NOTES for Mic 7:18

Micah connects God's readiness to forgive the sins of His people, or rather of their remnant, with the mercy that belongs to God. This connection is not accidental, and it is easiest to explain it from the understanding of mercy already found in Hosea, which later became part of the prophetic tradition as a whole. From Hosea's point of view, God's mercy was in essence the only hope for a people who, by repeatedly violating the Torah, had long ago lost any right to what they once had in accordance with the covenant made at Sinai.

All that remained was to hope that God would still not abandon His people and would do for them what He was obligated to do by no law and by no agreement. Yet such a possibility could open for the people only after repentance for the sins committed and a new turning that would restore the former relationship. But here there was one significant difficulty: many of the sins committed by the people had been committed quite consciously and voluntarily.

Of course, one could repent even of such a sin, but before Christ came into the world it was impossible to be cleansed from its consequences; no purification rituals or sacrifices helped here. In fact, the whole pre-exilic history of the Jewish people, ending in the Babylonian captivity, is visible proof of this truth. Of course, with the coming of Christ everything changed, but Micah naturally preached in a still pre-Christian world.

And yet God showed mercy to His people. It was impossible to free them completely from the consequences of the sins committed throughout the pre-exilic period; the exile was inevitable, and to avoid it the world would have had to be created anew. But it was possible to grow, in effect, a new people from that remnant of the faithful who kept their faithfulness even when it appeared to make no sense, because everything was over.

God acts in exactly this way, thereby revealing true mercy: in essence, He gives His people another historical life in place of the one that ended after Jerusalem was crushed by the Babylonian army. By all the laws of history, the Jewish people, after the Babylonian defeat, should have disappeared just as many other peoples who inhabited Palestine disappeared in the Babylonian crucible. And the fact that they exist to this day can be explained only by the mercy of God.

We can sometimes meet on the railroad passages in the deserted places the inscription: "normal position of the barrier closed ". Such was approximately the conception of the gods for the heathen peoples surrounding Israel: basically, the gods were wrathful, cruel, disdaining people. They can be sometimes entreat (for example, corrupt) and then receive from them something good, but it would have been their "exit from the normal state".

The biblical revelation speaks completely of another God. "The normal position - opened ". When meeting with the human sin, iniquity, transgression He gets angry, because it does not correspond to His plan for man, but if at least some gleam of repentance appears in man, He is ready to stop His anger and forgive.

It is here maybe the summit of the prophetic boldness of the Old Testament in verbal expression of truth on God: "He delighted in mercy". In the New Testament will open the fulfillment: God is love.

Micah connects the willingness of God to pardon the sins of His people (more exactly, its remnant) with the mercy inherent to God. Such a link is not of course a fate, and it is easier to explain it, from this understanding of the mercy, which was already to Hosea, and later became a part of the prophetic tradition in general. From the point of view of Hosea, God's mercy was in fact the only hope for the people, who, violating more than once the Torah, had lost for a long time the right on what he had formerly according to the union-covenant concluded on Sinai. It remained only to hope that God will not leave all the same His people and will make for him what He is not obliged to do according to any law and any agreement.

However such a possibility could open to the people only after the repentance of the committed sins and a new conversion, which would restore the former relationships. But there was here one major difficulty: the problem is that many of the sins committed by the people were committed consciously and voluntarily. Of course, one could repent of such sin also, but here to be purified of its consequences before the coming of Christ in world was impossible: no rite and sacrifice of purification could help here. Actually, the entire history of the Jewish people of the pre-captivity period ending with the Babylonian captivity, is the visible proof of this truth.

Of course, with the coming of Christ changed everything, but Micah preached naturally back in the pre-Christian world. But all the same God manifested to His people mercy. To free them completely from the consequences of the sins committed during the pre-captivity period was impossible, the captivity was inevitable, in order to avoid it, it would have been necessary to recreate again the world. But here is, to raise in fact new people from this remnant of faithful, that kept their loyalty even when in it, seemed that there was no sense, because everything was finished, was possible.

God acts particularly in that way, manifesting the most genuine mercy: because He gives in fact to His people another historic life on the place of the one which ended after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army. According to all the laws of history, the Jewish people after the Babylonian destruction had to disappear, as disappeared in the Babylonian boiler several other peoples populating Palestine. Moreover, the fact that it still exists until now, can be explained only with the mercy of God.

The prophets spoke often about the sins and crimes of God's people. Yet their words contained not only rebuke but always hope as well. The time of Micah, a younger contemporary of Isaiah of Jerusalem, was a spiritually ambiguous age. King Hezekiah, who then ruled Judah, did much to combat pagan cults, prohibiting public worship of pagan gods in his country. Yahwism became popular, and the preaching of Micah, as well as Isaiah, contributed greatly to this.

But destroying pagan altars and sanctuaries proved far easier than changing people whose souls and hearts largely remained as they had been. Their sins remained as well. For the overwhelming majority of new believers, Yahwism amounted to magnificent religious ceremonies and cheerful festivals; they thought rarely and reluctantly about observing the commandments God had given, about the Torah. Religious enthusiasm by no means brought rapid spiritual change in society. The old sins did not release people. Habits were overcome slowly and with difficulty, even when people sincerely wanted to become different.

