A DIVINE LEGAL CASE (Cont.) GLORY TO YOU, O GRANTOR OF BLESSINGS A GRIEF AND A GLORIFICATION: Revealing God’s longing for entering into a debate with His people to motivate them to enjoy His love instead of being immersed in corruption, the prophet Micah proclaims the bitterness of his soul because of the corruption prevailing among his people. Then again he beholds God’s plan for salvation and rejoices glorifying God. Although God is holding a legal case against His people and is calling the whole earth to testify against them, He does not do so to proclaim His justice, but to reveal the glory of His love for every soul that returns to Him. He is in no need for a testimony to His justice, to His righteousness, or even to His love as much as He wants to pour His love in the hearts of all mankind. This chapter starts with woe and bitterness, yet ends with joy and praise. 1. A confession of iniquity 1-10. 2. A divine promise of blessings 11-13. 3. A final intercession on their behalf 14-17. 4. A glorification: The victory of the divine grace 18-20. 1. A CONFESSION OF INIQUITY: In this legal case the whole humanity is exposed. Being unable to justify its denial and unfaithfulness towards God, who is faithful in His love, it proclaims the bitter fact that it became like a fruitless vine and a fig tree with no first-ripe fruit. Hatred ran in the blood of men: one against his brother; blood shedding infiltrated among them for no reason; and animosity prevailed among the members of the same family. “Woe is me! For I have become like one who, after the summer fruit has been gathered, after the vintage has been gleaned, finds no cluster to eat; there is no firstripe fig for which I hunger” (Micah 7:1) A painful portrait of the extent of the draught dwelling on the kingdom because of evil, which is conformable to the time of the reign of Ahaz, the worst of the kings of Judah, or to the beginning of that of Hezekiah before the movement of reform. Some believe that it is a prophecy of what would befall the kingdom in the coming days of the evil king Manasseh. Judah and Jerusalem seem like a garden after the harvest is gathered; with nicelooking leaves, but with no single cluster of grapes or a single fig to eat. By saying: “woe is me,” the prophet counts what has dwelt on the whole kingdom as though it has dwelt on him alone; and the bitterness in which the people live as though he tastes it personally. Such are the true feelings of the men of God; we hear the moans of the prophet Jeremiah: “My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly!” (Jeremiah 4:19); “My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick; … For the hurt of my people I am hurt; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me” (Jeremiah 8:18, 21). Who is the speaker, when the prophet says: ‘Woe is me; for I have become like one who gathers hay in the time of harvest’. Does the prophet literally gather hay or does 119 he even intend to? Does he own a field?! The only One who truly gathers what he has sown is not the prophet, but the Savior Lord, Jesus Christ. But because of the several iniquities among the pagan nations and even among those, who claim to constitute the Church, the prophet mourns and says what he says in (7:1) I hope that every one of us searched himself: Is he an ear of grain? Will the Son of God find something to pluck or to gather in him? Will we find some of us blown by the wind? Looking at the Churches or what are so called and finding them packed with sinners, he cries out saying: “Woe is me! …” The Lord comes seeking fruits from the vine, as everyone of us is planted as “a vineyard on a very fruitful hill” (Isaiah 5:1); or as “a vine brought out of Egypt” (Psalm 80:8); planted to carry fruits (Jeremiah 2:21); but He comes to gather fruits and finds only few clusters remaining. Who among us bears the fruitful clusters of virtue1?! Origen The wicked are sifted like light hay, whereas the righteous are saved like heavy grain. Let us listen to what the Lord says to Peter: “Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that Your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). Those sifted as light hay would be carried away by the wind, while those, who, like seeds that fall down on a good ground, would spring up and yield a crop a hundredfold (Luke 8:8). The prophet likens evil to hay that is burnt up after the harvest. ‘Job’ says: “They are like straw before the wind” (Job 21:18), then adds right away: “and like chaff that a storm carries away.” Indeed the wicked is soon crushed and scattered like dust, according to the first Psalm that says: “The ungodly are like the chaff which the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:4) 2. St. Ambrose “The faithful have disappeared from the land, and there is no one left who is upright; they all lie in wait for blood, and they hunt each other with nets” (Micah 7:2) The good disappeared from the land and there is no one upright left, as the rulers take possessions by force, the judges ask for bribes, treason prevails among friends, and