Micah 7:8–20

7:8 Micah again represents the nation as he challenges his enemy not to rejoice. The identity of this enemy is not clear; it could be the Assyrians, the Babylonians, or perhaps the nations in general (cf. 4:10–13; 5:9). Assyria has been the great enemy in the background of the book, but she is also a type or code word for a greater enemy who will finally be destroyed by the Messiah and his work.

The just judgment of God is not the end but the beginning of life, for though the nation falls, it will rise again. Yahweh will be its light in the darkness of exile.

7:9 The nation accepts the just judgment of Yahweh and acknowledges its sin. But it is confident that Yahweh will not give up on it. This confidence has been rooted in Yahweh’s promise to restore the remnant (2:12–13; 4:6–7), which itself is rooted in the Abrahamic covenant (7:20).

7:10 The enemy’s taunt (“Where is the LORD your God?”) is virtually a refrain throughout the Scriptures, hurled at the people of God as an epithet of scorn (Pss. 42:3, 10; 79:10; 115:2; Joel 2:17). But the enemy who seems victorious will soon be trampled in the streets. This is a sign of victory for the people of God, an echo of the pulverizing of the enemy with bronze hooves in Micah 4:13, the trampling of Jezebel by Jehu (2 Kings 9:33), and the crushing of the serpent by the seed of the woman (cf. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 65:25).

7:11 After describing the judgment of God and the demise of the enemy, this verse announces the building of Jerusalem. The walls are built, and the “boundary [khoq] shall be far extended.” This line in the ESV forms a nice parallel with the previous one, which emphasizes the building of walls. However, the word translated “boundary” often signifies “laws” and “decrees,” in which case the sense would be that Jerusalem’s rule is extended far and wide. The idea would then be that the word of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem so that even “far away” nations will come and meet the new King (cf. 4:2–3).

7:12 As a consequence, the nations migrate to Jerusalem so that it becomes the “metropolis of the [new] world.”¹ The geographical references—north and south (from Assyria to Egypt, and Egypt to the River, i.e., the Euphrates) and east and west (from sea to sea)—suggest the entirety of the Near East is involved in this pilgrimage. It is possible that this text may be referring to the gathering of the exiles, but it seems to be more in harmony with 4:1–4 and the ingathering of the nations. The salvation of Assyria and Egypt are included in Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 19:25), and also in Psalm 87. When they come to Jerusalem, they are born again!

7:13 One of the reasons the nations migrate to Jerusalem is the destitution of their lands, which have been made desolate because of their sins. This may refer to the fruits of war and violence. A similar thought was expressed in 2:10, which describes how Judah had become corrupt because of the sins of covetous land barons.

7:14–15 A command is given to God to shepherd his people, who dwell alone in the “forest.” This may be an echo of the abandoned site of the temple, which had become a hill in the forest (cf. 3:12). God will lead the flock instead to Bashan and Gilead, an area renowned for its fertility and consequently its prize cattle (cf. Amos 4:1). The scattered flock will become healthy and flourishing. But beyond this physical provision, God will accomplish a salvation whose magnitude can only be compared to the exodus from Egypt, in which God displayed his wonders. Given the reference to the messianic King who would shepherd his people in the second major section of Micah (5:4), this text may refer to the King from Bethlehem, and it therefore may be a direct address to him; he may thus be the one speaking in 7:15.

7:16 When the nations see Jerusalem and her new King, they will become ashamed of their power. It is related that Napoleon, during his later years, once remarked to his minister of education, “Do you know, Fontanes, what astonishes me most in this world? The inability of force to create anything. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the spirit.”² In the last days, the nations will see this impotence of power and will become dumb and deaf. There is nothing more to say, nothing more to hear. They have based their lives on the wrong premise.

7:17 The nations will assume a posture of abasement and humiliation, which may well be a sign of repentance, given the context. They will “turn in dread” to Yahweh, which also has connotations of awe, as the same expression is used in relation to Israel’s salvation by Yahweh in the last days (Hos. 3:5). The object of fear in “they shall be in fear of you” is ambiguous; it could be a reference to God or to Israel. The parallelism with the previous line (“they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God”) suggests that God is probably the referent. Thus this text fills in more details of the nations’ salvation already announced in Micah 4:1–4.

7:18–19 This text intentionally plays on the meaning of Micah’s name (“Who is like Yahweh?”), found at the beginning of the book (1:1). Thus it leaves the audience with a final answer to the rhetorical question embedded in his name. What follows are seven characteristics of Yahweh, intentionally echoing the revelation of the divine name to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:6–7). The central attribute of the seven is “steadfast love” (hesed), which provides a motive not only for the third attribute but for all of them: Yahweh delights in steadfast love. There is a general chiastic pattern used to display these qualities. Micah says that God

1. A. pardons iniquity;
   1. B. passes over transgression;
      1. C. does not retain anger;
         1. D. delights in steadfast love;
      2. C'. shows compassion;
   2. B'. treads down iniquities; and
2. A'. casts away sins.

The first two and last two traits deal with sin, while the third and fifth stress cessation of anger and renewal of compassion, and the fourth focuses on motivation. These are all an exposition of the rhetorical question that begins the sequence: “Who is a God like you?”

In Micah 7:18a, the divine pardoning of iniquity suggests the lifting up of sin from someone, and thus the bearing of it by another party. In Isaiah the suffering servant bears the sin of many (Isa. 53:4, 11); the word “pardoning” thus indicates suffering love. The “passing over” of transgression means the overlooking of sin (cf. Prov. 19:11), while “remnant of his inheritance” refers to those who have survived the judgment.

In Micah 7:18b–19a we see that anger does not finally mark God; his anger is a response to sin, and he has shown his fury with the sin of his people throughout Micah, but his chief attribute is steadfast love (hesed). It is not just that he practices it; he delights in it. It is what gets him excited! Calvin aptly remarks, “The only prop or support that can raise us up to God, when we desire to be reconciled to him, is this—that he loves mercy.”³ God’s renewal of compassion based on his steadfast love is one of the principal attributes found in the great explanation of God’s name in Exodus 34:5–7.

In the rest of Micah 7:19 we see that in order to deal with sins finally and conclusively, God treads them underfoot and casts them into the depths of the sea. This treading down of sin suggests triumphal victory and may be an intentional echo of the dominion that Adam and Eve were to have at the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:28). But it has now been accomplished by the Lord! Moreover, not only will sin be overcome; it will be forever removed from sight, thrown into the depths of the ocean. Just as Yahweh cast all of Pharaoh’s army into the depths of the sea, drowning them forever (Ex. 15:2, 19), so will he do the same to Israel’s sins.

7:20 It is fitting that the final verse of Micah returns to the covenantal roots of Israel and emphasizes God’s steadfast love (hesed). The promise to the patriarchs—God’s pledge to them in the distant past—still stands. The prophecy of Micah is living proof of that. Everything in the prophecy is a testimony to God’s faithfulness to the patriarchal promises and his steadfast love. The word pair “faithfulness” and “steadfast love” almost always occurs as “steadfast love and faithfulness.” But here they are reversed to end on a final note of steadfast love. Everything is based on this. God delights in steadfast love. This is why he made a promise to Abraham, so that steadfast love would overflow and be a blessing to the entire world.