Who Can Measure God’s Compassion?

“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 steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” –Micah 7:18-20 (ESV).

Who can measure God’s compassion? Of course the answer to the question is that God’s compassion is limitless, His mercy is unfathomable, and His patience is boundless. But, knowing this, we His people should not expect favors when we know to do right and still keep going astray.

Micah lived and prophesied in the eighth century BC. His prophecies were directed against Samaria, capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and against Jerusalem, capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Historically, the Assyrians had begun to be the dominant power in the ancient Near East about 740 BC. Micah warns of God’s judgment because of idolatry, leaving the one true God for idols worshiped in “high places,” shrines scattered in many groves. Some of the blatant sins Micah condemned were religious infidelity, economic injustice, false preaching, and self-serving leaders. Is it that the evils and rebellion of any age paint the same grim picture? Reading Micah reminds one of our current dilemmas, with terrorism, injustice and rebellion against what is right and good. Is there any hope for gaining God’s forgiveness? Is His heart of compassion still beating for such a depraved people as our fallen nation?

Far be it from us to follow the practice of continuing in sin so that God’s grace and compassion can be expanded. That seemed to be the reasoning of some in the early church era when Paul had to reprimand them, asking them these rhetorical questions: “What shall we say then? Are we to continuie in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, ESV). Likewise, back in the eighth century, Micah strongly pointed out the heinous sins of the people. They were not to think that because God was in the business of forgiveness that they could continue in sin. They could not merely say, “Is not the KLord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.” (Micah 3:11b). There is a means of dealing with the coming judgment. It is called a turning-back-to-God. Micah recommended strongly that “they beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not life us sword against nationk, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Micah 4:3, ESV). Indeed, who is a God like our God? When His people turn again to Him, He is compassionate and delights in steadfast love. Scott Langston, in commenting on Micah 7:18-20, wrote: “The incomparable God of patience, mercy, compassion and faithfulness will forgive and renew His people” (“Micah,” Holman Bible Dictionary, 1991, p. 959).

To experience again the measureless compassion and forgiveness of God, may we, like the old Shaker song implores, “Turn, turn…so we’ll come out right.” That is God’s plan for us, and His compassion is large enough to forgive us and restore us. Let us pray for our individual turning, for our church and community’s turning, for our nation’s turning. God stands ready with compassion, but we must return to Him.

What Does the Lord Require?

“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?” –Micah 6:8 (NKJV).

Could we ever hope to be so succinct in word choice and powerful statement that we could summarize the requirements of the Lord God for his people in one sentence?

Read Micah 6:8. Micah, a prophet who lived, prophesied and wrote in the eighth century B. C., did an admirable job of concisely stating man’s responsibilities and manner of life. His work and ministry spanned parts of the reigns of three kings of Judah—Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. This cryptic message from Micah is set amidst the context of his preaching against idolatry, speaking against sacrifices offered without a change of heart, and the short measures, cheating and violence that characterized their daily lives. Is it any wonder that Micah would appeal strongly to people to follow justice, mercy and humility?

I often wonder what the prophets like Micah of old would say if they could enter our day and ways of life and preach against the conditions that exist now? I’m sure their listing of sins would
encompass even stronger reprimands than we find in his prophetic message delivered then. No doubt, like his message in the eighth century, Micah would still pinpoint the fallacies of God’s people as they live out selfish and sinful lives incognizant of the impending judgment of God upon them. Micah’s message would not be changed because it was then and remains what God would have His people hear. Listen to the warning Micah sounded: “Yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds” (Micah 7:13). Dr. Robert G. Lee (1886-1996), a powerful preacher of the last century, had a sermon he entitled “Pay Day Some Day.” Like Micah in his prophecy, Dr. Lee sounded forth with mighty conviction the penalties for man’s rebellion and disobedience to God, using the story of King Ahab coveting Naboth’s vineyard, the king’s wife Jezebel arranging for Naboth’s death, Elijah’s warning, and the eventual terrible punishment for the sin fed by covetousness. I heard Dr. Lee deliver the sermon at a Baptist Convention my husband and I attended and also at Ridgecrest (NC) Baptist Retreat Center when we were young to the ministry. You can be assured we listened to Dr. Lee’s sermon with fear and trembling and prayed for mercy. Persons can still listen to Dr. Lee on U-Tube at www.tlogical.net/biorglee.

The three major requirements God makes to set things right between His erring children and His righteous judgment are clearly delineated by Micah:

(1) To do justly;

(2) To love mercy; and

(3) To walk humbly with your God.

These seem on the surface to be rather simple to remember and to do. But behind putting these tenets into action in living out our daily life must be a genuine commitment and determination. Involved is a prayerful life, a steadfast weighing of the situation and choosing righteousness, and a recognition that the individual is not strong enough on his/her own spiritual strength to do it alone. It takes daily succor from the Lord. But, if we are repentant and seek his love and mercy, as shown in Micah, we can end up on a victorious note: “He does not retain His anger forever, because He deloights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, land will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” (Micah 7:18b-20, NKJV). Thanks be to God!