Micah 7:18

Who [is] a God like unto thee,.... There is no God besides him, none so great, so mighty, as he; none like him for the perfections of his nature; for the works of his hands; for the blessings of his

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. Who is a God like unto thee.

Lest what hath been spoken of this wonderful change in the affairs of the Jews should on one hand be thought to be made for the righteousness or worthiness of this people, or else on the other hand should seem too great to be done for a sinful people, and so any should doubt whether it should be done at all, the prophet, in this and the two following verses, proposeth the ground of all this, laid on the unparalleled grace of God toward his people, who pardoneth their unrighteousness, and then of free mercy delivers them from their afflictions and distresses, changing their darkness into light. Who is a God like unto thee? some observe that El here used signifieth the mighty God, and so render it thus, the French, le Dieu fort; none but the sovereign, mighty God can or doth forgive iniquity, it is a flower of the crown of Heaven, ,7 Numbers 14:18 . This interrogatory and admiration is a strong negation. Pardoneth iniquity; taketh away the guilt and punishment too by his pardon. Passeth by; a from of speech used amongst us when we promise not to pursue an offence, or not to exact the punishment of it, or as if we either saw it not, or voluntarily winked at it, being resolved that we would not make it a cause of quarrel or breach. Transgression: it will not suit our brevity to inquire the difference between iniquity and transgression, or whether they are here synonymous. and explicatory of each other; God passeth by the forfeits we make, and strips us not of our mercies. Of the remnant of his heritage: this intimateth the reason why God doth, as well as to the person to whom he doth, pardon sin; that grace which made them his heritage, and reserved them to himself in the common destruction, the same grace doth as freely pardon and pass by, that it may do them good. No worthiness in them to whom it is done, and yet greatest certainty it shall be done, as . He retaineth not his anger for ever; though in his just displeasure God did send them into captivity, yet because he doth not retain his anger for ever, their captivity shall not be for ever, he will chastise his remnant, but not consume them, . Because he delighteth in mercy; all from the exceeding riches of his mercy; it is his delight to show mercy, and we need inquire no further: our God is so wonderfully merciful that it is his pleasure to show mercy, and if a man sometimes may give this as a reason why he doth a thing, surely our God may well expect that we should acquiesce in this account of his doing so. He delighteth to do it, ,9 Isaiah 43:25 57:16 ,1.

Micah 7:18 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.Ver. 18. Who is a God like unto thee?] No God surely (whether so reputed or deputed; whether heathen deities, heavenly angels, or earthly rulers) can compare with our God, or come near him, for pardoning of sin. Indeed, none can do it at all but he; as the blind Pharisees saw and could say. Men may pardon the trespass, but God alone the transgression. But say they could do something that way; yet nothing like our God, who maketh his power appear to be great, Numbers 14:17, in pardoning such offences as no God or man besides would pardon. See Jeremiah 3:1 Nehemiah 9:31. He forgiveth iniquity, transgression and sin, Exodus 34:6-7, that is, all sorts of sins, to all sorts of sinners, without exception, Matthew 12:31. This is the express letter of God’ s covenant, which we ought not either to obliterate or to interline; but to believe it in the full latitude and extent. We are apt to cast God’ s pardoning grace into a mould of our own; and to measure it by our model. But against this we are cautioned, Isaiah 55:8. God must be magnified in our thoughts, his quarters there enlarged, high and honourable conceptions are to be had of him; or else we wrong him no less than we should do a king by respecting and receiving him no otherwise than we would do another ordinary man. He is set forth here as a God imparallel, and that not without an interrogation of admiration, O! who is a God like unto thee? Thy mercy is matchless, thy grace aboundeth even to an overflow, 1 Timothy 1:14, it is more than exceeding, it hath a superpleonasm, υπερεπλεονασε, saith the apostle here. Surely as the sea swallows up huge rocks, and as the sun scattereth greatest mists; so doth he pardon enormities as well as infirmities, and blotteth out the thick cloud as well as the cloud,. Isaiah 44:22. His mercy rejoiceth against, or glorifieth over, judgment, James 2:13, and is ready to say of a great sinner indeed - “ Iam dignus vindice nodus: ” The more desperate the disease is, the greater glory redoundeth to him that cureth it. Our Saviour received a glorious name by curing incurable diseases; and gained greatest love by frankly forgiving Mary Magdalen’ s and others’ sins, Luke 7:42; Luke 7:47, which were many and mighty, or bony, as the prophet’ s word signifies, Amos 5:12. Adam’ s apostasy, Noah’ s drunkenness, Lot’ s incest, David’ s blood guiltiness, Manasseh’ s idolatry and witch craft, Peter’ s thrice denying and abjuring his Master, Paul’ s blasphemy and persecution, - all these sins and blasphemies, have been forgiven, to the sons of men neither can they commit more than he both can and will remit to the penitent.

