Micah 7: Who Is a God Like You?
Amid a society where the godly have perished, the prophet waits for the God of his salvation and marvels at the One who pardons iniquity and delights in mercy.
Micah 7 (WEB)
1 Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard: There is no cluster of grapes to eat. My soul desires to eat the early fig.
2 The godly man has perished out of the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net.
3 Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul. Thus they conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier. The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even your visitation, has come; now is the time of their confusion.
5 Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!
6 For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
8 Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of Yahweh, because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my case, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light. I will see his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover her who said to me, where is Yahweh your God? Then my enemy will see me and will cover her shame. Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.
11 A day to build your walls— In that day, he will extend your boundary.
12 In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain.
13 Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the midst of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 “As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things.”
16 The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a serpent. Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to Yahweh our God, and will be afraid because of you.
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness.
19 He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
Micah 7 (KJV)
1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.
12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Micah 7 (ASV)
1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig.
2 The godly man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
3 Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul: thus they weave it together.
4 The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their perplexity.
5 Trust ye not in a neighbor; put ye not confidence in a friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6 For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of Jehovah, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
10 Then mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God? Mine eyes shall see my desire upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
11 A day for building thy walls! in that day shall the decree be far removed.
12 In that day shall they come unto thee from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13 Yet shall the land be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt will I show unto them marvellous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee.
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness.
19 He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Summary
Micah laments the moral collapse around him: like a vineyard stripped bare, there is no fruit to eat, for the godly have perished and no upright person remains. People lie in wait for blood, rulers and judges take bribes, and even families turn against one another, so that a man's enemies are those of his own house. Yet in the darkness the prophet declares his trust: as for him, he will look to the LORD and wait for the God of his salvation, who will hear him. Though he has fallen and sits in darkness under God's indignation for his sin, he will rise, for the LORD will be his light, plead his case, and bring him out to see his righteousness. Then the enemy who taunted “Where is the LORD your God?” will be put to shame. Micah looks ahead to walls rebuilt, boundaries extended, and people streaming back from distant lands. He prays for God to shepherd his flock as in the days of old, when the nations will be ashamed before him. The book closes in worship: who is a God like the LORD, who pardons iniquity and passes over the sin of his remnant, who does not keep his anger forever because he delights in loving kindness, treading our sins underfoot and casting them into the depths of the sea, keeping faith with Jacob and Abraham as he swore long ago.
Main Characters
- Micah the Morashtite — The prophet who grieves over a society stripped of godliness, yet resolves to look to the LORD and wait for the God of his salvation, confident of being brought into the light.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God of salvation who hears, pleads his people's case, and brings them into the light; the incomparable One who pardons iniquity and delights in loving kindness.
Key Verse
Micah 7:18 (WEB)
Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness.
Lessons Learned
- When godliness seems to have vanished, we can still look to and wait for the LORD.
- Even under God's discipline for our sin, we may hope to be brought into his light.
- God himself pleads the case of those who trust him.
- There is no God like the LORD; he delights to pardon and casts our sins into the sea.
- Faith waits in the dark. “As for me, I will look to Yahweh. I will wait for the God of my salvation” (Micah 7:7, WEB). When everything fails, trust turns its eyes to the LORD.
- Falling is not the final word. “When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8, WEB). God lifts up his people from their failures.
- God forgives like no other. “Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity…?” (Micah 7:18, WEB). His mercy is incomparable; he does not hold his anger forever.
- God removes sin completely. He will “cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19, WEB). Forgiven sins are buried beyond recovery, drowned in his grace.
- How does Micah describe the moral condition of his society in verses 1-6?
- What does Micah resolve to do in the midst of this darkness (7:7-9)?
- How does Micah speak of bearing God's indignation yet still hoping in him (7:9)?
- What does the closing hymn (7:18-20) reveal about God's character and his joy in forgiving?
- How does knowing that God casts your sins into the depths of the sea change the way you live and worship?
- Micah compares his society to a stripped vineyard with no fruit: the godly have perished, people hunt one another for blood, rulers take bribes, and families betray one another (7:1-6). It is a portrait of total breakdown, where even the closest relationships have turned hostile.
- Rather than despair, Micah turns to the LORD: he will look to him and wait for the God of his salvation, confident that his God will hear him (7:7). His response models faith that fixes its hope on God when no human help remains.
- Micah honestly owns that he must bear God's indignation because he has sinned, yet he trusts that the LORD will plead his case and bring him out to the light (7:9). He holds together genuine repentance and confident hope, knowing discipline is not rejection.
- The hymn marvels that no God is like the LORD: he pardons iniquity, passes over sin, does not keep his anger, delights in loving kindness, treads sins underfoot, and casts them into the sea (7:18-19). Forgiveness is not grudging but God's delight, rooted in his sworn faithfulness.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to receive the assurance that their forgiven sins are cast into the depths of the sea, never to be raised against them. As leader, point to Christ, in whom this pardon is secured, and let wonder at such mercy lead the group into grateful worship.