Read Psalm 136
How great are God’s tender mercies! Without them, we would all be in hell. Rather than exacting justice, God bestowed His mercy upon us. The phrase “for his mercy endureth for ever” shows up 41 times in the Bible; 26 times in Psalm 136 alone. It seems as though we must be constantly reminded that our God is a God of mercy. It’s like God said, “Hey, in case you forgot, my mercy endureth forever!” Then you read the next verse, and He repeats it. I like how Noah Webster defined mercy in his 1828 dictionary. He said, “That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.” Since we are Christians, there are two things we should do with mercy.
First, we should love mercy. Micah 6:8 says, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Christ displayed His love for mercy in Matthew 9:13, which says, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Hosea said it similarly in chapter six, verse six: “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” God is a just God, but He would rather bestow mercy. Sometimes we clamor much for justice rather than mercy on those who have wronged us. But our Lord is a God of second chances, which brings us to the second point.
Second, we should show mercy. You say, “Now, wait a minute! That’s a spiritual gift. It just so happens that that isn’t one of mine!” Well, if it’s not your spiritual gift, then I think that means you’ll have to work harder than those that do have the gift of showing mercy. I think we find a great Biblical example in Moses in the Book of Numbers. In chapter 12, Aaron and Miriam speak against Moses for marrying the Ethiopian woman and were jealous that God was talking to him and not them. So God called the three of them over to the tabernacle. Because of her murmuring, God caused Miriam’s skin to become leprous. Aaron begged Moses to ask God to take away the leprosy. Rather than acting like many of us and saying she deserved it, Moses asked God to heal her. I believe this is why Moses was regarded as the meekest man on earth. Even when people opposed him and accused him, he let God take care of the situation. That’s what we should do. Too often, we fly off the handle and lash out in the flesh, which doesn’t help anyone. God will always handle things justly.
When we don’t constantly love and show mercy, we lose a bit of compassion for others. I think of the servant, in Matthew 18:23-35, who owed the king ten thousand talents. The king was moved with compassion and forgave all the servant’s debt. Then that servant turned around and beat up the guy that owed him. How quickly we forget! That’s why we must always remember to love and show mercy. And then remember that God’s mercy endures forever. Let us rejoice and be thankful for that.
Comentários