hatred among members of the same family. Corruption became public among the people; but God remains faithful, leading His people from darkness to His amazing light. The human kingdom is transformed into a jungle in which every one is devouring the other; its law is oppression and blood-shedding; and everyone finds his happiness in hunting his brother as though with a net. The Psalmist says: “Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases; for the faithful disappeared from among the sons of men; they speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak” (Psalm 12:1-2). Let us grieve for some time, to rejoice eternally; let us fear the Lord; let us hasten to confess our sins to Him; let us correct our position and straighten our path lest we hear the words: “The faithful have disappeared from the land and there is nobody who can put them right" 3. 1 Homilies on Jeremiah, 15:3:2. 2 The Prayer of Job and David, 2:5:18. 3 St. Ambrose: Concerning Repentance, 2:7 (52). 120 St. Ambrose If travel is hard in itself, it would be harder if the traveler is alone with no companion. It is the same thing here, meaning that fellowship and brotherly encouragement are very important. That is why the apostle Paul says: “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). The old men of God became worthy of being spiritually beautified, not because they practiced virtue, but because they did despite its absence or the scarcity of those who practice it anywhere. This is what the Holy Book means by saying: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Genesis 6:9). On this account we marvel how could Abraham, Lot, and Moses, who shined like stars in the midst of pitch darkness, like roses among thorns, and like a flock of sheep in the midst of many wolves; who took the way contradictory to that of others with no hesitation! You can imagine how difficult it could be and how much trouble it must have brought on them taking a way opposite to the others and traveling against the direction of the crowd. It would be like when a boat is confronted by opposing mighty waves; it would be more difficult when it concerns virtue1! “Woe is me!…the faithful have disappeared from the land” (Micah 7:1-2). That is our role, to grieve. When our prayers, our advices, and our warnings are of no avail, nothing remains for us except to weep. So did Christ, when He provoked those in Jerusalem without avail, He wept for their sake; and so did the prophets; and so should we from now on! It is time for grief, tears, and mourning! It is fitting for us to say: “Call for the mourning women to come; send for the skilled women to come; … to take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run with tears” (Jeremiah 9:17). Perhaps this way we can wipe away the illness of those, who surround themselves with fields that they obtained through robbery2. There is nothing more disturbing than getting connected to such a people; smoke would not harm the eyes like the fellowship of the wicked destroys the souls3. St. John Chrysostom “Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and the judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful dictate what they desire; thus they wrap it up” (Micah 7:3) The kingdom came to be worse than a jungle. With a well planned scheme the leaderships work together, yet without the spirit of love, aiming to rob, to steal, and to kill; the hands of everyone are preoccupied with hunting and destroying souls. Whatever the desires of their hearts and the thoughts of their minds, their hands meticulously execute. The rulers, entrusted to defend the truth, used their authority to acquire wealth, seeking bribes in the form of gifts and clothing their wickedness with a garment of friendship and virtue, corrupting their souls as well as those of others. “The best of them is like a brier; the most upright of them a thorn hedge; the day of their sentinels, of their punishment has come; now their confusion is at hand” (Micah 7:4) 1 On Ps. 12. 2 St. John Chrysostom: The Gospel of St. John, Homily 64:4. 3 On Psalm 120. 121 There is no one among them to depend on; the best of them is like a brier and the wisest like a thorn hedge. Whoever comes in contact with them will get nothing but wounds and trouble. They became like a barren land, and against them the divine verdict is issued: “Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field” (Genesis 3:18) “instead of becoming a holy heaven that produces fruits of the Spirit, of love, joy, peace, goodness, meekness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). “Put no trust in a friend; have no confidence in a loved one; guard the door of your mouth from her, who lies in your embrace” (Micah 7:5) What grieves the prophet Micah’s heart is that man lost confidence in his friend and his wife; that selfishness infiltrated even among members of the same household; everyone works for his own account and fears the others; that the family lost its social and spiritual warmth; and that the society collapsed through the spirit of greed. When deceit prevails in man’s life, he would no longer trust even the one who lies in his embrace. Father Joseph believes that Samson, having married a wicked and a deceitful wife, could not keep the commandment of the prophet Micah and gave up his long kept secret, something that brought on him much bitterness1. Father Isaac, on the other hand, sees in this verse a call for the secret prayer. Before anything else we should carefully observe the evangelic commandment to enter into our secret place, close our door, and pray to our Father in seclusion, which can be realized in the following way: To pray in our secret place, when we throw away from our inner hearts the disturbing thoughts and the vain cares, and when we enter with our Lord into a secret and a private talk. To pray behind closed doors, when we pray with closed lips in complete silence and quietness to Him, who seeks the hearts and not the words. To pray in seclusion, in order to reveal our supplications which come from our hearts and minds to God only and hide them from the adversary hosts (the devils). We should pray in complete silence not only to avoid disturbing our brethren praying with us by our whispers or by our loud words, but also to hide our supplications from our enemies, who are watching us especially when we pray. By this we fulfill the commandment: “Guard the door of your mouth from her who lies in your embrace” (Micah 7:5) 2. Abbot Isaac “For the son dishonors the father; the daughter rises up against her mother; the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household” (Micah 7:6) It is truly a bad time, in which the son dishonors his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; in which even the natural love is uprooted from all. The Lord Christ referring to the attitude of the nonbelievers towards the believers even if they are their own brothers or sons, says: “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Matthew 10:21-22; Luke 21:16-17). 1 St. Cassian: Conferences 17:20. 2 St. Cassian: Conferences 9:35. 122 What will the sword of the Word do? “It will discern the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrew 4:12); it will separate the evil from the good; and the believer from the non-believer (Matthew 10:35) 1. St. Gregory the Nazianzus “The enemies of man are members of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). A situation like this happened among the Jews with the appearance of the false prophets, which caused a dissension among families, some members believing in one, while some believe in another. That is why the prophet Micah advised them, saying: “Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a loved one; guard the door of your mouth from her who lies in your embrace”; and “Your enemies are members of your own household” (Micah 7:5-6) 2. St. John Chrysostom “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7) The public corruption does not justify our sliding into evil; even if there is no single man upright among men, we should be committed together with the prophet Micah to look to the Lord and to wait for His salvation. When man confesses his wickedness and corruption, the door of hope in the exalted work of God will open. God, as Philanthropist, in His anger hates and can never stand sin, and yet He loves the sinner. By a true repentance God’s ears would be inclined to hear the sinner's moans and would respond to his cries. Seeing the situation that prevailed on the society around him, the prophet realized how serious it was, and how it looked like a sick man with no hope to be cured. Yet, lifting the eyes of his heart up towards God and seeing the doors of hope shining before him, his depths sang praise and glory to God, who grants conquest and shines His light to scatter the darkness. The prophet proclaims that God will never change; He, who saved in the old days, is saving today and will save in the future; being compassionate, He would never be angry forever! “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob” (Psalm 146:5). Do you see the richness of the encouragement and the advice? Now, referring to the beatitude, he means getting all the blessings, and he reveals the wide ranges of hope. After referring to the happiness of those whose help is God, he reveals the power of the One who helps, proclaiming that a human being is different from God: one will perish, while the Other will endure, together with His works. That is why he adds: “Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Psalm 146:6), then adds: “Who keeps faith forever.” That is His role, His habit, and His personal attribute; He would never disregard the sinners nor forsake those in affliction; He would always lift His hand for the sake of the victims of those who plot against them3. St. John Chrysostom So, as the situation becomes darker before the eyes of the men of God, they raise their eyes to God hoping for His work; He is the God of the impossible. There is no hope 1 On the Holy Lights, Oration 39:15. 2 St. John Chrysostom: The Gospel of St. Matthew, Homily 35:2. 3 On Ps. 146. 