19 July 2022

19 July 2022

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over the transgression
of the remnant of your possession?
He does not retain his anger for ever,
because he delights in showing clemency.
He will again have compassion upon us;
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our sins
 into the depths of the sea.

From Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, NRSV

In this prayer the prophet Micah asks for forgiveness. Earlier on in this book he has lamented the sinfulness of his age but now he recalls the times when God has delighted to show mercy. Micah is sure that God will forgive, protect and save the people now just as he had done with their ancestors on their return from Egypt. God had promised his faithful love to Abraham and Jacob and Micah is sure that this promise will be upheld. Micah wants the people to know that what they will receive from God will far outweigh anything to be gained by worshipping other gods. Only God can forgive so completely that sin is fully pardoned and never to be remembered.

    • Why do you think that God was willing to extend mercy to people who had fallen into sinful ways?
    • How does it feel to know that God delights in showing mercy?

You may like to pray Micah’s prayer aloud as he would have done, allowing yourself to feel the emotion of the words.

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