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Wolff on Micah 7.18-20.
"The seventh statement brings a final climax, "Thou dost cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." In Exod. 15.5 we hear concerning the Egyptians who pursued Israel, "the waves covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone." As the foe went down like a stone, so sin our foremost foe, sinks into the depths of the sea like a stone. Let us note that the determining categories here when the forgiveness of sins is being discussed, are those of the exercise of power, of conquest over foes! The Lord displayed himself as victor, as the victor over the Egyptian army on Israel's behalf; similarly forgiveness is an act of surpassing victory which completely transforms the entire situation. Sin is humanity's deadly enemy – that is the presupposition here. When the foe has been hurled into the depth of the sea, life's circumstances are entirely new. Sin can cause no more trouble; it has been entirely removed.
Preceding everything that Israel could achieve or ruin was the word of God's unbreakable faithfulness, his promise to the forefathers (v 20). Through Jesus, the cross, and resurrection at the centre of history, that word of promise has been sealed for Israel, and at the same time put into effect for all peoples. It is in force and valid! Before I was born, this fundamental principle of the forgiveness of all our sins was put in force as the end of all our disputations with God and of all God's disputations with us.
When the burning fire within has been stamped out, and our sins sunk into the depths of the sea, then our community and each of its members experiences the legally valid end of God's dispute with us. That means nothing less than this; the final judgement, the last judgement has already been validly anticipated. Everyone can join in singing the sevenfold hymn of 7.18-20." (H W Wolff, Micah the Prophet,pages 130-31)
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