The theme of God no longer remembering our sins runs throughout the Bible, and this verse from Micah bears some understanding.
The Book of Micah is among the group labeled the “minor prophets.” This moniker, ascribed to the final 12 prophetic books, was given by St. Augustine, and it was merely because they were much less in length than the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Their length should in no way make them diminutive in our minds, for their individual messages are powerful. Though they were directed to the Jews, much of what is written in them is applicable to us even today.
Who Was the Prophet Micah?
The name Micah is actually an abbreviated form of his full name, Micaiah, which means “who is like Yahweh.” He was a contemporary of Isaiah and was quoted by the prophet Jeremiah in his book (Jeremiah 26:18).
Micah lived during the time when Israel was divided into two nations: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
He spoke about the impending destruction of the Northern Kingdom, but the target of his prophetic message was Judah. Micah’s message was that Judah, too, was guilty and would receive God’s discipline.
Rather than prose, Micah utilized poetry as the vehicle of his message. Within its pages, he mentioned the coming Messiah’s lineage, place of birth, and His reign.
We find Micah quoted in the New Testament in Matthew 2:5-6, in reference to Jesus’ birthplace. And again, by Jesus Himself in Matthew 10:36.
While Micah prophesied that both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms would be destroyed, he points out four different times in his message that with the coming of the Messiah, God would restore Israel to a prominent position in the world (2:12; 4:7; 5:7-8; 7:18).
Micah is filled with judgment and lament. As we near the closing of Micah’s book, hope begins to arise. In verse 7:14, Micah cried out to God, “Shepherd Your people with Your staff...”
This is an interesting statement as we often see references to a rod and or staff in the Bible. A short elaboration may assist in understanding.
A rod was similar to a club and could be used to ward off predators or even other people who attempted to steal a shepherd’s sheep. The staff was something like a cane but could range from four feet or so to a much longer length.
Shepherds still use them today. Unique to the staff was a curved portion at the end, a “crook.” While sheep are typically very gentle creatures, they can be contrary. It is at those times that the staff could be used to guide the animal back on track.
The end of the staff is mainly used for gentle prodding, but the crook can be used to hook a leg or even the neck to drag the sheep back in line. For those especially wayward sheep, the rod could even be used.
What Micah is asking God to do is to gently use His staff to guide His people back. The intentional omission of the rod was because he felt Israel had endured enough, and she had learned her lesson.
Micah’s plea in 7:14 is followed by God’s response, “As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders” (7:15).
Micah doesn’t just deliver hope that Israel will again be restored as a nation, he proclaimed that there would be redemption. At the beginning of verse 18, Micah asks a rhetorical question, “Who is a God like you...?
Well, the obvious answer is no one is like Yahweh. Micah then went on to describe what God is like, “...He pardons iniquity...” and “...passes over transgressions...” for the sake of His people, and that He “...delights in mercy...”
What Is the Context of Micah 7:19?
We now come to verse 7:19, where Micah says, “You will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (NKJV).
This verse is rich in meaning, which conveys God’s love and mercy. The word translated as “subdue” comes from the Hebrew word kabash, which carries the meaning “to conquer, to subjugate, to bring into bondage.”
Thus, God treats our sins as the enemies they are! Once subjugated, He casts these enemies into the sea!
In his commentary, Matthew Henry said, “When God forgives sin, he takes care that it never shall be remembered anymore against the sinner. He casts their sins into the sea; not near the shore-side, where they may appear again, but into the depths of the sea, never to rise again.”
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people perform a symbolic ceremony known as Tashlich. Traditionally, the people seek out a body of water that contains fish and then symbolically cast off their sins.
This is done during a reading of Micah 7:19. In it, they “hurl or cast their sins into the sea.” However, Rabbis warn that this is purely symbolic, for man can no more escape God’s judgment than a fish can escape the fisherman’s net.
With the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Micah 7:19 and many other biblical passages become a reality to the believer.
Man can and does escape God’s judgment through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, one doesn’t find a symbolic casting off of one’s sins, but a real cleansing, a washing that brings the repentant to a level of cleansing that the Bible declares, makes them “...as white as snow...” (Isaiah 1:18).
This theme of God no longer remembering our sins runs throughout the Bible. But have you ever pondered exactly how He, our Omniscient God, the One who knows all things, can, at the same time, no longer remember our transgressions?
How the Omnipresence, who resides outside of time, who could actually view any one of our sinful acts for infinity, can forget? Does this not create something of a paradox in your mind?
The answer can be found in the fact that God does not actually forget the sins; he chooses not to remember them. Unlike us, when we are wronged, we can still recall the trespass. When we have genuinely forgiven someone’s sin against us, the sting may dissipate, but the memory of it lingers.
This is especially so when we take our own sins into account. We have asked for God’s forgiveness and received it, yet the sin is still remembered. This remembrance brings about pain, guilt, sorrow, and depression.
We may recall them, but with God, the memory of them is no longer present. Think about that for a moment; I mean, really consider what is happening here. The God of the universe, Creator of all things, Knower of all things, no longer remembers our sins. He is a powerful God we serve!
My personal favorite passage that follows the theme of God no longer remembering our sins is Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Upon receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a believer is cleansed of all sins. What is more, God recognized that even after saving us, we would still sin and made provision for us.
1 John is a letter written to Christians. In verse 1:9, John provides much-needed reassurance, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”
What Does This Mean?
There are but two acts that cause one to retain their sins. The first is a rejection of Jesus, to turn away from God’s free gift.
The other is unforgiveness, and Christians are warned against this repeatedly. Even in our Lord’s prayer, this stipulation stands out glaringly, “...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...” (Matthew 6:9-13).
Jesus said that if you cannot express forgiveness to others, then you should not expect God to forgive you. This obstinate refusal to forgive another person causes you to retain your own sin.
It is comforting to know that God chooses to not remember our sins. We, too, must get to a place where we can set them aside and move forward. For if God no longer remembers, why should we?
The Apostle Paul grasped this concept and held on to it. The Living Bible captures Paul’s thoughts beautifully,
No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us (Philippians 3:13-14).
God has cast my sins into the sea. I, too, shall remember them no more.
For further reading:
How Are Our Transgressions ‘As Far as the East Is from the West’?
What Does it Mean That Our Sins Are Swept Away?
Why Do We Ask God to ‘Create in Me a Clean Heart’?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Johan Holmdahl
