He will turn again – <\/B>who seemed to be turned away from us when we were turned away from Him. He will subdue, or trample under foot Joe 2:14<\/span>, our worst enemy, our iniquities, as He saith, He shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly Rom 16:20<\/span>. Hitherto, sinful passions had not rebelled only, but had had the mastery over us. Sin subdued man; it was his lord, a fierce tyrant over him; he could not subdue it. Holy Scripture says emphatically of man under the law, that he was sold under sin Rom 7:14<\/span>, a slave under a hard master, oppressed, weighed down, and unable to throw off the bondage. We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin Rom 3:9<\/span>; the Scripture hath concluded all under sin Gal 3:22<\/span>. Under the Gospel, God, he says, would subdue sin under us, and make it, as it were, our footstool . It is a Gospel before the Gospel. God would pardon; and He, not we, would subdue sin to us. He would bestow, of sin the double cure, Save us from its guilt and power . Not I, but the grace of God, which was with me 1Co 15:10<\/span>.<\/P> And Thou wilt cast – <\/B> – Not, some ( for it is impious to look for a half-pardon from God) but – all their sins into the depths of the sea, so that as in the passage of the Red Sea there was not one Egyptian left of those who pursued His people, so neither shall there be one sin, which, through Baptism and on Repentance, shall not through His free mercy be pardoned. As they, which sank as lead in the mighty waters Exo 15:10<\/span>, never again rose, so shall the sins, unless revived by us, not rise against us to condemnation, but shall in the Day of Judgment be sunk in the abyss of hell, as if they had never been.<\/P> <\/p>\n Mic 7:19<\/span><\/p>\n And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea <\/em><\/p>\n God putting away the iniquity of His people<\/strong><\/p>\n The mercies and promises of the Old Testament were but the outline of the glory thereafter to be revealed.<\/p>\n The latter portion of this chapter abounds with assurances of Jerusalems restoration, involving in it the confusion and degradation of its enemies. The prophets apostrophe to Jehovah in the last verses, both in the clearness of its views and the fulness of its statements, is one well suited to the Christian. It is much to be released from sins captivity, to have its iron yoke removed, and the foul garments of its bondage torn away. But it is more to find that He who pardoneth iniquity because He delighteth in mercy will also have compassion on us, and subdue our iniquities; not merely cleanse us from their stain by the blood of Jesus, but also deliver us from their power by His Holy Spirit. The particular turn of the language of the text appears to be taken from the destruction of the hosts of Egypt in the Red Sea. As their ruin was so utter that they were to be seen alive no more forever, it implies that our great spiritual tyrants and foes, our sins, shall, when God by His Spirit arises to subdue them, be as completely cast out, and their final penalty be as thoroughly put away, as though they were buried in the depths of the sea. Sin is closely connected with suffering. If, then, God may be said in a metaphor to cast sin into the sea, may we not literally say the same of the suffering? What the sea is said typically to do for the former, it often actually does for the latter. With so much of injury and destructiveness connected with the sea, there is also bound up much of benefit; benefit especially to suffering humanity, in the multiform maladies which embitter our existence. Then let the sea remind you how noble is the gift of spiritual health; how all-important that the moral disease of evil should be washed away, and your sins through mercy cast into the depths of the sea–that ocean of heavenly grace and love which shall hide them forever from merited condemnation! (Edmund Lilley, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What God would do with our sins<\/strong><\/p>\n Our iniquities. Our sins,–is it possible for us to be quite rid of these? This great question finds in the text a still greater answer. The words are two clauses of promise, each with its own shade of figurative meaning–a strong shade, and a stronger.<\/p>\n How God forgives<\/strong><\/p>\n The gist of the two verses is in the sentence, And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. However unlike to each other we may be, we all have need of pardon. In human pardon there is nothing remarkable save this, that it is often remarkably slow in coming, and as remarkably ungracious when it does come; and that when it is born it is remarkably short lived. Our pardons, like ourselves, are full of imperfections. What a painful operation it is to be forgiven! A man seldom forgives without first humiliating. When God forgives He does it in a style worthy of Himself. There is a dignity about His forgiveness; it is a positive luxury to be forgiven by Him. God only is perfect in the art of pardoning. In the text Gods pardon is described by four words–<\/p>\n Divine compassion to sinners<\/strong><\/p>\n Though the Almighty is absolutely incomprehensible, and cannot be found out to perfection, yet He has explicitly revealed Himself as a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and ready to forgive. And this propitious character of the Deity is peculiarly appropriate and interesting to mankind. Infinite mercy has graciously provided a way of salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ, which is perfectly consistent with Divine justice, and admirably suited to the necessitous circumstances of the world that lieth in wickedness.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The absolution of the guilt of sin. As all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God we must certainly either be pardoned or punished. When sinners return unto God with penitent and believing hearts, He graciously forgives their transgressions, and heals their backslidings. This inestimable blessing is called in the text, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea, which is a mode of expression that intimates both the extent and completeness of pardon.