«YOU WILL TRAMPLE OUR SINS UNDERFOOT»
You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea!» (Micah 7:19, GNT).
OCEANOGRAPHERS SAY that the deepest part of the ocean is Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench, in the Pacific Ocean. On March 23, 1875, the crew of the HMS Challenger cast down a weight tied to a rope, to measure its depth. After descending five miles, the sinker touched bottom.
On the other hand, most of us would be unable to dive deeper than 20 yards. So none of us can reach the bottom of the Challenger Deep! I am so happy about that. Why? Because of what the prophet Micah says: «Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. 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 7:18, 19, NIV).
Micah uses three Hebrew words to talk about sin. The first one is translated as «iniquities» in verse 19. The second word implies the idea of «transgression, prevarication, rebellion» (see Micah 3:8). The third is translated as «sins» in verse 19 and means «to miss the target.» What the prophet is trying to tell us is that no matter what the nature of our sin is, God can handle it.
The Lord takes our sin and «tramples it,» that is, He dominates it, conquers it, and places it underfoot. As Cyril W. Spaude says, «They are dead and can no longer rise to haunt us. He hurls them ‘into the depths of the sea’ where they can never be found again or remembered.» Therefore, it makes no sense to constantly remember something God has already forgiven, or to be fearful of what He has already trampled.
It’s not healthy to constantly harbor a guilt complex over our failures because, if we have already confessed them, we can believe God has forgotten them and kept His promise to hurl them where nobody will be able to take them out. Let’s enjoy this great promise: «l, even l, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins» (Isaiah 43:25).
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate