18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity,
overlooking the sin of the few remaining for his inheritance?
He doesn’t hold on to his anger forever;
he delights in faithful love.
19 He will once again have compassion on us;
he will tread down our iniquities.
You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will provide faithfulness to Jacob, faithful love to Abraham,
as you swore to our ancestors a long time ago.
Reflection
The book of Micah is a condemnation of the rich and powerful of Israel who had taken advantage of the people of Israel. Micah warns that Israel will be taken over by the Assyrians and Babylonians because of the violation of Israel’s covenant with God. Micah does, however, foretell the arrival of the Messiah in chapter 5, so he offers hope.
In our passage today, the very last verses of Micah, which some scholars believe was added later to also give hope, we are reminded that because of who God is, God will not leave Israel or us. God pardons those who believe in the Lord. God is faithful to us and hurls our sins into the sea. Now from our reading of Jonah, we know that Jonah chose to hurl himself into the sea instead of having God hurl the sins of Nineveh into the sea. If you have read the rest of the story, you know that Jonah went to Nineveh, but he was not happy about anything that happened. He was not happy that in his doing God’s will, the people repented and were saved.
This week, I had an experience with a family that I have had before and will probably have again. I said something that they did not like, and they requested another therapist. On the surface what I said was something I meant as silly, but after I said it, I realized it was not silly to them. I had tried very hard to build rapport with this family because their child has very complicated issues, and I felt I could really help them if they trusted me, but I ruined that by my comment.
The reason I said I have done it before and will probably do it again is not that I’ve done it on purpose, but I am human, and I screw up. I felt horrible about the whole situation. I asked God for forgiveness, so I know I am forgiven from God, but am I forgiven from the family? I don’t know. Have I experienced similar situations where I have been the one hurt by what someone said or did, and then did I get angry if something good happened for that person? Of course – because I am human and not God, and we as humans tend to judge our intentions less harshly than others’ because we know what is in our own heart.
However, if we want to be more like Jesus, then we need to want salvation and the best for everyone. Is it an easy thing for us to do? I don’t think so, but as our verses point out to us today: “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity?” God forgives everything if we are just willing to ask. It is something that is hard for us to grasp for sure, but we just need to keep trying to forgive others and to accept that God wants ALL of us to be part of the kin-dom!
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
Think of a time when you needed forgiveness for something you did. How did that compare to the feelings you had when someone did something similar to you? Did you feel like you forgave easier or did the feeling that you should be forgiven come easier?
Prayer: God of forgiveness, help us to forgive others and ourselves. Help us to want others to share in your salvation, and not to be selfish in our own faith. Forgive us when we are and show us the way to deal with those people who we may be in conflict with so that in the end we will both come to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