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The subjugation of the power of sin. We are not only guilty, but depraved. Sin is frequently personified in. Scripture, and described as a vile usurper and destructive tyrant, reigning in the hearts and lives of the disobedient. Hence it is not only necessary that the guilt of sin be mercifully cancelled, but that its power be effectually subdued. Omnipotence alone is equal to this glorious achievement. He principally accomplishes this work of grace by His Son, as the Saviour of sinners, by His Word as the instrument of salvation, and by His Spirit as the agent of personal religion.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>These blessings are propitious in their medium. We have no natural right or claim to the Divine mercies, and can only receive them by way of sovereign favour, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. For this purpose He assumed our nature, died for our sins, and ever lives to intercede for sinners.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>These blessings are gracious in their bestowment. We cannot receive them on the ground of personal worthiness or human merit. Nor does the Lord require any previous goodness or moral fitness to render us worthy of the blessings of salvation. He freely and graciously pardons and saves the truly penitent, for the glory of His name, through the merits of the Redeemer.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The character and covenant of God.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The atonement and intercession of Christ.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>The doctrines and promises of the Gospel.<\/p>\n We may infer from this subject–<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The necessity of repentance and faith.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The possibility of pardon and holiness.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>The felicity and duty of the saints. (Eta, in Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons. <\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Divine forgiveness<\/strong><\/p>\n Three ideas involved in figures of Divine forgiveness.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>In human governments it is exercised with most cautious limitations.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>In human governments forgiveness is invariably valued by those to whom it is exercised.<\/p>\n Sins lost in the depths of the sea<\/strong><\/p>\n You see the Thames as it goes sluggishly down through the arches, carrying with it endless impurity and corruption. You watch the inky stream as it pours along day and night, and you think it will pollute the world. But you have just been down to the seashore, and you have looked on the great deep, and it has not left a stain on the Atlantic. No, it has been running down a good many years and carried a world of impurity with it, but when you go to the Atlantic there is not a speck on it. As to the ocean, it knows nothing about it. It is full of majestic music. So the smoke of London goes up, and has been going up, for a thousand years. One would have thought that it would have spoiled the scenery by now; but you get a look at it sometimes. There is the great blue sky which has swallowed up the smoke and gloom of a thousand years, and its azure splendour is unspoiled. It is wonderful how the ocean has kept its purity, and how the sky has taken the breath of the millions and the smoke of the furnaces, and yet it is as pure as the day God made it. It is beautiful to think that these are only images of Gods great pity for the race. Our sins, they are like the Thames; but, mind you, they shall be swallowed up–lost in the depths of the sea, to be remembered against us no more. Though our sins have been going up to heaven through the generations, yet though thy sins are as crimson, they shall be as wool, as white as snow. (W. L. Watkinson.<\/em>)<\/p>\n He will turn again; <\/B>spoken after the manner of man, who in his anger went away resolved to right himself, but on second thoughts, laying aside his anger, turns again to be reconciled and forgive. So the next words explain these. <\/P> He will have compassion upon us; <\/B>with tender bowels he will show himself gracious to us, Jon 3:9<\/span>. <\/P> He will subdue our iniquities; <\/B>as our enemies and his, God will break the power, abolish the dominion of sin, which whilst it reigned provoked God and undid us, it polluted and ruined us; but God will pardon the guilt and abrogate the law of sin, and so restore his people, suitable to that Eze 36:29-34<\/span>. <\/P> Thou wilt cast:<\/B> here is a hypallage of the person from the third to the second person, yet without any lessening the sense in strength or clearness. <\/P> All their sins; <\/B>a usual expression in Scripture to set forth the full and eternal pardon of sin; here it is emphatical, all their sins. <\/P> Into the depths of the sea; <\/B>whence ordinarily we account things can never rise or be found more. <\/P> <\/p>\n 19. turn again<\/B>to us, fromhaving been turned away from us. <\/P> subdue ouriniquities<\/B>literally, “tread under foot,” as beinghostile and deadly to us. Without subjugation of our badpropensities, even pardon could not give us peace. When God takesaway the guilt of sin that it may not condemn us, He takes away alsothe power of sin that it may not rule us. <\/P> cast . . . into . . . depthsof the sea<\/B>never to rise again to view, buried out of sight ineternal oblivion: not merely at the shore side, where they may riseagain. <\/P> our . . . their<\/B>changeof person. Micah in the first case identifying himself and his sinswith his people and their sins; in the second, speaking of<\/I>them and their sins.