Here we see what the priestly books of the Pentateuch say so often: the consequences of a deliberately committed sin weigh upon a person even despite repentance, just as they weigh upon a people when the sin was committed by the whole nation. It was then revealed to the prophet that the situation could be changed only by a special, joint, and purposeful spiritual effort by God and His people. Micah says nothing about the trials awaiting the people, as Isaiah of Jerusalem does, but he understands that it will no longer be possible to overcome the consequences of the people's sins without an upheaval—perhaps a catastrophic one. Yet the prophet understands something else too: God does not need calamities for their own sake. He merely wants to give His people a chance to begin history with a clean slate, and for that the people themselves must become a clean slate. In the end, all historical upheavals are needed only for this—and so that in this new history the renewed people may succeed in welcoming the Messiah God promised them.

The prophets spoke a lot about the sins and crimes of the people of God. But in their words there were not only rebukes, there was also hope. The times of Micah, young contemporary of Isaiah of Jerusalem, were period spiritually very ambiguous. On one hand, king Hezekiah ruling then in the Judea did a lot for the fight with the heathen cults, forbidding public worship of the heathen gods in his country. The yahvisme was popular, and the sermon of Micah (as well as that of Isaiah) contributed much to that. But to destroy the heathen altars and sanctuaries turned out to be easier than to change people, whom souls and hearts remained in many unchanged. The sins also remained unchanged: the yahvisme for the majority of the new believers was reduced to the pompous religious ceremonies and to the cheerful feasts; more, they thought rarely and reluctantly about the observation of the commandments given by God, about the Torah.

The religious rise meant not at all fast spiritual changes in the society. The former sins did not leave people, what had entered the habit, was overcome slowly and with difficulty, even when people sincerely wanted to become different. Manifested what is spoken not less in the ecclesiastical books of the Pentateuch: the consequences of the sin committed consciously, drive man, even in spite of the repentance, quite as they also drive the people, if the sin was nationwide. Then was revealed to the prophet that the situation can be changed only by a special common directed spiritual effort of God and His people.

Micah says nothing about the trials that await the people, as Isaiah of Jerusalem speaks about them, but he understands that to eliminate the consequences of the sins committed by the people without shock, perhaps catastrophic shocks, will already not succeed. However the prophet understands another thing: God does not need cataclysms just for cataclysms. He just wants to give to His people the chance to begin the history with a clean slate, but for that the people also have to become a clean slate. All the historic cataclysms are necessary in the final account only for that. So that in this new history, the renewed people could meet with the Messiah promised by God.

Today the prophet Micah tells us something very important: God delights in mercy. Why does He forgive iniquities? Why does He not hold transgressions against us? Because He was asked very, very nicely? Because the people corrected themselves and became good?

Why does a mother forgive her child? Only because he asks forgiveness? Is a mother really so naive that she believes a child’s “I won’t do it again”? Usually a mother forgives simply because she loves. The Lord forgives His people for the same reason: because He loves His children, because He is merciful and delights in mercy.

The prophet Micah sings of the Lord’s boundless mercy. Most astonishing of all is that, when he writes these words, there has been no repentance in Israel, and there still is none. At the beginning of the chapter the prophet said that “the merciful have disappeared from the land; there is no one upright among mankind”; it is in this very chapter that the terrible words “a man’s enemies are the members of his own household” are heard for the first time. Yet despite everything happening around him, Micah is certain that the Lord will hear his prayer for His people—not because the people have become good, but because God delights in showing mercy. His mercy is greater than any of our sins. And Micah marvels at His mercy because it truly surpasses all that a person can imagine.

What can a person do when there is nothing but sin all around? Rebuke it? And what if the person rebukes it but no one listens? “Wash one’s hands” of it? Here is what the prophet Micah does: he... prays for his people. There is no longer any hope that the people will repent and turn to God, but there is always hope in God Himself. “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” The prophet asks God to manifest His will by becoming the shepherd of the people, and in this request he relies on confidence in God’s mercy. “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 mercy.” As an answer to his prayer, Micah foresees the coming deliverance from sin: “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.” Of course, it is the Lord who saves, but if no one prays, there is no one to be saved!

Before us are pictures of moral decay. The merciful have disappeared; no one can be relied on. The condition of that society reminds the prophet of a garden emptied after the fruit harvest, when not a single berry remains on the branches. But the law of Moses recommended leaving part of the harvest unpicked for the poor and for strangers. This rule is not observed; everything is swept clean only for oneself. Family ties break down. In general, it is all familiar, not new, and constantly repeated. Once again, immersing ourselves in testimonies from ancient times, we can repeat: this too has already happened. Therefore, when descriptions of the coming retribution follow the depiction of the general situation, it is once again hard to shift our attention and not apply the prophecy to our own times.

And again we meet hope, for the Lord, today as in that time far removed from us, is the Same One. He is not simply merciful, but loves to show mercy, and therefore is always ready to receive the sinner who strives repentantly to reject old sins.

Therefore today as well, if we stumble, Micah's words can support us: though I have fallen, I will rise; though I am in darkness, the Lord is light for me.