Jesus’ Word and Work
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19 (NIV)
The prophet Micah knew that God had promised to send a Savior. Micah trusted that God would keep His promise: "As for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." (Micah 7:7 NIV)
Some 700 years after Micah lived, the Savior that Micah had waited for was born in Bethlehem. His parents gave him the name Jesus which means "The LORD Saves." Jesus is the reason your sins have been forgiven. But God isn't satisfied with saying "your sins are forgiven." He wants you to be sure that your sins are not coming back again.
The prophet declares, “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” What Micah looked forward to, we look backward to. Because of Jesus, our sins have been "tread" under the feet of God. They are broken. They no longer have the power to condemn us. They no longer can speak out against us. But God takes this picture further in order to reassure us that our sins are never coming back. He says our sins have been cast into the depths of the sea.
They didn't have submersibles in the days of Micah the prophet. They didn't have diving bells, shark cages, or scuba gear. If you dropped something out in the open ocean, it sank into darkness and was gone for good. It was out of sight, out of reach, and lost forever. Don’t go looking for your sins. You’ll never find them. Because of Jesus, your sins are out of sight, out of reach, and lost forever.
Lord Jesus, comfort me with the truth of Your full and free forgiveness. Amen.