“Because He Delighteth In Mercy, He Will

Micah 7:19-20

Complete salvation and eternal life flow to chosen sinners from the mercy of God. He saves, "not by works of righteousness, but according to his mercy" (Tit. 3:5). It is the mercy of God which is the foundation of our hope. It is the mercy of God that encourages sinners to seek mercy and salvation in Christ by faith. And it is the mercy of God by which we obtain his everlasting salvation in Christ (Psa. 103:8; Luke 18:13; 1 Tim. 1:13). When our God has, at last, put us into the possession and enjoyment of that complete salvation to which he chose us, we will find and obtain mercy in that great day of judgment. As the wicked are cast into hell forever, we shall go with Christ into life eternal in his everlasting kingdom. We are therefore taught to look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (2 Tim 1:18; Jude 1:21). It is this great, free abundant mercy of God which is promised to all the countless hosts of God’s elect in Micah 7:18-20, “because he delighteth in mercy…

"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. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."

“He will turn again.’ There is an hour appointed by God called “the time of love” (Ezek. 16:8), in which he will turn to every chosen sinner in saving grace. When God turns to us in mercy, he turns us to him in repentance and faith.

“He will have compassion upon us.” What a blessed word of comfort and hope that is! That great God whose compassions fail not will have compassion on us. “Compassion” is co-passion. I leave it to others to figure out how and debate the issues of theological nonsense. This I know – The great God, who is so infinitely above us that nothing moves him or changes him, is our tender, compassionate heavenly Father; and he is touched by that which touches his children!

“He will subdue our iniquities.” Because he delights in mercy, the Lord God has chosen, in great compassion to save hell-bent sinners. At the appointed time of love, he turns to the chosen in almighty, irresistible grace, and brings the hell-bent rebel into voluntary submission to Christ. He removed iniquity from us judicially at Calvary when Christ died for us. But in his saving operations of grace, he never removes iniquity from his chosen in this world. He does something far better. – He subdues it by his grace. God graciously and wisely leaves the old Adamic nature in us until we leave this world, so that we may constantly glorify him, living by faith in Christ, trusting Christ, confessing Christ, and leaning on Christ.

Don Fortner