As I am reading through the prophetic books of the Old Testament, I have realized that no matter how disobedient the people of God became, there is always hope because God delights in the act of redemption.

In the concluding remarks of Micah, he writes of what God told Israel and is telling the Church today, “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love” (7:18).

The word “delight” means “to bend, or “curve.” It is used for what happens in God’s heart when people turn from sin toward Him. It is a word translated in contrast to a sacrifice or death. God does not delight in what must die like the animals sacrificed or the people still living in the consequence of unrepentant sin. The Lord delights in the hearts of people who have turned to Him.

Our redemption is a process. After all, Israel had to go through regarding the consequence of their sin, Micah writes, “The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness” (7:9). The light of God’s truth would open the eyes of the remnant to see their sin and begin to understand how right God was to ask for their obedience. 

After people enter the light of God’s truth, the Lord says, “I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt” (vs. 15). 

When we align our lives with the light of God and His truth, no matter how dark our life may have become or how hopeless our surrounding situation may appear, the Lord delights in providing us with the light of His truth to reveal what we need to see and do so that we can move forward into the life He has planned for us.