A Celebration Among the Ruins

Micah 7:7-20 • The Rev. Chris Hildebrand

• 7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD;
   I will wait for the God of my salvation;
   my God will hear me.

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
   when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
   the LORD will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD
   because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
   and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
   I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
   and shame will cover her who said to me,
   "Where is the LORD your God?"
My eyes will look upon her;
   now she will be trampled down
   like the mire of the streets.
   
11 A day for the building of your walls!
  In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you,
   from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
   from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
   because of its inhabitants,
   for the fruit of their deeds.
   
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
   the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
   in the midst of a garden land;
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
   as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
   I will show them marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
   their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
   like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
   they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,
   and they shall be in fear of you.
   
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
   and passing over transgression
   for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
   because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
   he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our sins
   into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
   and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
   from the days of old.