At the end of this
year, 2013, it would seem the need for mercy and forgiveness is greater than at
any other time. Many people are caught in a cranky, angry, web, but refuse to
break out of it. Everyone wants to voice their personal opinions over others.
Instead of joining the craziness, we are called to something greater,
forgiveness and mercy. While things like salvation and redemption are gifts of
grace, mercy and forgiveness are measured on balance scales. Like a seesaw,
what you give in mercy and forgiveness is given back to you in the same
measure. Salvation or redemption is not conditional upon behavior, other than
believing Jesus is Lord, but mercy and forgiveness are.
Jesus taught us how
to pray. He pointed out the improper way that hypocrites and heathens pray, and
showed us the better way to pray. Although we may have made The Lord’s Prayer a
vain repetition as well, Jesus intended this to be an example, not a duplicate
copy prayer. However, right after Jesus’ example, he explains something to us.
He tells us that if we forgive others, the Heavenly Father will forgive us, and
if we don’t, the Heavenly Father won’t forgive us either. Ouch. There are lots
of people and lots of occasions to practice forgiveness in our lives. And it is
to our benefit to release debts against people so that we are forgiven as well.
One of the keys to living in the realm of forgiveness is to learn mercy and to
become merciful.
Matt
6:5-15 And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to
pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.6 But thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee
openly.7 But
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that
they shall be heard for their much speaking.8 Be not
ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need
of, before ye ask him.9 After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name.10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us
this day our daily bread.12 And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.13 And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.14 For if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:15 But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.KJV
Forgiving someone
does not mean we have to be victimized over and over, instead it means we
release someone from the debt of that sin against us. We are not required to be
in a relationship with someone who has wronged us, we are to simply forgive and
be merciful. Some people have personality disorders or mental health issues
that can hamper their interpersonal relationships; we are not to be anyone’s
punching bag, so the healthy thing to do is to forgive them, and walk away.
Let’s look at the Amplified’s translation of verses 14 & 15.
Matt
6:14-15 For if
you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful
sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if
you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful
sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither
will your Father forgive you your trespasses. AMP
Jesus
told us that the merciful are blessed, mercy means compassion. We can be
compassionate towards people who seem to sin or trespass against us.
Matt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy [1653].KJV
Jesus tells His
disciples to learn what this means:
Matt 9:13 But go ye and learn what that
meaneth, I will have mercy [1656], and not sacrifice:
for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.KJV
God would just as
soon have mercy on us, rather than a sacrifice to atone for our sins. Jesus
didn’t come for righteous people; instead he came to bring sinners to
repentance. Repentance unto salvation is better than sacrifices made for sins.
Here are a few variations on the word mercy from the Greek.
NT:1653 eleeo (el-eh-eh'-o); from NT:1656; to
compassionate (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace):KJV - have
compassion (pity on), have (obtain, receive, shew) mercy (on).(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:1654 eleemosune (el-eh-ay-mos-oo'-nay); from
NT:1656; compassionateness, i.e. (as exercised
towards the poor) beneficence, or (concretely) a benefaction:KJV - alms
(-deeds).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:1655 eleemon (el-eh-ay'-mone); from NT:1653;
compassionate (actively):KJV - merciful.(Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:1656 eleos (el'-eh-os); of uncertain
affinity; compassion (human or divine, especially active):KJV -
(+tender) mercy.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft,
Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
James tells us to be
merciful in a similar way to what Jesus said regarding forgiveness as recorded
in Matthew. However, James’ word for merciless
is only used once in the Bible and is a derivative of Paul’s word for
merciless. Let’s explore.
James 2:12-13 So speak and so act as [people
should] who are to be judged under the law of liberty [the
moral instruction given by Christ, especially about love]. 13 For to him who has shown no mercy
[1656] the judgment [will be] merciless [415a], but mercy [1656] [full of glad
confidence] exults victoriously over judgment. AMP
NT:415 aneleeemoon, aneleeemon,without mercy,
merciless: Rom 1:31
NT:415a* aneleos, aneleon, without mercy, merciless: James
2:13(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright ©
2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
If we picture the
scales of justice, there is one side with our sins weighing down that side of
the scale. On the other side of the scale, are the sins of people who wronged
us. How balanced are our scales? Are we lopsided, holding onto other people’s
sins, and forgetting about our own?
