Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 177:705 (Jan 2020)
Article: From The Editor
Author: Glenn R. Kreider

From The Editor

Glenn R. Kreider

In the eighth century BC, the prophet Micah described himself as full of misery because of the evil surrounding him (Micah 7:1). Unrighteousness abounded; “not one upright person remains” (7:2). No one was safe; “everyone lies in wait to shed blood” (7:2). Rulers and judges demanded bribes and gifts (7:3). Friends could not be trusted (7:5). Even family relationships had become untrustworthy (7:5–6). But in the midst of all his grief and pain, the prophet pledged to “watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior” (7:7). He remained convinced that God would hear and respond.

What gave the prophet such conviction? How could he be so confident that God would one day vindicate him? Micah grounded his hope in the character of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is no God like him, “who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance” (7:18). God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (cf. Ezek 33:11); rather, Micah confessed, “You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Micah 7:18). God is merciful. He is not stingy or grudging in sharing mercy; he delights in being merciful. We can trust the future to a merciful God.