The Conquest of Our Iniquities

Reflections on Micah 7

I slowly drew up the blinds this morning to reveal Mount Princeton rising up from the valley floor, standing majestic in the early dawn sun as she does most mornings. I shook off the cobwebs of sleep as I made my way into the kitchen to brew up a hot cup of Brazilian java from Buena Vista Roastery. As the glorious scent of coffee slowly permeated our home, I made my way to sit before the fire in order to keep my appointment with a dead guy.

Like me, he hails from a small town. Just south of Jerusalem hundreds of years ago, lay Moresheth, from which Micah — “filled with strength, with the Spirit of God, and with Justice and Power” —declared to God’s people how they had rebelled, and were facing judgment.

Tough words to hear on a Sabbath morning.

Thankfully, my small town forebear also brought a message of hope to take with me into the day. And within it, he provided a way of thinking about my conquering King that I hadn’t considered before —

Who is a God like you,
forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not hold on to his anger forever
because he delights in faithful love.

He will again have compassion on us;
he will vanquish our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.

You will show loyalty to Jacob
and faithful love to Abraham,
as you swore to our ancestors
from days long ago. ~ Micah 7:18-20

Have you ever thought of your iniquities as something to be vanquished?

The image leapt to mind this morning of Tolkien’s small Fellowship of hobbits, men, an elf, and a dwarf, deep in the mines of Moria, when swarms of orcs and goblins and all manner of evil descended upon them, with the only thing standing between them and destruction was a staff-wielding wizard.

And so, our iniquities.

Swarms of all manner of evil, all at the hands of an unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil arrayed against us. And the only thing standing between us and total annihilation is the God who would rightfully judge us — for we are complicit — but instead, shockingly, stunningly, and wonderfully, well, he has compassion on us.

As the all-sufficient warrior, El Shaddai, Yahweh, God, he vanquishes all our iniquities.
He casts all our sins into the depths of the sea.
He lets go of his anger, and embraces faithful love, because he delights to do so.
He forgives all our iniquity, and passes over all our petty rebellions.
He shows loyalty to traitors, keeping covenant, welcoming us back into the fold.

And that is the message of hope that a dead guy wanted to share with me this morning.
A message from a God thousands of years ago, but who is the same, yesterday, and today…

…and forever.

Yes, and very amen, in Jesus’ name.