<\/P><\/p>\n He will turn again<\/strong>,…. From his anger, and show his face and favour; which is not inconsistent with his everlasting and unchangeable love; for anger is not opposite to love, and is only a displicency at sin, and not at the persons of his people; and, properly speaking, is not in God; is rather in appearance than in reality; when his people sin against him, he shows himself as if he was angry; he turns away from them, and withdraws his gracious presence and sensible communion from them; but when they are brought to a sense of sin, and acknowledgment of it, he returns to them, manifests his love to them again, and applies his pardoning grace, which is the thing believed would be done; it is only another expression of that, as all the rest that follow are: the prophet, or the church, dwells on this article of grace, and heaps up words to express it by, as if they could never say too much or it, or sufficiently explain it. The Targum is,<\/p>\n “his word shall return;”<\/p>\n he will have compassion upon us<\/strong>; the Lord is naturally compassionate; he is full of compassion, he has a heart of compassion; these are tender mercies, and never fail, and which are exercised in a sovereign way; pardon of sin flows from hence; every manifestation or it is a display thereof: sin brings afflictions on the saints, and then the Lord pities them, and is afflicted with them; sin grieves them, and he is as it were grieved for them; it wounds them, and then, as the good and compassionate Samaritan, he pours in the oil and wine of pardoning grace, and heals them; they are, while in this state, in such circumstances often as need his compassion, and they may be assured of it, Ps 78:38<\/span>;<\/p>\n he will subdue our iniquities<\/strong>; which maybe understood also as a further explanation of the grace of pardon: sin is an enemy to God and his people; it is too strong and mighty for them; it reigns over them in a state of nature; they are under the power of it, and cannot get rid of it, its influence, guilt, and punishment; Christ has conquered it, made an end of it, and took it away; God tramples upon it, as a conqueror does upon the necks of his enemies; it ii subdued by him, and is under his feet; which he treats with contempt, disdains to look upon, keeps it under, so that it shall never rise again to the condemnation of his people; he overcomes the provocation of it, removes the guilt by pardon, and secures from the punishment of it: or this may be considered as the effect of pardon; as what is done in consequence of it, by the Spirit and grace of God in sanctification; when not only the deeds of the body are mortified through the Spirit, or the outward conversation reformed, but the inward power of sin is weakened; it is laid under the restraints of efficacious grace, and is kept under by it; so that it shall not and cannot have the dominion over the saints again, of which they may be confident, Ro 6:14<\/span>;<\/p>\n and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea<\/strong>; never to be seen any more; though they are seen with the eye of omniscience, and taken notice of by the eye of providence, yet not beheld with the eye of avenging justice, that being satisfied by Christ; besides, all the sins of God’s people have been removed from them to Christ, and by him carried away into the land of oblivion; so that they are no more to be seen on them, who are through his blood and righteousness without fault, spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; and, being out of sight, they are out of mind, never remembered any more, and like things cast into the sea, destroyed and lost: perhaps there may be some allusion to the Egyptians drowned in the Red sea; and what is cast into the sea, especially into the depths of it, is irrecoverable, not to be fetched up again, nor does it rise more; and so it is with the sins of God’s people, forgiven for Christ’s sake, even “all” of them; for they have all been bore by Christ, and are covered, blotted out, and pardoned, not one remains unforgiven; see Isa 38:17<\/span>. This is an apostrophe of the prophet unto God. The Targum is,<\/p>\n “and he will cast into the depths of the sea all the sins of Israel;”<\/p>\n and it may denote their being loathsome and abominable to him, and therefore here cast by him. It is very common in Jewish writings to say of anything that is useless, abominable, accursed, and utterly rejected, that it is to be east into the salt sea. For instance<\/p>\n “Aquila the proselyte divided an inheritance with his brother (a Gentile), and he cast the profit of it into the salt sea: three doctors there were; one said, the price of the idol he cast into the salt sea; another said, he cast the price of his part of the idol into the salt sea; and the other said, he cast the idol itself into the salt sea u.”<\/p>\n Again it is said w,<\/p>\n “a sin offering, whose owner is dead, goes into the salt sea.”<\/p>\n The Heathens used sea water for the purgation and expiation of sin; hence the poet x, to aggravate the wickedness of a very wicked man, observes, that the ocean itself could not wash away his sins. And Cicero y, speaking of the law of the Romans for the punishment of parricides, which ordered that they should be sewed up alive in sacks, and cast into the river, observes the wisdom and propriety of it; they would not, says he, have them cast naked into the river, lest, when they should be carried into the sea, they should pollute that by which other things that are defiled are thought to be expiated. So Iphigenia is made to say z that the sea washes away all the sins of men. These are the Jewish and Heathenish notions; whether there is any allusion to them may be considered; however, certain it is, that nothing short of the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, or the sea of Christ’s blood, can wash away sin; that cleanses from all sin; and happy are they whose sins are cast in thither, or are expiated and purged away thereby!<\/p>\n u T. Hieros. Demai, fol. 25. 4. w Ibid. Sotah, fol. 19. 1. Vid. ibid. Avoda Zara, fol. 39. 2. & Nazir, fol. 53. 