(18) Who is a God like unto thee?—Micah, with an allusion to the significance of his own name, concludes his book with a burst of enthusiastic homage to the God of gods. The gracious character here ascribed to Jehovah is unparalleled in the Bible in human utterances; it is the response of the prophet to the glorious words spoken by Jehovah of Himself (Exodus 34:6-7). The promise there made to Moses is here extended by the inspiration of the prophet to the Gentiles. The “remnant” refers to the returned from the captivity.

Verse 18. Who is a God like unto thee, c.] Here is a challenge to all idol worshippers, and to all those who take false views of the true God, to show his like. See his characters they are immediately subjoined. 1. He pardoneth iniquity. This is the prerogative of God alone; of that Being who alone has power to save or to destroy. 2. He passeth by transgression. He can heal backsliding, and restore them that are fallen. 3. He retaineth not his anger forever. Though, justly displeased because of sin, he pours out his judgments upon the wicked; yet when they return to him, he shows "that he retaineth not his anger forever," but is indescribably ready to save them. 4. He delighteth in mercy. Judgment is his strange work: he is ever more ready to save than to destroy. Nothing can please him better than having the opportunity, from the return and repentance of the sinner, to show him that mercy without which he must perish everlastingly. 5. Because he is such a God - 1. "He will turn again." His face has been long turned from us, because of our sins. 2. "He will have compassion upon us" pity our state, and feel for our sorrows. 3. "He will subdue our iniquities." Though they have been mighty, he will bring them down, and bruise them under our feet. 4. "He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Will fully pardon them, and never more remember them against us. Instead of חטאתם chattotham, THEIR sins, five MSS. of Kennicott's and De Rossi's, with the Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic read חטאתינו chattotheynu, OUR sins. He will plunge them into eternal oblivion, never more to come into sight or remembrance; like a stone dropped into the "depths of the sea."

18–20. A lyric passage, concluding the whole book. The prophet revels in the thought of the Divine goodness. Comp. Isaiah 12:1-6, and still more Exodus 15:1-18 (especially Micah 7:11). The form of Mic 7:18 naturally reminds us of the name of Micah (‘Who is like Jehovah?’). The prophet does not mean that other gods have a real existence, but speaks from the point of view of the other nations who believe that they do really exist. The divine attributes spoken of are those which had an increasing fascination for the Jews, the deeper their sense became of their national sins. Comp. Exodus 34:6-7, Joe 2:13, Psalms 103:8-9; Psalms 130:7, Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 54:8; Isaiah 55:7, Psalms 105:8; Psalms 105:10. subdue our iniquities] Sins are personified as enemies, as in Genesis 4:7, Psalms 65:3. thou wilt cast all their sins] Perhaps an allusion to the fate of Pharaoh (comp. Exodus 15:5; Exodus 15:10).

Who is a God - (and, as the word means, A Mighty God,) like unto Thee?

A , Micah 7:18-20.Reveling in the thought of a glorious future, the prophet ascribes all honor and praise to Jehovah, who alone is God.