Read Micah 7:14-20

The Magnitude Of God’s Mercy

Most are familiar with Paul’s inspired words in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There is not one person alive on this earth today who can claim sinless perfection. Perhaps, however, there are not enough people that understand what sin really does to a person. Isaiah declared that “your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2). That fact should devastate all sober-minded people.

Yet, despite our sin, there is good news. God, in His infinite grace and mercy, provides for us an avenue by which we can be pardoned of our sins and escape the consequences of our less-than-holy behaviors. The apostle Peter informed the Jews gathered for Pentecost what they needed to do: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). In another passage, Peter said, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

Repentance and submission to God’s command to be immersed—Biblical conversion—is the path to God’s grace and mercy. Jeremiah foretold of the day that God “will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). When one repents, turning from sin and to God, and submits to His Word, God forgives.

The scale of God’s mercy is expansive. David proclaimed, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). If one travels north and keeps walking when he gets all the way to the top of the globe, then north becomes south, doesn’t it? But if one walks east and keeps walking, and keeps walking, and keeps walking, he never reaches the west. God has put our sins in the west and we walk east away from them and they get further and further behind us!

Micah marvels at the magnitude of God’s mercy. “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19). What a glorious, merciful God we serve!

Read Micah 6:1-8

What Is Good?

Kindness is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith. Kindness is the result of love for one’s fellow man. “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law….Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8, 10).

There is no debate on the responsibility of the child of God to be kind and to do good to those around him. While our primary responsibility in this regard is to those with whom we share spiritual fellowship within God’s family, it extends beyond that. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Consider Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. The victim, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, was attacked, robbed, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite, both among the supposed religious elite at the time, saw the victim and chose to do nothing. They both “passed by on the other side.” It was a Samaritan, a man who likely would have been ignored by the victim himself, who took care of the victim’s needs with no thought of repayment. He “showed mercy on him.” The Lord’s message was simple: “Go and do likewise.”

Mercy is so very important, yet we must never assume that showing kindness and compassion to another individual fulfills our obligation to God. We must “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). We must “walk in the light as He is in the light” in order to enjoy the cleansing effects of His blood (1 John 1:7). A part of seeking God’s righteousness and walking in His light is showing mercy on those who are around us, but it is only a part.

Read Micah 6:8 again and note the three things the prophet calls good: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Treat others with fairness. Extend mercy to them when they fall short. But don’t forget that third part: “walk humbly with your God.”

Read Micah 4

The Church in God’s Eternal Plan

There are many in the religious world who see the church as a “plan B” instituted by God when the Jews rejected Jesus. There is ample evidence, however, that God had planned for the church all along. It was no mere afterthought but was a part of God’s eternal purpose (Ephesians 3:10). The fourth chapter of Micah’s prophecy conclusively demonstrates that the church, which is the kingdom, was planned long before Jesus took “the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).

There are multiple prophecies of the coming kingdom in the Scriptures. In addition to Micah, one can also look to Isaiah 2:2-4 and Daniel 2:44. Jesus equates the terms kingdom and church in Matthew 16:13-18, when He promised to build His church and give the keys of the kingdom to the apostles.

Notice some of the characteristics of the Lord’s church, as foretold by Micah. First, the Lord’s church would be superior to all earthly kingdoms. This is seen in the figurative language of the first verse, with the mountains and hills representing the world powers. “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills” (Micah 4:1).

Second, the Lord’s church would be made up of many peoples; it would not be limited to a certain race or ethnicity. “And peoples shall flow to it” (Micah 4:1).

Third, its growth would come from teaching, not conquest. Kingdoms of the world exert physical power over other kingdoms, but the Lord’s kingdom would be one of reasoning and learning. Micah says, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths” (Micah 4:2), and “Neither shall they learn war anymore” (Micah 4:3).

Every earthly kingdom that has risen to power will eventually fall, but the Lord’s kingdom will never be conquered. “For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever” (Micah 4:5).

Are you a citizen of His marvelous kingdom?