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God's Mercy Toward Mankind Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.—Exodus 34:6 {FOOTNOTE: All Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.} Kent Humphreys The first occurrence of the word mercy in Scripture is found in Genesis 19:19 (King James Version), concerning Lot and the destruction of the cities of the plains. Bab edh-Dhra (Sodom) and Numeira (Gomorrah) are the names given to these two ancient cities according to the Smithsonian Institution. Zoar, which was one of these cities, was not destroyed because of Lot’s request to flee from the impending disaster and hide there. The mercy of God toward Lot was demonstrated when the angels took him and his family by the hand and led them away to safety!
Lot’s experience is similar to that of the Great Company class at the end of the
Gospel age. They will be spared destruction such that the flesh will be
destroyed but the spirit will be saved. It is interesting to note that the
cities of the plains were destroyed because of God’s mercy toward them. These
cities were vile and corrupt and had degenerated to practicing all kinds of
evil. Therefore, God in his mercy brought them to an end, lest their inhabitants
slip so far into sin that they could not be recovered in Christ’s kingdom. Mercy in the Sciptures In Scripture the word mercy is used more in the Book of Psalms than anywhere else. The first occurrence in that book is Psalm 4: “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou has enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1, KJV). The plight of David in many ways exemplifies mankind. Frequently, David’s sins overtook him, and upon realizing it, David returned back to his creator. In the world today, we see this played out constantly. Sins are committed, and errors are made. Deep within man’s heart, he longs to be at peace with himself and others, but alas, sin overcomes! In the New American Standard translation, the word mercy is replaced by the expression loving kindness or by the term graciousness. These words convey a broader meaning than the word mercy. Words over time take on slightly different meanings dictated by the contexts in which they are used. This is markedly noticeable in the King James translation of the Bible where old English definitions are used. For example, newer translations use the modern names of the cities of the plains and not the original names found in the King James translation. Two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, have been identified by excavation of a common cemetery used by these cities, and also identified by pottery shards that connect them to their old names. In Scripture there are two words that are almost inseparable: forgiveness and mercy. These are encapsulated in the word love. Jesus said: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It was God’s great mercy that led him to give his only begotten son as a ransom for father Adam, so that God could forgive Adam’s transgression and recover the entire race from the condemnation of sin and death. Jesus expressed the principle of forgiveness when he taught Peter to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22).
David wrote: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions”
(Psalm 51:1,
KJV). God has promised that, through his great mercy, he would answer
David’s request and blot out the transgressions, not just of David, but of
Israel and every member of the human race, giving them each a chance to be
restored back to divine favor and sonship. Defining Mercy In the definition of the word mercy, we get the all-encompassing impact of the word itself, as follows: 1. Refraining from harming or punishing offenders, enemies, or persons under one’s power; 2. Kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness; 3. Forbearance and compassion; 4. Disposition to forgive.
David wrote: “Behold, the eye of the LORD
is on those who fear him, on those who hope for his lovingkindness [mercy], to
deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits
for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in him, because we trust
in his holy name. Let thy lovingkindness [mercy], O Lord, be upon us, according as we
have hoped in thee.” (Psalm 33:18-22). God’s Mercy Promised to All As the day approaches when all evil will be eradicated from the earth, and the Lord Almighty will stand up for his people, we will see these words fulfilled: “But You, O LORD, abide forever, and Your name to all generations. You will arise and have compassion [mercy] on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come” (Psalm 102:12,13). Here, we see the long-suffering God has had for Israel.
Today we see all kinds of calamities and sufferings plaguing man. We constantly
hear, “Why does God permit all this suffering and pain?” Yet even in this we see
the mercy of our heavenly Father exhibited. The suffering of the people of Haiti
since the January 2010 earthquake has been heartbreaking. Still, as the psalmist
said, “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning”
(Psalm 30:5). God, in his wisdom, has used this tragedy to bring people together
to teach them to be ready for “morning” when shouts of joy will ring in the air.
