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The
mercy of the Lord
The mercy of the Lord is a much spoken
subject in the Word of God. Really, the word
"mercy" appears there over 250 times and today
we will have a look at some of these occurrences.
1. Mercy: what
is it?
To understand what mercy is, we will start
from Luke 10:30-37. There, Jesus is using a parable to
answer the question of a lawyer about who is his
neighbor:
Luke 10:30-37
"Then Jesus answered and said: A certain man went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,
who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain
priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he
arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on
the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed,
came where he was. And when he saw him, he had
compassion. So he went to him and bandaged
his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on
his animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
On the next day, when he departed, he took out two
denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him,
"Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when
I come again, I will repay you." So which of these
three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the
thieves?" and he said, "He who showed MERCY
on him."
In contrast to the priest and the Levite,
the Samaritan denied to be indifferent to the half-dead
traveler. Instead, he had compassion on him; he showed
him mercy and helped him. Mercy therefore is to have
compassion on someone; to help out of love without
expecting something in return. And the Lord is very rich
in it. As Ephesians 2 characteristically tells us:
Ephesians 2:4-6
"BUT GOD WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT
LOVE WITH WHICH HE LOVED US, EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN
TRESPASSES, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST (by grace
you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made
us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding
riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus."
It was not our worth or what we could do
that gave us salvation but the grace, love and mercy of
God. As the one the thieves had left half-dead, so we
were dead in trespasses. Religion, philosophy and all
else could not help us. They passed us by as the Levite
and the priest. However, the Lord "WHO IS RICH IN
MERCY, BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE WITH WHICH HE LOVED US,
EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES, MADE US ALIVE
TOGETHER WITH CHRIST" He stretched His hand and
"delivered us from the power of darkness and
conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love"
(Colossians 1:12-13). As I Peter 1:3 tells us:
I Peter 1:3
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT MERCY has begotten
us again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead"
and Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us"
We were dead. He was full of love, mercy
and compassion. He stretched out his hand and made us
alive. Though unworthy, He made us worthy. Though
sinners, He made us righteous. Though His enemies, He
reconciled us with Himself. Though in the kingdom of
darkness, He transferred us into the kingdom of the Son
of His love. Really, how great His grace, love and mercy
for each of us personally.
2.
"Vessels of mercy"
Continuing on the same topic, we will go
to Romans 9. There in verses 15-16 we read:
Romans 9: 15-16
"For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomever
I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever
I will have compassion." So then it is not of him
who wills, nor of him who runs, BUT OF GOD WHO SHOWS
MERCY"
In other words, it is not how much we run.
It does not have to do with our power and efforts but
rather with the mercy of God. Without His mercy, of our
own selves, we can do nothing (John 5:30, 15:5).
Keeping on, Romans 9:22-24 tells us:
Romans 9:22-24
"what if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make
His power known, endured with much longsuffering, the
vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He
might make known the riches of His glory on the VESSELS
OF MERCY, which He had prepared beforehand for glory EVEN
US whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the
Gentiles?"
Though there are vessels of wrath, we are
NOT of them. In contrast, we are vessels of mercy that
God prepared beforehand to know the riches of His glory.
HE PREPARED US FOR GLORY! His mercy is from generation to
generation. As Luke 1:50 tells us:
Luke 1:50
"His mercy is on those who fear Him, from generation
to generation"
And as Psalms 25:10 say:
Psalms 25:10
"ALL THE PATHS OF THE LORD ARE MERCY AND
TRUTH, to such as keep His covenant and His
testimonies"
Continuing in Psalms and the subject of
mercy, we give below some further characteristic
references to it:
Psalms 33:18
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear
Him, on those who hope in His mercy"
Psalms 32:10
"He who trusts in the Lord, mercy
shall surround him"
Psalms 33:5
"The earth is full of the mercy
of the Lord"
Psalms 36:7-10
"How precious is Your lovingkindness
[mercy- same Hebrew word as in all other places], O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the
shadow of your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with
the fullness of your house, and you give them drink from
the river of your pleasures. For with you is the fountain
of life; In your light we see light. Oh, continue your lovingkindness
[mercy] to those who know you, and your righteousness to
the upright in heart."
Psalms 57:10
"Your mercy reaches unto the
heavens, and your truth unto the clouds."
Psalms 63:3
"Your lovingkindness [mercy]
is better than life"
Psalms 69:16
"Your lovingkindness [mercy]
is good"
Psalms 86:15
"But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and
gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy
and truth"
Psalms 103:13, 17
"As a father pities [the Hebrew word means "to
love deeply, have mercy, be
compassionate"] his children, SO THE LORD
PITIES THOSE WHO FEAR HIM..... the mercy
of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those
who fear Him.."
Psalms 89:14
"Mercy and truth go before
Your face"
Psalms 103:11
"For as the heavens are high above the earth, so
great is His mercy toward those
who fear Him"
Psalms 103:1-4
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within
me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your
iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your
life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness
and tender mercies"
Psalms 118:1
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy
endures forever"
Though there are many other
references to the Lord's mercy, summarizing what we have
seen till now:
-
God is rich in mercy, and He has
begotten us again according to His abundant
mercy.