Rom 1:18 For
God's [holy] wrath and indignation
are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who in their wickedness repress and hinder
the truth and make it
inoperative… Rom 1:28-32 And so,
since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve
of Him or
consider Him worth the knowing, God gave
them over to a base and condemned mind
to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, 29 Until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every
kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous
greed, and malice. [They were] full of envy and jealousy,
murder, strife, deceit and treachery, ill
will and
cruel ways. [They were] secret backbiters and gossipers, 30 Slanderers, hateful to and hating
God, full of insolence, arrogance, [and] boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. 31 [They
were] without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless
[and] merciless
[415]. 32 Though they are fully aware of God's righteous decree that those
who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve
and applaud others who practice them. AMP
This is quite a bit
of information. At that time, just like today, there were people who did not
regard God, the Heavenly Father, as Creator. They did not consider God worth
knowing. Intentionally they repress and hinder the truth about God as Creator,
and became idolaters worshipping the things they made up. That is a bad place
to be. Therefore, God gave them over to a corrupted, degenerate mind. God did
not corrupt their minds, the devil did, yet because these people have freedom
of will to choose who they will serve, they chose the devil, the god of this
world, the prince of the power of the air, the god of “self”, to be their
master. They became filled with every kind of unrighteousness, and Paul lists
all the sins here. These people became/become hateful to God the Heavenly
Father, even though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree. They
applaud others who do these things too. When we see people in the media who
behave like this, heartless, loveless, and merciless, we are still required to
forgive them; they have been overtaken by a condemned mind because they
worshipped the creature rather than the Creator and they hid that truth from
others. Don’t worship the creature, the devil; worship the Creator.
In the Old Testament
there are several words to communicate mercy, while the definitions are
slightly odd to our modern times; they communicate some deep truths regarding
our relationship to the Creator, the Heavenly Father. He is to us, like a
doting earthly father, who enjoys spending time with his children.
Ex
33:17-23 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also
that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee
by name.18 And he
said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.19 And he
said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and will shew mercy [7355]on whom I will shew mercy[7355].20 And he said, Thou canst not see
my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou
shalt stand upon a rock:22 And it
shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift
of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:23 And I will take away mine hand,
and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.KJV
OT:7355 racham (raw-kham'); a primitive root;
to fondle; by implication, to love, especially to compassionate: KJV - have
compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy (-iful, on,
upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, surely.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's
Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright ©
1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
God will lovingly show us grace and mercy. Isaiah tells us that
even those who worship the creature are to seek the Lord, and he will have
mercy on all of us.
Isa
55:6-9 Seek ye
the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while
he is near:7 Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him
return unto the Lord , and he will
have mercy[7355] upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8 For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord .9 For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.KJV
David repeatedly
laments human weakness, calling upon the Lord’s mercy.
Ps 6:2
Have mercy [2603] upon me, O Lord
; for I am weak: O Lord , heal me;
for my bones are vexed.KJV
OT:2603 chanan (khaw-nan'); a primitive root
[compare OT:2583]; properly, to bend or stoop in kindness to
an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (i.e. move to favor by
petition): KJV - beseech, fair, (be, find, shew) favour (-able), be (deal, give, grant
(gracious (-ly), intreat, (be) merciful, have (shew) mercy (on, upon), have
pity upon, pray, make supplication, very.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's
Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright ©
1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Remembering
that we are inferior to the Creator is a good start.
Ps 9:13 Have
mercy [2603] upon me, O Lord ;
consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me
up from the gates of death: KJV
Ps 123:1-3 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O
thou that dwellest in the heavens.2 Behold,
as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of
a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy[2603] upon
us.3 Have mercy [2603]upon us, O Lord , have mercy [2603]upon us: for we
are exceedingly filled with contempt.4 Our soul
is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the
contempt of the proud. KJV
Prov
14:21 He that
despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy [2603] on the poor,
happy is he.KJV
Prov
14:31 He that
oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy
[2603]on the poor.KJV
Having mercy on the poor is a big theme for us to follow as well. While
we might have compassion on the poor, we may not always be compelled to give
money to the poor. That should be subject to the Holy Spirit’s leading. The
Lord our God shows mercy to those who keep the covenant and love Him.
Deut 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful
God, which keepeth covenant and mercy [2617] with them that love him and keep
his commandments to a thousand generations; KJV
OT:2617 checed (kheh'-sed); from OT:2616;
kindness; by implication (towards God) piety: rarely (by opposition) reproof,
or (subject.) beauty: KJV - favour, good deed
(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity,
reproach, wicked thing.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
The Lord
tells us he will establish David’s throne forever; David’s seed will have a
kingdom forever. Mercy will not leave David’s seed, like mercy was taken away
from Saul.
2 Sam
7:8-17Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from
following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:9 And I was with thee whithersoever
thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have
made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the
earth.10 Moreover
I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may
dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of
wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,11 And as
since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have
caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee
that he will make thee an house.12 And when
thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy
seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish
his kingdom.13 He shall
build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for
ever.14 I will be his father, and he
shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men,
and with the stripes of the children of men:15 But my
mercy [2617]shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put
away before thee.16 And thine
house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne
shall be established for ever.17 According
to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto
David.KJV
We would all like to
have mercy for our youthful sins.