1. x “Suscipit, O Gelli, quantum non ultima Thetis, Nec genitor lympharum abluit Oceanus”. Catullus. y Oratio 2. pro Sexto Roscio. z Euripides in Tauro.<\/p>\n The Prophet now prescribes to the faithful a form of glorying, that they may boldly declare that God will be pacified towards them. Since then God loves mercy, he will return, he will have mercy on us The context here ought to be observed by us; for it would avail us but little to understand, I know not what, concerning God’s mercy, and to preach in general the free remission of sins, except we come to the application, that is, except each of the faithful believed that God, for his own sake, is merciful, as soon as he is called upon. This conclusion, then, is to be borne in mind, — “God forgives the remnant of his heritage, because he is by nature inclined to show mercy: he will therefore be merciful to us, for we are of the number of his people.” Except we lay hold on this conclusion, “He will therefore show mercy to us,” whatever we have heard or said respecting God’s goodness will vanish away. <\/p>\n This then is the true logic of religion, that is, when we are persuaded that God is reconcilable and easily pacified, because he is by nature inclined to mercy, and also, when we thus apply this doctrine to ourselves, or to our own peculiar benefit, — As God is by nature merciful, I shall therefore know and find him to be so. Until then we be thus persuaded, let us know that we have made but little progress in the school of God. And hence it appears very clear from this passage, that the Papacy is a horrible abyss; for no one under that system can have a firm footing, so as to be fully persuaded that God will be merciful to him; for all that they have are mere conjectures. But we see that the Prophet reasons very differently, God loves mercy; he will therefore have mercy on us: and then he adds, He will return; (202) and this is said lest the temporary wrath or severity of God should disquiet us. Though God then may not immediately shine on us with his favor, but, on the contrary, treat us sharply and roughly, yet the Prophet teaches us that we are to entertain good hope. — How so? He will return, or, as he said shortly before, He will not retain perpetually his wrath: for it is for a moment that he is angry with his Church; and he soon remembers mercy. <\/p>\n The Prophet now specifies what sort of mercy God shows to the faithful, For he will tread down our iniquities; he had said before that he passes by the wickedness of his elect people. He will then tread down our iniquities; and he will cast (203) into the depth of the sea all their sins; that is our sins shall not come in remembrance before him. We hence learn what I have said before — that God cannot be worshipped sincerely and from the heart until this conviction be fixed and deeply rooted in our hearts, that God is merciful, not in general, but toward us, because we have been once adopted by him and are his heritage. And then were the greater part to fall away, we should not fail in our faith; for God preserves the remnant in a wonderful manner. And lastly, let us know, that whenever we flee to God for mercy, pardon is ever ready for us, not that we may indulge in sin, or take liberty to commit it, but that we may confess our faults and that our guilt may appear before our eyes: let us know, that the door is open to us; for God of his own good will presents himself to us as one ready to be reconciled. <\/p>\n It is also said, He will cast our sins into the depth of the sea. We hence learn that there is a full remission of sins, not half as the Papists imagine, for God, they say, remits the sin, but retains the punishment. How frivolous this is, the thing itself clearly proves. The language of the Prophet does however import this, that our sins are then remitted when the records of them are blotted out before God. It follows — for I will run over this verse, that I may today finish this Prophet — <\/p>\n (202) Grotius, Dathius, and Henderson, consider that this verb, placed before another, without a conjunction, expresses only a reiteration; and they render it adverbially, “again.” But, in this place, it would be better to give it its proper meaning; for as God is said to depart from his people, Hos 9:12<\/span>, so he may be said also to return. The Septuagint renders it επιστρεψει —He will return. Drusius reads, convertetur, scil. Ab ira sua — He will turn, that is, from his anger. Newcome’s version is, “He will turn again.” — Ed. <\/p>\n (203) There is a mistake as to this verb; it is the second person, as are all the verbs which follow. The Prophet resumes here his address to God, which he commenced in the two first lines of the last verse. To show the difference between what he speaks to and what he speaks of God, the whole passage shall be here given, — <\/p>\n 18. What God is like thee! Taking away iniquity, and passing over transgression! Against the remnant of his heritage He retains not forever his anger; For a lover of mercy is He; <\/p>\n 19. He will return, he will pity us, He will subdue our iniquities: — Yea, thou wilt cast into the depths of the sea all their sins; Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, Which thou swarest to our fathers in the days of old. <\/p>\n “<\/p>\n Pity,” רטחם, is tender compassion; the noun in the plural number is used to designate the bowels. “Subdue,” or trample under foot, is rendered “cover” by Newcome, on the ground of this being the meaning of כבש in Chaldee. This wholly destroys the striking character of the passage. Our sins are here represented as our enemies; God subdues them; and then in the next line the simile is continued, they are to be drowned like Pharaoh and his hosts in the depths of the sea. Henderson’s remarks on this point are very excellent. “There is no ground,” he says, “for rejecting the radical idea of trampling under foot as enemies. Sin must ever be regarded as hostile to man. It is not only contrary to his interests, but it powerfully opposes and combats the moral principles of his nature, and the higher principles implanted by grace; and but for the counteracting energy of divine influence, must prove victorious. Without the subjugation of evil propensities, pardon would not be a blessing.” — Ed. <\/p>\n Mic 7:19<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>And thou wilt cast all their sins, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> Houbigant very properly joins the preceding clauses in this verse to the 18th, because the words pass into the second person, which continues to be used in the 20th verse. The whole is a beautiful prediction of gospel grace and mercy. <\/p>\n REFLECTIONS.