Micah 7: 18, NKJV – “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.”
Micah 7: 18, NLT – “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love”.
The prophet Micah once asked a rhetorical question: “Who is a God like you…?”
The answer is—no one.
Micah is making a significant distinction among the nations of his day. Other religions and peoples worshiped all sorts of gods, none of which offered forgiveness of sins … but Micah’s God did.
Over and over God forgave the Israelite people, pardoning their idolatry and disobedience. And, He always provided a way for His people to be obedient and find forgiveness when they sinned against Him.
Today, this is still one of the unique distinctions between Christianity and other religions.
Through Jesus, Micah’s words “You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Micah 7: 18), have come to pass. No other world religion has a god who came to die for His people. No other religion offers us a restored, personal relationship with God through the sacrifice of God Himself.
Paul wrote in Romans—
“There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” ESV
According to the Christian Faith, all have strayed from God, and yet all have the chance to be brought back to God through Jesus. (Romans 3:23-25a)
Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate show of mercy to a broken world. The Bible teaches that anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. So if you haven’t yet made the decision to trust in Jesus, consider calling on the One who delights in showing you Mercy.
God’s anger is not eternal, and He delights in showing Mercy. God can forgive and maintain a relationship with us, even when we are stubborn and sinful.
Amen.