The apostle John wrote that even tragedies like this will be handled by God’s
mercy in Christ’s kingdom: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and
there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or
crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Mercy to Come Through Man’s Redeemer Most in the world do not realize the impact Adam’s fall into sin has had upon them. Adam’s disobedience separated him from the intimate care of the Almighty. Therefore, we as Adam’s children have inherited the sin he committed in Eden. Nevertheless, we see mercy described in God’s promise when he said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). This obscure comment is a reference to the coming of a redeemer who would ultimately destroy the adversary and bring mankind back into the father-son relationship Adam once enjoyed. This is probably the greatest example of mercy on mankind’s behalf we can find in the Bible! What parent can refuse to offer mercy to his child? “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or, if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11) After the flood, man’s life expectancy dropped dramatically from what it was before the flood. The further mankind became distanced from father Adam, the more susceptible mankind became to age-related diseases and sicknesses of all kinds. They were falling away from the perfection Adam enjoyed for a short time. In the overall picture of man’s condition since Adam’s sin, God has extended mercy in a manner few understand. It is unimaginable to think of man living several hundred years in a body suffering from some debilitating condition such as heart disease or cancer. The suffering would go on for decades! God desires that all would be saved (1 Timothy 2:3,4). Therefore, in many circumstances, the world of mankind is given mercy. For example, those who have been imprisoned for long periods, yet, when they turn their hearts to God for help, he is there! “A bruised reed he will not break and a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish” (Isaiah 42:3). Our heavenly Father loves mankind, whom he created. The apostle John said this clearly: “For God so loved the world [its inhabitants], that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16,17) This is the pinnacle of the greatest mercy ever demonstrated!
In our daily lives, we make mistakes that require us to go to the throne of
heavenly grace. We are as dust, and our heavenly Father knows it. Even in some
of the grossest sins we commit, if we come to the Father with a truly repentant
heart, and with the intent of changing our course, we will be forgiven! Mercy in the Life of David David was a man who committed a multitude of sins, yet, when he realized he had sinned against God, David came to him with a repentant heart, and he was forgiven! Many of us can identify with David, and we can learn from his sins and the corrective measures he took. In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan told David a story about a rich man and a poor man. The poor man had but a little ewe lamb which he cherished. The account continues in verse 4: “Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion. Nathan then said to David, You are the man!”
This shows how gracious and merciful God had been to David in appointing him
king over the nation, saving his life, and giving him the pleasures of life. Yet
David sinned against God in spite of all this mercy. How often have our eyes
been blinded to the goodness of our heavenly Father, and we have erred in our
ways? Mercy to the Ancient Worthies The apostle listed a few of those who have gone before and how they overcame: “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions” (Hebrews 11:32,33). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:6 that their lives were an example for us. All of these acts came to life through the mercy of God! Even with the great multitude, we read of God’s mercy: “One of the elders answered, saying to me, These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come? And I said to him, My lord, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:13,14). These are a mercy class whom God is allowing to be tried in the fire of trouble to save the spirit which they had been given.
The time is coming for God’s mercy to be extended to all mankind once the church has been completed. Isaiah gave us a future picture of this world-wide blessing: “The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it will blossom profusely and rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy” (Isaiah 35:1,2). This is not only a picture of Israel, but of the whole world when God will turn his face of blessing and extend mercy to all. This will be possible because of Christ and the church bringing God’s desires to earth. Continuing in verse 5: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.” This describes not only physical healing, but also spiritual healing. For the first time, mankind will be able to hear and see clearly the instructions of life given by our heavenly Father. Verse 8: “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.” Isaiah gave us another description of this highway: “There will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of his people who will be left, just as there was for Israel in the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt” (Isaiah 11:16). In the coming kingdom, there will be no hindrance for the people. There will be nothing to stop them from coming to the Lord. Isaiah continued this future vision: “No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; these will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return, and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 35:9,10)
The ransomed of the Lord will be the world of mankind, brought back from the
grave to learn and enjoy the blessings and mercy of our heavenly Father. At the
end of this millennial period and the final testing, these words will be
fulfilled: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is among men, and he shall dwell among them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be among them, and he shall wipe away every
tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there shall no
longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away”
(Revelation 21:3,4). This will be the picture of God’s mercy in completeness! How God’s Mercy Should Affect Us Who has not wished to right the horrors we witness in the world? Who has not been touched by the sight of a little child who is starving, or a man who lost his entire family in an earthquake? How do we think our heavenly Father feels about mankind’s suffering as the Gospel age comes to a close? Jesus, when standing with Martha and Mary before the tomb of Lazarus, felt their great sorrow, and he wept (John 11:35). How much more does the Creator of the entire universe have compassion for the family of man. We should all have in our heart the compassion and mercy that Jesus showed to Martha and Mary that day in Bethany. If we do not, there will be no place for us in the heavenly arrangement . Mercy is a quality of God and an action of all the saints. It is the outward expression of love and compassion. Mercy is a reflection of God. |