Read & explore together
God’s Compassion on Israel
Micah 7:14–20 moves from a request for God’s care to a promise, then to praise for God’s mercy. It speaks about God’s people, the humbled response of the nations, and God’s faithful compassion toward sin and covenant promises.
Understanding the passage
The setting of this message
The passage begins by asking that God would shepherd his people, his own flock, and let them feed well as in earlier days. A promise follows about marvellous things like the coming out of Egypt. The closing verses praise God for pardoning sin, showing compassion, and keeping mercy and truth sworn long ago.
Micah 7:14–20Main takeaway
This passage teaches that God’s compassion is seen in his care for his people, his pardon of sin, and his faithfulness to long-standing promises.
Explore the message
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01A request for the shepherd of God’s peopleThe passage opens with a request that God would shepherd his people with his staff. They are called the flock of his heritage, which points to belonging to him.
Explanation
The passage opens with a request that God would shepherd his people with his staff. They are called the flock of his heritage, which points to belonging to him. The request asks for them to feed in fertile places, in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old, describing hoped-for care and provision.
02A promise of marvellous things and a humbled responseAfter the request, a promise follows: as in the days of coming out of Egypt, marvellous things will be shown.
Explanation
After the request, a promise follows: as in the days of coming out of Egypt, marvellous things will be shown. The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. Their response is described through actions and images: hand on mouth, deaf ears, trembling, and fear before Yahweh our God.
03God pardons and delights in loving kindnessVerse 18 praises God by asking, Who is a God like you? The reason given is his character in action.
Explanation
Verse 18 praises God by asking, Who is a God like you? The reason given is his character in action. He pardons iniquity and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage. He does not retain his anger forever, and the verse says this is because he delights in loving kindness.
04Compassion that deals with sin and keeps old promisesThe final verses describe renewed compassion in vivid ways. God will tread iniquities under foot and cast sins into the depths of the sea.
Explanation
The final verses describe renewed compassion in vivid ways. God will tread iniquities under foot and cast sins into the depths of the sea. The passage then names truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, linking this compassion with what was sworn to their fathers from the days of old.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What does the picture of shepherd, staff, and flock show in this passage?
Look at how God’s people are described as his heritage and at the request that they feed in fertile places as in the days of old.
02How are the nations described when the marvellous things are shown?
List the responses named in the verses themselves: shame, hand on mouth, deaf ears, trembling, and fear before Yahweh our God.
03Which actions of God explain why the passage says, ‘Who is a God like you’?
Focus on the closing verses, which mention pardoning iniquity, not retaining anger forever, delighting in loving kindness, showing compassion, and giving truth and mercy.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Micah 7:14–20
14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest. Let them feed in the middle of fertile pasture land, in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15“As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things.”
16The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf.
17They will lick the dust like a serpent. Like crawling things of the earth, they will come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to Yahweh our God, and will be afraid because of you.
18Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness.
19He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.