“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?” (Micah 7:18)

This past Wednesday evening, I spoke in our midweek devotional about God’s faithfulness to his promises. Promises are interesting things, and our view of them can skew our perception of God. You and I, whether or not we like to admit it, can never truly guarantee that we will perfectly and faithfully keep a promise. We can only really make an attempt to, and trust that God would guide us through and keep us faithful. The main reason for this is that we’re not all powerful, and no matter what we say, we cannot truly foresee the future. There are and will always be circumstances outside of our control. 

In such a cushioned world, we grow comfortable, and we occasionally forget how little control we each have. Our own promises, even with the best of intentions, sometimes fall apart. Sometimes due to circumstances within our control, and sometimes due to circumstances outside of our control.

Not so with God! God not only has the freedom to make promises, but He has the ability to control things so that those promises will come to fruition. Israel doubted this over, and over, and over again throughout the Old Testament. God says “I will be faithful,” and two minutes later Israel says “He has abandoned us!” and begins dancing around a golden calf. God says “I will fulfill my promises,” and two minutes later Israel says “There’s no hope!” and tries to overthrow the prophets and those who were sent. Caught in a sinful world, surrounded by death, hunger, and their own sinfulness, Israel forgets and ignores the promises of God time and time again. Or Israel gets impatient. And yet, God remains faithful – as Israel descends further and further into sin, further and further into faithlessness, God remains steadfast, and holds out, fulfilling His promises at His chosen time. 

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” (Micah 7:18-20, ESV)

Thank God for the mercies of Christ Jesus, who has taken away our sin and crushed sin, death, and the devil for our sake!