123 for salvation except in Him alone, the Savior of the world. The prophet Micah did not put his hope in some man to correct the situation of the people of God or that of humanity, but he put it in the Savior of the world alone, which is also expressed by the Psalmist in Psalm 141. The prophet says to everyone in general: Don’t put your trust in the princes, in the emperors, in the rulers or in the judges of this world (see Psalm 146:3)… Who are the princes? They are the humans. And who are the humans? They are those “in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3); “when their breath departs, they return to the earth” (Psalm 146:4). And what happens when they return to the earth? “On that very day their plans perish” (Psalm 146:4). Today they are there, and tomorrow they are no more1! St. Jerome By saying: “I will wait for God of my salvation” the prophet proclaims that he is not putting the blame on the circumstances around him nor on God, who allowed for the affliction to happen, but he accepts the Lord’s chastisement with patience for the sake of his salvation and that of his brethren. And as the prophet Jeremiah says in his lamentations: “Why should any who draw breath complain about the punishment of their sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven. We have transgressed and rebelled…” (Lamentations 3:39-42). Let us complain against ourselves and not against the days in which we live. Let us endure the chastisement as a motive to repent in order to enjoy a fellowship with “the God of our salvation”; and then “My God will hear me”. “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; when I fall I shall rise; when I sit in the darkness, the Lord will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8) When man confesses his darkness and realizes that the Lord is a light to him, he will not fear an enemy anymore as long as the Lord is with him. Even if he falls and is about to collapse, he will find the hands of the Lord hauling him and setting him right, as the Psalmist says: “Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand” (Psalm 37:24). And if he sits in the darkness, the light of the Lord will shine on him and he will say: “Those who hate me will see and be put to shame, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me” (Psalm 86:17). With every divine work in the life of the repentant the devil and his hosts will feel disappointment, shame and disgrace. There is no danger in falling in weakness, if man is free from a desire to fall. If you have the will to rise, He is ready, who will raise you2. I wish that we would never rejoice over somebody’s sin, but we should grieve; being written: “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy, when I fall I shall rise; when I sit in the darkness, the Lord will be a light to me …” (Micah 7:8-10). Whoever rejoices over the fall of another, rejoices over the victory of the devil. We should rather grieve, when we hear that somebody perishes, he, for whose sake Christ died; He who does not despise even hay in the time of the harvest3. St. Ambrose 1 Homily 55 on Ps. 145. 2 Exposition on the Psalms 37:15. 3 St. Ambrose: Concerning Repentance, 2:8 (78). 124 “I must bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He takes my side, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I shall behold His righteousness” (Micah 7:9) Dwelling of affliction because of the spread of corruption led the prophet to reconsider himself and to confess that he did wrong towards God, and hence he is worthy of chastisement. When man confesses his falls, the Lord will cover him with His righteousness and will keep him by His divine grace. The prophet does not consider the affliction as a rejection of the Lord towards him, but as a divine wish to lead him to repentance and to the enjoyment of fellowship with Him. He feels his need for the hand of God working for his edification. This is the sign of receiving the divine light: the complete surrender to the hands of God the Beneficent and the Grantor of righteousness. We also bear ailment, as a chastisement for a sin, aiming to change us, according to the words of the Scripture: “The Lord reproves the one He loves” (Proverb 3:12). And the Holy Book also teaches us, saying: “For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many die. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned by the world” (1 Corinthians 11:30-32). That is why it is fitting for us to recognize our iniquities, and bear in silence all the grieves that come upon us, remembering the words of the prophet: “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him” (Micah 7:9). Moreover, we should demonstrate how we are changed by revealing fruits fitting for the repentance, recalling the words of the Lord: “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14). It happens sometimes that sickness comes upon us as a request of the devil, and our Master, the Beneficent, allows for us to enter into a battle against the adversary to make his haughtiness come to nothing through the heroic patience of His ministers1. St. Basil the Great “Then she, who is my enemy, will see, and shame will cover her who said to me: ‘Where is the Lord your God?’ My eyes will see her; now she will be trampled down like mire in the streets.” (Micah 7:10) A magnificent portrait of the life of conquest! As the believer enjoys the light of the Lord, he would not fear the darkness of the devil, the pleasure of sin, the weakness of the body, nor the deceit of the evil world. The devil starts to mock the fallen, crying out: ‘Where is the Lord your God?’, as though God is incapable of keeping His children from falling, but when he sees the hand of God raising him, shame will cover him. When man falls down looking at himself and hearing the mocking words of his enemy, he may see himself trampled down like mire in the streets, but when the divine hand raises him up, he will realize the divine possibilities working in him. 2. A DIVINE PROMISE OF BLESSINGS: “In the day when your walls are to be built, in that day the decree shall go far and wide” (Micah 7:11) When the believer enjoys a flood of blessings, he will fear the enemy with all his kingdom of darkness no more; and will get filled with hope that God Himself will be a 1 The long Rules, 55. 125 divine Wall to protect him to the end; then he will praise together with the Psalmist, saying: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). “God is our refuge and strength” There are other refuges without strength; whoever resorts to them would become weaker and not stronger. As an example, when you resort to the refuge of someone mightier than you, it may happen, in such an unpredictable world, that this man loses his authority and you may find yourself in a weaker position. Our refuge, as believers, is not as such; God is our refuge and Strength; when we resort to Him, we become more secure1. St. Augustine “In that day they shall come to you from Assyria and from the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the river, from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain” (Micah 7:12) The prophet presents them with the divine promise of returning from captivity, coming from Babylon to the Promised Land; and forsaking Egypt, to which some of them have resorted during the captivity. They will return, not in humility or fear, but will set forth “from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain”, namely will go steady from strength to strength. “Yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds” (Micah 7:13) Again he warns them against going back to sin and corruption after returning from captivity. God, who grants them strength and dignity through returning from captivity to the Promised Land, would allow for the desolation of the land, if they go back to their past corruption. The prophet asks God to look on His flock and heritage, who dwell as though on rough land on the mountain of Carmel, or like sheep in a forest in need of a heavenly Shepherd, who is capable, by His compassionate love, of bringing them back to Him. He asks Him to shepherd and protect them by His rod and not by that of the enemies, being His people with no one to protect them like Him; to bring them back from the woodland and mountains to the plains of Bashan and Gilead; He is “the great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrew 13:20), who gives Himself up for their sake. 3. A FINAL INTERCESSION ON THEIR BEHALF: “Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the flock of Your heritage, who dwell solitarily in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the old day” (Micah 7:14) Realizing that resorting to God should be by prayer, the prophet lifts his heart up to God, the good Shepherd, asking Him to lead His people by His mercies as in the glorious days of the old. The prophet calls the people “the flock of God’s heritage”, being “the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 79:13; 100:3); “His little flock” (Luke 12:32); “His portion” (Jeremiah 12:10); “His heritage” (Psalm 94:5); and “His allotted share” (Deuteronomy 32:9). It is as though he is asking God to look on His people, being their caring Shepherd and their keen Proprietor. We are “His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3)… It is one flock! See 1 On Ps. 46. 126 how, as a loving Shepherd, He left the ninety-nine to seek the lost one, laid it on His shoulders rejoicing (Luke 15:4-5), and redeemed it with His blood. This Shepherd fearlessly delivered Himself to death for the sake of His flock; and by His resurrection, He brought them back to Him1. St. Augustine “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, show us marvelous things” (Micah 7:15) God responds to the supplication and intercession of His prophet, presenting marvelous things as He did when He brought His people out of the land of Egypt, terrifying the pagan nations. What is more marvelous is that our sins are devoured and quenched in the water of baptism, the way the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea. “He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in