76. Mercy, Lord

Matthew 5:7, Micah 6:8, Psalm 51

Key verse: God has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 

Micah 6:8

If we are merciful, we will receive mercy.  (Matthew 5:7) But what exactly is mercy?  Perhaps we would understand better by first thinking about what life would be like without mercy. Imagine never getting a break; never being forgiven. That might be wonderful when we are the victim. Human nature is always interested in exacting revenge on those who have wronged us. We justify our attitude by stating that we're not being mean, we're just pursuing justice. It's our right after all! We tend to be huge supporters of justice when it's someone else who needs to be punished. Why exactly it makes us feel better about ourselves doesn't quite make sense, when you think about it, but it is human nature, sinful nature and that's really all that can be said. 

This attitude, however, is not the way of Christ. Mercy is defined by, not giving the full consequence of what is deserved. It is a gift that the Lord, Himself, delights to show. Perhaps the greatest act of mercy known to man is shown by Christ dying on the cross, to suffer the consequences for "OUR” sin. We deserve to die, for, "the wages of sin is death.”  But, "The gift of God is eternal life!” (Romans 6:23) In His love, He would rather suffer Himself than see us die and be separated from Him forever. 

Now He says, blessed are you who do likewise, for in return you shall receive the same. And, if Christ lives in us, we should love to give it. It's humbling to realize that we are all sinners. There are none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:23) In other words, in reality, we're all in the same boat of sin, drowning in the sea of consequences that we deserve, but God, in His mercy, longs to rescue us if we will call out to Him, appealing to His mercy. 

This is what David did after His great sin. He had committed adultery and deserved to be stoned to death. He organized a premeditated murder of an innocent man; another offense for which he deserved stoning. Yet, knowing God's character, he was able to repent and say, "Have mercy on me, O God according to Your unfailing love;” (Psalm 51:1A) Even though he knew, "Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge.” (Psalm 51:4) And God, who delights in mercy, heard David's heart and forgave. David did suffer consequences for his behavior, but he did live and continue to rule Israel and seek after God's heart. 

God calls us to do the same. He does not call us to sweep sin under the rug and pretend that it never happened, but He does call us to, "love mercy,” in our dealings with others and to be gracious toward them. In so doing, we ourselves will also be blessed with His mercy. 

Song:  "Depth of Mercy! Can There Be"