The Book of Love

Reading Amount:

Micah 7:1-20

Central Verse:

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 forever,

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.

You will show faithfulness to Jacob

And unswerving loyalty to

Abraham,

As you have sworn to our ancestors

From the days of old.

  • Micah 7:18-20 NRSV

Central Truth:

After seeing God's righteous anger at the people of Israel for theirs sins against others, we see the heart of God again. It is forgiveness and reconciliation.

Food For Thought: (Questions about the text)

This final section is written in the form of a responsive liturgy to be used in worship. As you read it imagine it being read responsively, much the same as a call to worship at the beginning of many of our services.

The tone of the writing places the setting, according to scholars, for this section after the Babylonian exile. Scholars claim this is where historically this would make the most sense with the people returning from exile.

Connections: (Time with our Society)

I had a teacher in High School once pose a question. What is the opposite emotion of love? The class struggled with the question with many people yelling out anger. Of course it was a trick question and the answer was actually apathy. We have seen the intense emotion behind God's punishment of Israel and now we have come back full circle to the defining characteristic of God. God is forgiveness and love, not anger and apathy.

It is often easy for us to see God as angry but harder for us to see God as love. We wish to earn Gods love and fear retribution. Its easy to accept the belt than it is the hug. But here after everything we see what is at the heart of the Gospel. Ultimately God loves us, he loves us so much that Jesus became apart of the world and God demonstrates what is claimed at the end of this chapter God has shown "faithfulness to Jacob, and unswerving loyalty to Abraham." If God did/does that with Israel how much more patience does he have with us and our sins?

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