Chapter seven of Micah must be counted among the most encouraging chapters of the Bible with regard to the nature of God.
The Lord is just. He is not going to continue to bless anyone who shows disdain for Him through abysmal behavior. Israel has certainly done that, and God has responded appropriately. He has filled the land with want – they eat but never have enough, they save but it disappears, they plant but the harvest never comes. Their condition merits and receives the derision and scorn of the nations (6:16).
And yet . . . Israel remains God’s people. They will repent, if only for a while. But God, because it is His nature, will forgive. He pardons sin, forgives transgression, and delights to show mercy. He cannot help it. He cannot but hurl their sins far from them – into the depths of the sea.
This is the God they serve. It is the God we serve.
Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t an excuse for taking advantage of God. The forgiveness and mercy did not come immediately. It really came to the descendants of the sinful. But it came. And it comes to us too. There are far too many Christians who believe God has not and will not forgive. They’ve been sinful too long, too often. But Micah says that’s not true. To anyone and everyone who turns to God in penitence, even if it is only until the “next time” comes along, God forgives. That’s the kind of God He is.