Ps 25:7 Remember not the sins of my
youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy [2617] remember thou me
for thy goodness' sake, O Lord
.KJV
Ps 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy [2617] and truth unto
such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. KJV
Ps 145:8 The
Lord is gracious, and full of
compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy [2617].KJV
Solomon
encourages us to bind mercy around our neck and write mercy on our heart.
Prov
3:1-4 My son,
forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long
life, and peace, shall they add to thee.3 Let not
mercy [2617] and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon
the table of thine heart:4 So shalt
thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. KJV
Clearly,
we can see that an attitude that permeated the Old Testament was humility, and recognition
of one’s low estate. The problem we have is that not everyone is humble, and as
Paul wrote, people’s minds became distorted because they did not recognize
their position before the Creator, and they instead worshipped “self”, the
creature. Let’s look at the New Testament regarding mercy again.
Matt
23:23 Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise
and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.KJV
Weightier
matters include mercy; this is what we should do on earth so we are not known
as hypocrites. Even from the grave, the rich man cried out looking for mercy.
Luke
16:24 And he
cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame.KJV
In Jesus’
story, the rich man didn’t get mercy in hades. He couldn’t because he wasn’t
merciful to Lazarus. Mercy is like a seesaw. Paul also tells us that because
the Jews rejected Jesus, the nations receive mercy. And through our mercy the
Jews will receive mercy.
Rom
11:25-36 For I
would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should
be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.26 And so
all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:27 For this is my covenant unto
them, when I shall take away their sins.28 As
concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the
election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.29 For the
gifts and calling of God are without repentance.30 For as ye
in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their
unbelief:31 Even so
have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain
mercy.32 For God
hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.33 O the depth of the riches both of
the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his
ways past finding out!34 For who
hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?35 Or who hath first given to him,
and it shall be recompensed unto him again?36 For of
him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.
Amen.KJV_
Paul is a great
example of the Lord’s mercy; he is the pattern for us all.
1 Tim
1:12-17 And I
thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me
faithful, putting me into the ministry;13 Who was
before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy,
because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.14 And the
grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ
Jesus.15 This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.16 Howbeit
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth
all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him
to life everlasting.17 Now unto
the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory
for ever and ever. Amen.KJV
Today, we
are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy in time
of need.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time
of need.KJV
Another word for mercy which is used in the New Testament
is pity. As we read earlier, people
who despised Moses’ laws died without pity.
Heb 10:26-29 For if we sin wilfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sins,27 But a
certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries.28 He that
despised Moses' law died without mercy [3628] under two or three witnesses:29 Of how much sorer punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of
God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified,
an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?KJV
NT:3628 oiktirmos (oyk-tir-mos'); from NT:3627; pity: KJV -
mercy.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:3627 oikteiro (oyk-ti'-ro); also (in certain
tenses) prolonged oiktereo (oyk-ter-eh'-o);
from oiktos (pity); to exercise
pity: KJV - have compassion on.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
Mercy is compassion, and here in
Romans 9, what is translated compassion
is pity.
Rom
9:15-16 For he
saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion [3627] on whom I will have compassion [3627].16 So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.KJV
Because
God shows us mercy and pity, we are to put on pity; this is an action we are to take in our thoughts and heart
towards others.
Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of
God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies [3628], kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, longsuffering; KJV
We are
certainly not deserving of mercy or compassion, many times we deserve
punishment, but God has pity on us. The conclusion of the matter is that we are
to keep ourselves in the love of God, having mercy on others when they fall.
Jude
20-21 But ye,
beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Ghost,21 Keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life.KJV
Since
Jesus died for us, we are given eternal life when we believe in Him. It was
Jesus’ mercy and compassion for fallen man, broken humans, that led Him to the
cross. We had no other way to eternal life; as we read many times, the law
brought sin, but where sin is, grace abounds. Mercy and forgiveness are granted
to us when we fall, but the measure we are granted is directly related to the
mercy and forgiveness we have given others. It is very possible to receive
eternal life, by grace, and yet not receive mercy or forgiveness for our own
sins because we did not forgive others of their sins. We see many people like
that in the church today. They are harsh, judgmental, proud, and they love to
yell the loudest about someone else’s sins. Instead, mercy, compassion, and
pity, given freely to others, weigh and balance our own sins. We receive mercy
and forgiveness in the measure we give mercy and forgiveness.
When the
loud, obnoxious, Creator haters, yell about someone quoting the Bible as being
mean, we have to think above that. We have to understand that their minds are
not like ours because they rejected the Heavenly Father. Remember, they enjoy
when others behave just like them. Rather than joining the entangled haters who
did not think it was worth knowing God, we, the body of Christ, should live
above the contentions, as Jesus did. We can have compassion, pity, and mercy on
others, and when we do, we are given mercy and forgiveness as well. How
balanced are our scales?
