the truth is so much more profound. Yahweh takes pleasure in his interactions with his faithful. He delights in showing mercy
How much do you value your relationship as a child of God? Sometimes, we might be tempted to doubt God’s love. We fail time and again and come up ever so short. Some of us even commit terrible sin. We wonder, “How could God forgive me? How could He love me after I’ve failed so much and so terribly?” Jim Adams shares this eye-opening story with us:
Perhaps no composer has captured the musical heart and soul of America as did Irving Berlin. In addition to familiar favorites such as “God Bless America” and “Easter Parade,” he wrote, “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” which still ranks as the all-time bestselling musical score.
In an interview for the San Diego Union, Don Freeman asked Berlin, “Is there any question you’ve never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?” “Well, yes, there is one,” he replied. “What do you think of the many songs you’ve written that didn’t become hits? My reply would be that I still think they are wonderful.”
God, too, has an unshakable delight in what—and whom—He has made. He thinks each of His children is wonderful, and whether they’re a “hit” in the eyes of others or not, He will always think they’re wonderful
He is the God of Redeeming Power
Finally, just as the Lord hurled Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea and they sank to the depths like a stone (Exod 15:4–5), so he will hurl all “our” sins into the depths of the sea. This, of course, speaks of the complete forgiveness of sin and the removal of its guilt forever (see Jer 50:20). “God not only puts our sins out of sight [Isa 38:17]; he also puts them out of reach (Mic 7:19; Ps 103:12), out of mind (Jer 31:34), and out of existence (Isa 43:25; 44:22; Ps 51:1, 9; Acts 3:19).
He is the God of Perpetual Faithfulness
This verse turns and speaks directly to Yahweh. Yahweh is praised for who he is. He gives אֱמֶת, “loyalty,” to Jacob, and חֶסֶד, “mercy/covenant loyalty,” to Abraham. These two words often appear together as a hendiadys “in the Psalms as a word-pair for YHWH’s beneficent history with Israel. Gracious faithfulness will form the future of the remnant” (Mays, 168). The first item, “loyalty,” describes the way in which Yahweh relates to Israel. He is loyal. This word is often translated as “truth” (cf. NASB, NIV), but in the context of Micah the focus is not truth versus untruth; rather, the focus is on remaining true to one’s promises. It includes an element of “constancy” and “duration.” In the second line “mercy/covenant loyalty” is synonymous with the preceding “loyalty.” Both of these praise Yahweh for remaining faithful to his covenant promises. The last line affirms this yet again. The covenant that Yahweh is loyal to he swore to Abraham and Jacob long before the days of Micah. Yahweh’s loyalty endured all those generations, and it will continue.
The loyalty and covenant loyalty are specifically mentioned in relation to Jacob and Abraham. These two names appear in reverse here; normally, Abraham is first, followed by Jacob. Both of these names are used as metonymy for the entire covenant community. While most of the judgments issued in Micah’s prophecies originate with the covenant curses in the Mosaic covenant, the mention of covenant loyalty to Abraham draws the hearer to remember the earlier Abrahamic covenant as well. Yahweh is faithful to the unconditional Abrahamic covenant, which promises land, a vast multitude of descendants, and that Israel will be a blessing to other peoples (Gen 12:2–3; 15:13–21; 17:4–16). For those about to go into exile and those in the generations that followed, assurance and affirmation that Yahweh is faithful to keep the Abrahamic covenant brings great hope. It means there will be a future in the land, they will not be wiped out, and Yahweh still has a plan for them to bless others.
CONCLUSION
Micah’s prophecy calls upon God’s people to confess their sin, repent, and receive whatever punishment may come from the hands of our gracious God.