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Mercy is a concept which is often misunderstood and therefore ignored or forgotten, yet it is repeatedly emphasized in both the Old
and New Testaments. Since mercy is manifested by God and commanded of us, we should give it serious thought. Mercy is not an
inherent part of our human nature; it must therefore be cultivated as one of those spiritual values which lift us higher than the realm
of nature. Man may react to a variety of stimuli and motives, but if mercy is not included, then we are lacking a quality which is divine
in origin. Let us therefore study the subject with a desire to cultivate mercy as part of our daily life.
First, we must understand the meaning of mercy. It is often defined as affectionate pity for those who are in need. They may be suffering
in mind or body; mercy means to show kindness to them. In the Bible mercy seems to possess a greater significance than it does in these
modern times. Mercy as taught in the New Testament traces back to the mercy of the Old Testament, which conveyed the idea of getting
inside the person to be able to see or feel as he does. You see, it was and is more than a wave of pity that reaches out from us to someone
else; it is actually our coming to understand the situation of the other person to the point of empathy. We arrive at the point of understanding
his feelings and motives; then acting to help him is mercy. Let me illustrate mercy by an experience in the life of Queen Victoria.
When she lost Prince Albert in death, she experienced great sorrow. Later an acquaintance also lost her husband in death. Queen Victoria
went to her, not as the Queen, but as one who understood what she was experiencing. That act was an act of mercy! Mercy involves pity,
but how can we pity a person until we understand what he is experiencing?
Second, we must understand that mercy in the Bible deals with both the mercy of God toward us and our mercy toward one another.
God has often shown mercy to us but in a much more remarkable way when it is associated with His grace. Paul was inspired to link
these two spiritual companions together in Ephesians 2:4~5,saying, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)..." We experience God's grace because
of His love, but we experience mercy because of His pity. This act of divine favor called mercy was formerly made manifest at the mercy seat
atop the ark of the covenant, which represented God's presence among His people. On the day of atonement, the high priest carried the
sacrificial blood and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat so that the sins of the people were rolled forward for another year. It was all
symbolic of Christ our High Priest's (Heb. 3: 1) carrying our sins to the cross and, by the sacrifice of Himself (Eph. 5:2), satisfying the
righteous demands of God, not just for a year but forever. The people did not carry the blood for themselves since salvation is not by our
works (Eph. 2:8~9).The high priest acted in their behalf even as Jesus did for us as He died for our sins; that makes salvation by grace. Grace
is divine favor and generosity, but it does not encompass all that our loving Heavenly Father expresses toward His children. In cooperation
with His grace, He acted by mercy to pardon our iniquity. Micah said, 'Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity,and
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18).
Jeremiah also spoke of God's mercy, saying, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They
are new every morning ..." (Lam. 3:22~23).The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and if we received justice we should all drop dead. The
fact that we are presently living is indisputable evidence of His mercy. Thus far I have dealt with God's mercy in regard to our salvation
from sin. In that connection keep in mind these words of Paul, "...Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost ..." (Titus 3:5). Now, there is another aspect of God's
mercy which demands our attention. It is mercy reaped from the law of harvest; as you sow ye shall reap (Gal. 6:7). If we show mercy, then
we shall receive further mercies from God, beyond those afore, mentioned. If we refuse mercy to others, then God will refuse it to
us. This idea is set forth in both the Old and New Testaments. In 2 Samuel 22:26 we read, "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself
merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright." Then Jesus taught in the Beatitudes these beautiful words, "Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt. 5:7). If we love mercy, we should show mercy. If we are unwilling to show mercy,
we have no right to expect mercy.
Though mercy is received in the measure in which we dispense it, yet there is a far greater reason to manifest mercy. The noblest reason
for mercy is that God has commanded it. By mercy we obey God; therefore it is good. Micah said, "He [God] hath shewed thee, 0 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?" (Micah 6:8).
Notice that Micah spoke first of doing justly, then of mercy, and finally of walking close to God. Justice, mercy, and fellowship with
God are all here connected and therefore should be considered in relation to each other. People are not always just, for to be just is
to recompense fairly according to the crime. Such has not always been the case. An example is this: a person was killed by a member of
another family and the family of the deceased retaliated by killing the entire family of the one who murdered their loved one. Because
many innocent people were needlessly killed in the retaliation, there was no justice. Justice demands an eye for an eye, a life for a life (Mt.
5:38A2), Ex. 21:23,25, Lev. 24:19,20, and Deut. 19:21).Justice cries out for fairness and just recompense. Even better than justice is mercy
for it gives less than is just. When we go beyond justice and give less than is deserved (mercy), then we are getting closer to God. Such
mercy makes us more like God and identifies us with Him. "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful (Luke 6:36).
There is another aspect of mercy which we need to consider. Mercy may be manifested both to those who have wronged us and to those
with whom we have had no dealings. Sometimes we respond with mercy toward people we do not know. All we know about them is
that heart-rending circumstance which grips them, and our heart goes out to them and so does our hand. They do not deserve our attention
for they never did anything to deserve it, yet we help because we are merciful. There are on the other hand those individuals who have
wronged us and therefore do not deserve our kindness. When tragedy strikes them, rather than ignoring them or being pleased with their
misfortune, we should reach out to help. That my friend, is mercy. Part of the criticism which Jesus made against the Pharisees was that
they exercised with great care the external practices of their religion, but they often neglected the internal affairs of the heart, such as mercy
(Mt. 23:23). May our religion affect both our actions and our feelings so that we will show mercy to people regardless of the circumstances.
Remember that at some time in our varied experiences, we all need mercy.
This study has presented many of the teachings of the Word of God with regard to mercy. Hopefully this lesson will have a profound affect
upon your life as you recognize the need for mercy, from God and others. May we also better understand the need for mercy to be shown
to those with whom we daily come in contact. Paul wrote, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering ... " (Col. 3:12). The word Paul used was mercies (plural). Many acts of mercy are to
fill our lives. Put on this godly apparel of mercy. As you have already received mercy from God, even so manifest mercy to others. Do it
for the glory of God, who designed and illustrated this wonderful concept of mercy.
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