-
All His ways are mercy and truth
and these are going before Him.
-
All the earth is full of His
mercy. His mercy remains from generation to
generation to those that fear Him.
-
His eye is on those that trust in
His mercy and mercy surrounds them.
-
His mercy is good and precious. It
is better than life!
-
As a father pities His
children, so the Lord pities those that fear Him.
-
His mercy on us is as big as
the distance of heaven from earth and He crown us
with mercy and lovingkindness.
-
We are vessels of mercy,
prepared by Him for glory!
3. More
examples of the Lord's mercy.
Moving further, we will see some more
examples of the Lord's mercy as these are given in the
Bible. Thus, it was the Lord's mercy on Abraham, that
lead his servant in the land of his ancestors, to find a
wife for Isaac. After all that is recorded in Genesis
24:1-25 and after meeting Rebecca, Isaac's future wife,
the servant:
"bowed down his head and
worshipped the Lord. And he said, "Blessed be the
Lord God of my master, who has not forsaken His mercy
and His truth toward my master."
It was the Lord's mercy that saved Lot and
his family from Sodom's destruction:
Genesis 19:17-19
"So it came to pass, when they [the angels] had
brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your
life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the
plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be
destroyed." Then Lot said to them, "Please no,
my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in
your sight, and YOU HAVE INCREASED YOUR MERCY
which you have shown me by saving my life"
It was the Lord's grace and mercy that
kept Joseph during the first difficult years in Egypt:
Genesis 39:21
"But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy,
and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the
prison"
Despite the difficulties, that were all in
the plan of the Lord, the Lord was with Joseph and showed
him mercy.
4. "Let
us therefore come boldly...."
The mercy of the Lord is not something
that is given with measure. It is not something the Lord
gives sometimes. He does not have mercy on us on a
periodic basis but rather on a permanent basis. IT IS A
CHARACTERISTIC OF HIS VERY NATURE. As He advises us in
Hebrews 4:
Hebrews 4:14-16
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who
has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High
Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was
in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. LET US
THEREFORE COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT WE MAY
OBTAIN MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED"
We need mercy. There is no-one that does
not need it. Let's therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace to receive what we need. Let's open our hearts to
God. Let's ask for His mercy and compassion on us, as
David did in respective situations:
Psalms 4:1
"have mercy on me, and hear
my prayer."
Psalms 6:2
"Have mercy on me, O LORD,
for I am weak"
Psalms 9:13
"Have mercy on me, O LORD!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me"
Psalms 25:16
"Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on
me, For I am desolate and afflicted."
Psalms 30:10
"Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me;
LORD, be my helper!"
Psalms 31:9
"Have mercy on me, O LORD,
for I am in trouble;....... Make Your face shine upon
Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake."
Psalms 51:1
"Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness; According to the
multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my
transgressions."
Psalms 86:16
"Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of
Your maidservant."
Psalms 123
"...as the eyes of servants look to the hand of
their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her
mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He
has mercy on us. Have mercy on us,
O LORD, have mercy on us!"
None of those that sought the Lord's mercy
left empty. Really:
The two blind men
Matthew 9:27-31
"When Jesus departed from there, two blind men
followed Him, crying out and saying, "SON OF DAVID,
HAVE MERCY ON US!" And when He had come into the
house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them,
"Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched
their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it
be to you." AND THEIR EYES WERE OPENED."
The woman of Canaan
Matthew 15:22-28
"And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region
and cried out to Him, saying, "HAVE MERCY ON ME, O
LORD, SON OF DAVID! My daughter is severely
demon-possessed." But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send
her away, for she cries out after us." But He
answered and said, "I was not sent except to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came
and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But
He answered and said, "It is not good to take the
children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs
eat the crumbs which fall from their masters'
table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O
woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you
desire." AND HER DAUGHTER WAS HEALED FROM THAT VERY
HOUR."
The child with the demon
Matthew 17:15, 18
"LORD, HAVE MERCY ON MY SON, for he is an epileptic
and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire
and often into the water......And Jesus rebuked the
demon, and it came out of him; AND THE CHILD WAS CURED
FROM THAT VERY HOUR."
Another two blind men
Matthew 20:30-34
"And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when
they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying,
"HAVE MERCY ON US, O LORD, SON OF DAVID!" Then
the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but
they cried out all the more, saying, "HAVE MERCY ON
US, O LORD, SON OF DAVID!" So Jesus stood still and
called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do
for you?" They said to Him, "Lord, that our
eyes may be opened." So JESUS HAD COMPASSION and
touched their eyes. AND IMMEDIATELY THEIR EYES RECEIVED
SIGHT, and they followed Him."
5. Conclusion
The Lord's mercy and compassion for His
children is really without measure, as the distance of
heavens from the earth. We are vessels of mercy, vessels
prepared by Him for glory! He has surrounded us with His
love and compassion. He is rich in mercy. To reiterate
the invitation of Hebrews 4
Hebrews 4:16
LET US THEREFORE COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT
WE MAY OBTAIN MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF
NEED"
Tassos Kioulachoglou
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