TRUTH WITHOUT DIVINE MERCY IS DEFICIENT 20 JULY 2019

Believers & truthers often don’t apprehend nor comprehend the mercy of God. This leads to a large number of problems. This post is to awaken our awareness of the importance of understanding, receiving & giving mercy. Mercy lifts our hearts, gives life, and sustains all of us. The subject does not get the attention today that it receives in the Word of God.

GOD’S MERCY HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT THEME. The priests in God’s temple would sing: “His mercy endures forever.” It’s a theme throughout the Word of God. YHWH God would make His appearance in the Holy of Holies above the gold mercy seat. (A) Psalm 136 is a good example of an ancient anointed song devoted to God’s enduring mercy which is here with us forever & ever. (PS 118 is similar.) When Moses asked God to reveal His glory, He spoke of His mercy.(B) When Jeremiah was enduring hard times, Jeremiah cried for God’s mercy.(C) We should also. David repeatedly did. Paul was amazed by God’s mercy; & ROM 9:22-23 really gives a good view of God’s heart which is full of fatherly mercy, (also portrayed in Christ’s prodigal son story).

2 SYMBIOTIC COMPANIONS. When we grasp the larger view of reality, we realize we all need forgiveness. Forgiveness is an important aspect of mercy along with compassion & leniency. Forgiveness & mercy are an acceptance of reality; & God is all about truth/reality. For instance, God knows each of us thru & thru. We want to quit rebelling against reality, accepting its existence is part of making the best of it. Truth & mercy are companions that need each other like a train & its tracks or bees & flowers. Truth to go in a positive spiritual direction needs mercy. Without having forgiveness & mercy a person is stuck. Now no one likes being judged, but the reality is that it happens to us all. Job’s friends told him, “You deserve this.” Rather than judge people for judging us, let people be who they are & extend mercy. We need to be the change we want to see. Truth without mercy is like an unforgiving, cold, barren, frozen ice-capped mountain, beautiful but deadly. While mercy without truth is like a desert mirage, a non-life giving hope, a castle in the air built on shifting sand. So it may come as no surprise that mercy & truth are often directly linked together in the Word of God (D), and indirectly associated in places. (E)

PROBLEMS. Believers & truthers suffer in a number of ways concerning mercy. The first to mention can be often observed, which is that people despair & lose hope because they can’t comprehend the mercy of God. They will mistakenly think God wants them to suffer & have bad things. Actually, God wants them to repent of doing bad things & to receive His unfailing forgiveness. His mercies never come to an end. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion…” (PS 145:8-9).

One of the lies attached to sin by God’s enemies is that one is not good enough to be forgiven. Satan wants to lock people into despair, hopelessness, hate and in general any sin.

Another situation is when we do not gift mercy to others. Those who show no mercy will receive none. For example, Hitler’s SS were trained to show no mercy, & in return received none from allied forces. In contrast, Christ said: “Blessed are those who show mercy for they shall obtain mercy.”(G) “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.”(H) Some would rather condemn an innocent man than risk letting a guilty person receive mercy. This happens in churches & in America’s “justice” system. Doing this is so different than our heavenly Father & His son Yahshua.

SOME TRUTHS ABOUT MERCY. All the paths of the Lord (our heavenly Father) are mercy. (I) Mercy is one of God’s defining attributes. (J) God can be glorified for His mercy(K) which is great.(L) In fact, all the nations should praise YHWH because of His merciful kindness.(M) An act of forgiveness is a victory over evil. For example, Christ on the cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”(N) We can also ask that He remember us according to His mercy.(O)

FINAL THOUGHTS. “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”(P) “Let not mercy & truth forsake you…Write them on the tablet of your heart…” (Q)

REFERENCES:
(A) EX 25:22 (B) EX 33:19 (C) LAM 3:19-24 (D)directly linked at 2 SAM 15:20, PS 61:7, 85:10, 89:14, PRV 3:3, 14:22, 16:6, 20:28 (E) examples of indirectly linked: PS 101:1 & PS 25:10 (F) JAMES 2:13 (G) MT 5:7 cf. LK 6:36 (H) PRV 11:17 (I) PS 25:10 (J) EX 34:6 (K) ROM 15:9 (L) NEH 13:22 (M) PS 117 which was quoted by Paul at ROM 15:11 (N) LK 23:34 (O) PS 25:17 (P) HEB 4:16 (Q) PRV 3:3-4