showing clemency; …He will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea” (Micah 7:19) 2. St. Augustine “The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might. They shall put their hand over their mouth; their ears shall be deaf” (Micah 7:16) What did this amazing Shepherd do? The marvels He did with His people made the surrounding nations that gloated for their tribulation, hunted those who fled among them, and sold them as slaves or delivered them to captivity, stand in awe before the care of God for His people; put their hands on their mouths unable to utter one single word against the people of God; and their ears became deaf unable to hear their good news. That is the exalted work of God with His Church and with every soul, when they return to Him with repentance; bringing them back from shame and disgrace to exalted inner glories. “They shall lick the dust like a serpent; they shall crawl from their holes like warms of the earth. They shall come trembling out of their fortresses; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall stand in fear of You” (Micah 7:17) If the nations, adversary to the divine truth, are likened to the serpents of the earth that lick the dust, God, with His love, allows the devil -the old serpent- to tempt us, yet in his temptation he licks the dust in us to let us be justified before God. St. Ambrose3, in his talk about repentance, says that the apostle St. Paul asked the Corinthians to deliver the adulterer to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved (1 Corinthians 5:5); for Satan to lick the dust in him; but not to destroy his soul. All what the devil and his hosts can do is to lick the dust that clings to our feet. The Psalmist says: “His enemies will lick the dust” (Psalm 72:9); and the Lord Himself says to the Church: “They shall bow down to you, with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for Me shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 49:23). Origen says: [The verdict against man after his fall was “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Yet, having enjoyed fellowship with the second Adam, 1 On Ps 100. 2 Explanation of the Psalms 114:5. 3 St. Ambrose: Concerning Repentance, 1:13 (60). 127 he would hear the divine voice, saying: ‘You are heaven, and to heaven you shall return.’ The work of the good Shepherd is to transform us from the curse in the first Adam to the blessing in the second Adam; becoming a holy heaven, the serpent would find no dust in us to lick. 4. A GLORIFICATION: THE VICTORY OF THE DIVINE GRACE: The prophet ends His book by offering glory and praises to God, who no one is like Him: a. God of love, the Forgiver (18). b. God of the saving power (19). c. God of unceasing truthfulness (20). “Who is God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy” (Micah 7:18) This is God’s pleasure, to forgive, to grant His mercy, and to proclaim His love. Micah uses his own name, which means “Who is like God?” to praise God the Forgiver of sins. The wise Solomon, believing that the prudent or wise believer following the example of God the Forgiver of sins would do likewise toward his brethren, says: “Those with good sense are slow to anger; and it is their glory to overlook an offense” (Proverb 19:11). In a talk about the equality of the Father and the Son, their unity, and the role of God the Father in forgiving sins, Pope Athanasius says: [But the Son of Man said to a paralytic He healed: “Your sins are forgiven”; and to prove to the protesting Jews that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic: “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” (see Matthew 9:2, 6) 1. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). By giving this definition, the protesting Jews have set the basis and proclaimed the Law. Intending to confuse them by using their very words, it is as though He is telling them: [Having confessed that principle –that only God can forgive sins-, My equality to Him (the Father) is not any more a subject of question.] It was not only those people who proclaimed that, but the prophet Micah also said: “Who is a God like You?” Then he pointed to His specific Attribute, adding: “Pardoning iniquity, and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage” (Micah 7:18). Therefore, if someone does this, He is surely the One God. Notice how Christ debated them with meekness and compassion2. St. John Chrysostom If the Word is a creature, how could He nullify God’s ordainment and forgive sins when it is stated by the prophet that this is the job of God alone? “Who is God like You? Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression.” Whereas God says: “You are dust, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). How can a mortal creature nullify sin? It is only God who can do that, saying: “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).The Son, who makes man free, has to be not a creature, but indeed the Word Himself and one essence with the Father; He, who initially issued the verdict of Adam’s death, would be the only One who can forgive 1 De Synods, part 3, 49. 