<\/strong>1st, The prophet here bewails his unhappy fate, compelled to dwell among such an abandoned people; for a gracious heart is pained to behold the overflowings of ungodliness. <\/p>\n 1. He was singular and solitary, and scarcely could find a gracious companion amid the thousands of his countrymen; so few good men remained, as the berries which hung on the vine after the gleanings. There is no cluster to eat, <\/em>no society of upright men to join with; my soul desired the first ripe fruit, <\/em>longed for the converse of such as had the first fruits of the Spirit, as the holy men of old; but there were none remaining. The good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men, <\/em>at least the prophet could not find them; but, like Elijah, thought he was left alone. Note; <\/em>It is a sad symptom of a nation’s ruin, when good men are taken away, and they who rise up in their places appear utterly degenerated from the piety of their ancestors. <\/p>\n 2. They stop at nothing to get wealth, lying in wait for blood, <\/em>that they may seize the spoil of the innocent; and, like wild beasts, hunting their very brethren into their toils, that they may plunder and oppress them. With both hands <\/em>earnestly they set themselves to the practice of wickedness; and even the magistrates and princes are chief in the transgression, judging for reward; money, not justice, ever carrying the cause before them: and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire; so they wrap it up, <\/em>or twist it together; <\/em>emboldened by the known corruption of the judges, he is not afraid to appear openly in a bad cause; and having the princes on his side, they make the cords of iniquity strong, or they perplex it, <\/em>rendering the matter so intricate, that the truth cannot be easily unravelled. The best of them, <\/em>and bad indeed is that best, is as a brier, <\/em>mischievous and hurtful; and the most upright is sharper than a thorn-hedge; <\/em>they who have any transactions with them are sure to be scratched and torn; and for such abominations God will visit them; the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh, <\/em>the day which the true prophets predicted, and the time when judgment should pass on the wicked watchmen in church and state; now shall be their perplexity, <\/em>unable to extricate themselves from the troubles in which they were involved. <\/p>\n 3. All good faith was lost among them; no such thing as a friend was to be met with, and no confidence to be put in any who pretended to be a guide in church or state; nay, the very wife of their bosom was not to be trusted, being in those degenerate days base enough to betray the secrets of her husband. 2nd, In these calamitous times the prophet looks upward; thence cometh his hope. I will look unto the Lord, <\/em>since no dependence was to be placed on man; I will wait for the God of my salvation, <\/em>for the performance of his promises, the removal of the present distresses, or for Christ’s appearing, whose incarnation the good men of old so earnestly desired; my God will hear me, <\/em>and answer my prayers, of which also all his believing people may be confident, when they patiently wait upon him. Having thus cast his care upon God, the prophet, in the person of his people, <\/p>\n 1. Professes his confidence in God. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; <\/em>though cast down, God’s believing people were not destroyed from the face of the earth; and short would be the triumphing of their enemies; when I fall, I shall arise, <\/em>strengthened with divine power; when I sit in darkness, <\/em>disconsolate, dejected, the Lord shall be a light unto me, <\/em>reviving, comforting, and quickening me, and bringing me out of all my afflictions; and thus at all times ought believers to stay themselves upon him. <\/p>\n 2. He humbly bows before the chastening rod, and owns the righteousness of the sufferings brought upon the land. I will bear the indignation of the Lord <\/em>with patient submission, because I have sinned against him, <\/em>and therefore should not dare to murmur against God’s righteous judgments; for all true penitents lay their mouths in the dust; whatever indignation is upon them, their sins have deserved it, and they will justify God in his judgments; and, so doing, they may hope for God’s appearing on their behalf; until he plead my cause, <\/em>as he assuredly will for all such in due time; and execute judgment for me, <\/em>pouring down vengeance on all the oppressors of his people; and he will bring me forth to the light, <\/em>espouse their quarrel; and, rescuing them from their calamities, make his favour towards them openly appear; and I shall behold his righteousness; <\/em>his justice in punishing their wicked enemies, his grace in succouring his afflicted people, his faithfulness in accomplishing his promises; for they who humbly submit themselves to God, and cast their care upon him, shall ever find that he careth for them. <\/p>\n 3. Their enemies, covered with confusion, shall behold this salvation, so unlike what they looked for. They once tauntingly asked, Where is the Lord thy God? <\/em>and now are they answered, Lo! this is our God, and we have waited for him: mine eye shall behold her; <\/em>their enemies, reduced to the lowest state of abject wretchedness; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets: <\/em>which was fulfilled in the conquest of Babylon by the Persians, and shall be proved true in the destruction of all the foes of God’s spiritual faithful Israel. In the day that thy walls are to be built, <\/em>the walls of Jerusalem, after their return from Babylon; in that day shall the decree be far removed, <\/em>which obstructed the building for a while. In that day also he shall come even to thee, <\/em>multitudes of the Jews returning to Jerusalem from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, <\/em>where they had been captives, and from all places whither they had been dispersed and fled for shelter. And in a spiritual sense this may be applied to the building of the walls of the spiritual Zion; into which, from all parts, multitudes of converts will flock together. Notwithstanding, the land shall be desolate, because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings, <\/em>these gracious prophesies shall not supersede the divine threatenings going before, so as to embolden the impenitent with hopes of impunity. See the Annotations for another interpretation of this passage. <\/p>\n 3rdly, We have, 2. God is pleased graciously to answer the prophet’s prayer. According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I shew unto him marvellous things; <\/em>as wonderful should be their deliverance from Babylon, as from Egypt; and more amazing his work of redemption by Jesus Christ, rescuing his believing people from their spiritual enemies, and eclipsing all the former manifestations of his power and grace exerted on their behalf. Their insulting foes shall then be confounded, silent with shame, and stopping their ears, as unwilling to hear the wonders of God’s love towards his faithful ones. Yea, the curse of the serpent shall be upon them, Gen 3:14<\/span> trodden into the dust, and prostrate before those whom once they trampled upon like worms of the earth, <\/em>scarcely daring to lift their heads from their lurking-places; for fear of the Lord our God, <\/em>whose judgments are upon them; and because of thee, <\/em>whom they have abused, but now behold triumphant over them. And so low shall every enemy of Christ’s church and people be brought at last. <\/p>\n 3. With wonder, love, and praise, the prophet beholds what God is about to do for his church. Who is a god like unto thee? <\/em>None can be found like him for the perfections of his nature, and the works of his providence and grace; especially that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage; <\/em>this being God’s distinguishing glory, that he is a pardoning God; and this above all things raises the admiration, and engages the affections of the miserable, broken-hearted sinner: he retaineth not his anger for ever; <\/em>though for a time, by our unfaithfulness, we provoke him to visit our iniquities with the rod, and our sin with scourges, he is not implacable nor inexorable, if we look to him in true contrition; but ready to receive the returning soul, because he delighteth in mercy, <\/em>and waits to be gracious; more ready to pardon than we to pray, and willing to give exceeding abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think. He will turn again <\/em>towards the penitent sinner, though he withdraw for a little moment his loving-kindness in displeasure, and turn away his face from him; he will have compassion upon us, <\/em>when we mourn his absence, and seek his return; he will then lift up again the light of his countenance, removing our sorrows, and speaking peace to our troubled but longing souls: he will subdue our iniquities, <\/em>delivering us from the power as well as punishment of them; breaking the yoke of corruption, and putting our inbred enemies under our feet. His grace shall overcome our depravity, and sin shall not have any longer the dominion over us: which a soul that has tasted the bitterness of sin looks upon as the most inestimable blessing: and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea; <\/em>they shall be not only forgiven, but, as it were, forgotten; totally done away in the blood of a Redeemer. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham; <\/em>the faithfulness of God is engaged to every faithful soul for the fulfilment of the covenant, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old, <\/em>that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible that God should lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before us. And for this, for ever and for ever praise the Lord, O my soul! <\/p>\n Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.<\/p>\n Ver. 19. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us<\/strong> ] Here is the pith and power of faith, particularly applying promises to a man’s self. Say that sin hath separated between us and our God, Isa 59:2<\/span> , and made him send us far away into captivity; yet he will turn again and yearn toward us, he will turn again our captivity as the streams in the south. His compassions are more than fatherly, Psa 103:13<\/span> ; motherly, Isa 49:15<\/span> ; brotherly, Heb 2:12<\/span> . This the Church knows, and therefore cries after him, “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart,” Son 8:14<\/span> , which when it fleeth looketh behind it, saith the Chaldee paraphrast there. And this that he will do, she is bold to believe. He will, he will, and that to us, saith the prophet here. Lo, this is that work of faith, to wrap itself in the promises as made to us in particular, 1Ti 1:15<\/span> ; and unless faith be on this sort actuated, it is, as to comfort, as good as no faith. See Mat 8:26 cf. Mar 4:30<\/span> . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He will subdue our iniquities<\/strong> ]. By force and violence (as the word signifieth), subiugabit, pessundabit, conculcabit.<\/em> Sin is sturdy, and will rebel where it cannot reign. It hath a strong heart, and will not easily yield. But yield it shall, for God will subdue it. And this is a further favour (as every former is a pledge of a future). To pardon of sin God will add power against sin; to justification by Christ’s merit, sanctification by his Spirit; he will let out the life blood of sin, and lay it a dying at our feet; he will tread Satan with all his black train under our feet shortly, Rom 16:20<\/span> . He will not only turn us again, but turn his hand upon us, and purely purge away our dross, and take away all our tin, Isa 1:25<\/span> . In fine<\/em> at the end he will so mortify the deeds of the body by his Spirit, that sin shall not have dominion over us, Rom 6:14<\/span> , shall not play Rex<\/em> King in us; the traveller shall not become the man of the house, as Nathan’s parable speaketh. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And thou wilt cast all their sins into the bottom of the sea<\/strong> ] Wherehence they shall never be buoyed up again. Thus the prophet, by an insinuating apostrophe, turneth himself to God, and speaks with much confidence. Such is the nature of true faith, sc.<\/em> to grow upon God, and, as I may so say, to encroach; as Moses did, Exo 33:12-13<\/span> ; Exo 34:10<\/span> ; and as David did, 1Ch 17:23<\/span> , &c. See how he improves God’s promise, and works upon it, 1Ch 17:24-25<\/span> , he goes over it again, and yet still encroacheth; and the effect was good, 1Ch 18:14<\/span> . We hinder ourselves of much happiness by a sinful shamefacedness. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, Heb 4:16<\/span> ; so shall we see our sins, as Israel did the Egyptians, dead on the shore.<\/p>\n will turn again. Compare Hos 14:8. <\/p>\n turn: Deu 30:3, Deu 32:36, Ezr 9:8, Ezr 9:9, Psa 90:13, Psa 90:14, Isa 63:15-17, Jer 31:20, Lam 3:32, Hos 14:4 <\/p>\n subdue: Deu 30:6, Psa 130:8, Eze 11:19, Eze 11:20, Eze 36:25-27, Rom 6:14, Rom 6:17-22, Rom 7:23-25, Rom 8:2, Rom 8:3, Rom 8:13, Tit 2:14, Jam 4:5, Jam 4:6, 1Jo 3:8 <\/p>\n cast: Psa 103:12, Isa 38:17, Jer 50:20, Dan 9:24 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Gen 19:16 – the Lord Exo 15:5 – depths Lev 14:7 – let Lev 16:22 – not inhabited Deu 9:27 – look not 2Sa 12:13 – The Lord 1Ki 8:23 – who keepest 2Ki 13:23 – the Lord Neh 9:17 – a God Job 7:21 – take away Psa 23:3 – restoreth Psa 25:16 – Turn Psa 32:1 – transgression Psa 39:8 – Deliver Psa 51:1 – O God Psa 51:9 – Hide Psa 69:16 – turn Psa 103:9 – neither Psa 111:4 – gracious Isa 1:18 – though your Isa 33:24 – shall be forgiven Isa 43:25 – even I Jer 33:8 – General Lam 3:22 – because Eze 18:22 – his transgressions Eze 33:16 – General Eze 36:29 – save Dan 9:9 – To the Lord Hos 14:2 – away Zec 1:3 – and Zec 3:9 – remove Mat 18:22 – but Mar 8:2 – compassion Luk 5:21 – Who can Luk 7:47 – which Luk 15:20 – But Act 3:19 – that Rom 5:20 – But Rom 7:24 – who Heb 8:12 – General Heb 10:2 – once 1Pe 5:10 – the God<\/p>\n Mic 7:19. Subdue our iniquities has special reference to the complete cure of idolatry that the captivity effected upon Israel. See the historical note on this subject with the comments on Isa 1:25 in volume 3 of this Com-mentary,<\/p>\n 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all {t} their sins into the depths of the sea.<\/p>\n (t) Meaning his elect.<\/p>\n Yahweh would again have compassion (tender, heartfelt concern, Heb. rehem<\/span>) on the Israelites, as He had done so often in their history (cf. Psa 102:13; Psa 103:4; Psa 103:13; Psa 116:5; Psa 119:156; Hos 14:4; Zec 10:6). He would subdue their iniquities as though they were insects that He stepped on and obliterated. He would do away with their sins as surely as someone gets rid of something permanently by throwing it into the sea (cf. Psa 103:12). The use of three words for sin in Mic 7:18-19 (iniquity, rebellious acts, and sins) gives added assurance of forgiveness. God will forgive all types of Israel’s sins.<\/p>\n He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. He will turn again – who seemed to be turned away from us when we were turned away from Him. He will subdue, or trample under foot … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Micah 7:19”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>The Divine One as effecting the conquest of human sins. He will subdue our iniquities; that is, He will tread them down, will trample them in triumph under His feet. The very sound of the words suggests that it is no easy enterprise, this managing of our sins. We are apt to think lightly of sins. We underestimate the terrible capacity of wrong and death which lurks in them, and in each one of them. We yield them quarter, rations, parole, friendship. They swarm round us, and we cannot subdue them. Give your welcome, then, to Him who conquers this haunting throng on your behalf. Here He stands, at your side and mine. With Him beside us the whole matter passes beyond mere hopefulness into utter assurance. But, it may be asked, is it not an arduous and a daring task for any one to undertake for me? It is so much this, and so much more this than you can think, that only the One need attempt to undertake it. You may safely entrust the great task to Him. See the comprehensive completeness of the conquest. Christ not only conquers all the bad legions that had mustered around us during bygone years, but He tramples down the up-springing legions as they venture to arise,–thinning their ranks and enfeebling their energy, and impoverishing their condition, with the sure prospect for us that soon the hour will have struck when He can look back upon nothing but conquest, and forward upon nothing to conquer.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>The Divine One as effecting the destruction and oblivion of human sins. The new figure substantially repeats the sense of the other; yet it advances further, and is more vividly full of the gracious truth upon this subject. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Sins, not iniquities only, but the gravest as well as the lightest violations of Divine law. Into the sea, and into the deep places of the sea; far to seaward, where the sounding line descends in miles–buried, without resurrection, for evermore. Some who have entrusted themselves to Gods grace are still timid and doubtful as to whether it can really be all, and once for all, and irrecoverably, settled about those sins of theirs. Be sure that when God pardons at all He pardons altogether, The sins of a Christ-trusting man are not only lost, but are what may be called securely lost. A thing is most safely gone, not when it is banished we know not whither, but when, knowing where it is, we are sure that it is absolutely irrecoverable. Apply. Never dream of managing your sins yourself. When God has put our sins into forgetfulness we ought ourselves no more to remember them. (J. A. Kerr Bain, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>Pardon. Pardoneth iniquity. While in everything God is incomparable, He is most unrivalled in the matter of forgiving. The glory of God is His ability and willingness to forgive. The word pardoneth in the Hebrew means to lift up and carry away. Do not run away with the idea that pardoning is only a matter of uttering a word. God cannot forgive at the expense of His own righteousness. He is a God that lifteth up the iniquity. The Soil lifted the sin up on His shoulders, and He walked away with it.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Passeth by. And passeth by the transgression. Transgression here means rebellion. Passeth by,–that is, as if He did not see it. God deals with sin as if He did not see it. He has seen it once. He saw it on Christ. He does not see it on me, because He saw it on Him.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>Subdue. The R.V. has, He will trample under foot our iniquities. When God forgives the guilt of a sinners sins He breaks their power. Have you ever tried to trample on your own iniquities? When God forgives the guilt He says: I will do more–I will put My foot down on the neck of your iniquities.<\/p>\n
IV. <\/strong>Cast into sea. God provides that His act of grace shall never be repealed. He will never take back the pardon He has once bestowed. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. That is how God puts away the sins of His people. When God pardons a mans sins He takes the sins, and drops them into the deepest place He can find, and there they lie, forever forgiven, forever forgotten. Micah may have had the drowning of the Egyptian host in his mind when he penned this passage. When God pardons, the tablets of His memory, if I may so put it, are wiped, and there is no remembrance forever made of this sin. When God buries our sin He takes it right out into the mid-ocean of Divine pardon and Divine forgetfulness, and it is forever forgotten. (Archibald G. Brown.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>The blessings piously anticipated. He will subdue our iniquities, etc. There may be an allusion to the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptian bondage. As the Lord then literally subdued Pharaoh and His host, so He will spiritually subdue the iniquities of His faithful servants, and by His pardoning mercy cast all their sins into the depths of the sea The prophet evidently anticipates–<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>The source distinctly specified. He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us. The prophet attributes the pardon and destruction of sin to the Lord Jehovah. These blessings are Divine in their origin. God only can forgive sin, and save the sinner. It is His sole prerogative to absolve our crimes and purify our souls. And this perfectly harmonises with the perfections of His nature.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>The confidence devoutly expressed. He will turn, etc. This is not the language of enthusiastic presumption, but of inspired and rational assurance; it is founded on–<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>An antecedent liability to punishment. All the terms imply something wrong, and the wrong is moral. It is crime, and crime must ever expose to punishment. Because of this moral wrong there must be a liability <\/em>to <\/em>punishment.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>The exercise of a merciful prerogative. God is disposed to forgive. Two things connected with this pardoning prerogative which marks it off from its exercise in human governments.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>An actual deliverance from all liability to punitive suffering. The forgiven man is delivered from punishment. (Homilist.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
4. All reverence of parents was banished, the son dishonoureth the father, <\/em>speaking contemptuously of him, behaving disrespectfully and disobediently; and the daughter riseth up against the mother, <\/em>with sauciness unbecoming her sex, as well as her relation; the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; <\/em>and a man’s enemies are the men of his own house; <\/em>his children, his servants, who should he most solicitous to advance his interest, conspiring to ruin him. Note; <\/em>Nothing shews an abandoned heart more strongly than contempt of parental authority. <\/p>\n
1. The prophet’s prayer on the behalf of his people, Feed thy people with thy rod, <\/em>directing them in their way, and bringing them into green pastures; the flock of thine heritage, <\/em>whom he had as a nation called to be a peculiar people; which dwell solitarily in the wood, <\/em>separated from the rest of mankind, to preserve the worship of Jehovah, the one true and only God; and even in their captivity unmixed with the nations; in the midst of Carmel, <\/em>scattered in Assyria, as sheep upon a mountain without a shepherd: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old, <\/em>in the richest pastures, abounding in all blessings spiritual and temporal; as will be the case when they shall be gathered from their dispersion into the gospel-church, and made one fold with the Gentiles under one shepherd. <\/p>\nFuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"