2 St. John Chrysostom: The Paralytic Let Down Through the Roof, 6. 128 sins. And as it is said by the Word: “You are dust, and to dust you will return”, it would be only fitting that by the Word Himself freedom would be realized and judgment would be nullified1. Pope Athansius, the Apostolic To demonstrate the greatness of the miracle of sin-forgiveness the prophet Micah says: “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity, and passing over the transgression…” He testifies that the forgiveness of sins is the job of God alone. As bringing souls to the Kingdom is greater than destroying death, He did that by His own power2. St. John Chrysostom I wish we do not listen to Satan, when we get entangled in the troubles of the world weather through suffering a body ailment, a loss of children or any other trouble. I wish we do not listen to the adversary saying: “Where is the Lord your God?” (Micah 7:10) When we suffer a painful temptation, we should be aware of Satan’s tricks, by which he tries to lead the disturbed soul astray. When contemplating in the amazing works of God, saying together with the prophet: “Who is God like You, Pardoning sins and passing over the transgressions”, the soul figures itself as though in heaven, while Satan keeps crawling around it like a serpent3. St. Ambrose “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19) God casts our sins into the depths of the sea of His forgiving love, never again to recall them. The prophet Jeremiah says: “The Lord’s mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). Every morning we behold Him as a father, who forgives the sins of his children and pours his love into their hearts. He casts our sins as though into the depths of the Red Sea together with the Pharaoh and his hosts, never again to recall them. It is said about the repentant: “None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live” (Ezekiel 18:22); and the Lord Says, “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud your transgressions; and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22). It is fitting for us to clothe him, who is utterly naked. And who is he, who is utterly naked? It is him, who completely lacks God. We, who have God, should deprive ourselves and clothe him, who has not. St. John the Baptist says: “He, who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (Luke 3:11) 4. Origen It is the grace of Baptism to which the prophecy of Micah refers: “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities; He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19) 5. 1 Four Discourses Against the Arians, 2:67. 2 On the Incomprehensible Nature of God, homily 10: 23. 3 Letter 45. 4 Homilies on the Gospel of Luke, 23:5. 5 St. Jerome: Letter 69:6. 129 St. Jerome “You will show faithfulness to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:20) He is faithful; He has promised mercy to Abraham, confirmed His promise to Jacob and will keep on fulfilling His promises to our saintly fathers as long as we keep walking with the spirit of faith working with love. The Lord has sworn and we believe that He will surely fulfill His promises to us (Hebrew 6:18-20). 130 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF MICAH 7 HOW RICH IS YOUR AMAZING GRACE! You loved me, Your beloved vine. You gave every possibility to set in me Your paradise. But, foolishly, I denied all Your gifts. I became a barren, fruitless wilderness. A land that produces thorns and thistles. My hands were transformed to work evil; My mind got preoccupied with what is not fitting for You. My heart became narrow for love. The ruler, the judge, and the powerful in me all became corrupted. I turned into useless briars and thistles. I lost my inner peace; I no longer trust a friend; Nor have confidence in a companion. My depths turned into a battleground. A struggle between the lusts of the body and those of the spirit. And a controversy between the mind and the emotions. Everything in me became in confusion. Your voice called me and raised me up from the humiliation. Lifted me from the servitude up to the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Now I can cry out in the face of the old serpent, saying: “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; when I sit in the darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.” Your chastisements for me turned into glory! You brought me over from the abyss of sin to the paradise of Your righteousness. You set me forth to cross over from strength to strength. And to soar up by the two wings of Your Holy Spirit from glory to glory. How amazing is Your care, O good Shepherd. In all my afflictions, the serpent could not sting me; But licked the dust that stuck to my feet. You made me a new heaven where Your righteousness dwells. You granted me conquest after conquest by Your amazing grace. Glory to You, who pardons iniquity, and who forgives transgression. Glory to You, the whole Merciful and Compassionate.
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