Love as Mercy God's goodness and love includes all humans as part of His creation. Our relationship to Him is not just as creatures anymore but we are also sinners. God's goodness and love continue. That cannot be stopped because He IS love. But because of sin and its consequences, His love takes on certain specialized forms. First of these is MERCY. Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, Sin has produced suffering and misery for mankind in general and for individuals in specific ways. Mercy is the love of God as it is directed toward man in his pain, suffering, need misery and distress as caused by sin. It is a sympathetic concern and a deep compas sion, leading to a desire to relieve the distress. It is the love of God shows to those in misery or distress regardless of whether they deserved the misery and distress or not. The fact that man has brought this suffering upon himself through his sin is irrelevant as far as mercy and compassion are concerned. Sometimes a person brings his misery upon himself through his own irresponsible and sinful living, but often it is the result of other people's sins. Most of our suffering can be traced to the consequences of the curses that came after the first sin in Eden. (Gen. 3:16-19) But regardless of its cause, God is moved with com passion when He sees His creatures suffering. Hebrew: Racham This is the main Hebrew word for mercy. It means "to yearn, to have compassion to have mercy, to pity." In the plural; the womb (as cherishing the fetus); tender love. It is the love that cares for a baby after birth. Comfort, care for and provide for the baby. Greek: Eleos - same as Hebrew - compassion, mercy, pity Splangchna Literally refers to the entrails, "bowels" - KJV. Figuratively means pity, mercy or compas sion. It is the term used most frequently in the gospels to refer to Christ's compassion. Literal use: Acts 1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. (bowels - KJV) Figurative use: Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, (KJV) Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, (NKJV) Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, hum bleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. (Bowels of mercies - KJV) Literally drape on intestines of mercies around your neck. *Philemon 1:7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts (bowels - KJV) of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. *1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart (bowels of compassion - KJV) from him, how does the love of God abide in him? *indicates being moved to relieve suffering. God is Merciful Since Mercy is a form of Love, and love is the very nature of God, mercy is the very nature of God, i.e., the nature of God shows itself as merciful in the face of human misery and distress. God does not Choose to be merciful, He Is merciful. When God spoke to Moses of His nature, He said: Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, Of all these attributes, the first to be mentioned is mercy. Psalms 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abun dant in mercy and truth. Psalms 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. Psalms 145:8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. Joel 2:13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. 2 Samuel 24:14 And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." Psalms 119:156 Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your judgments. Lamentations 3:22-23 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. (Satan is a Liar and the father of lies: John 8:44, God is merciful and the Father of mercies) Example of Jehoahaz: 2 Kings 13:2-5 The word "Mercy" is not used but the concept is there. God didn't just say: "You got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out." Who is God merciful to? He has mercy towards those who suffer from pain and distress. Psalms 69:16-17 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; Turn to me according to the multi tude of Your tender mercies. And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble; Hear me speedily. Psalms 40:11-12 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniqui ties have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. Daniel 2:17-18 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concern ing this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Matthew 9:27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" Matthew 15:22 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." Matthew 17:15 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. Luke 17:12-13 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Psalm 18:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Your self blameless. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. God had Mercy on Israel Judges 2:18 And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and deliv ered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. Nehemiah 9:17-19, 27-28, 30-31 "manifold mercies" - KJV (see context - They deserved trouble, but God still loved them) Psalms 106:40-45 "multitude of mercies" - KJV (see context) Most numerous expressions of mercy on Israel are related to the Babylo nian captivity. Judah deserved the punishment they received. They had been warned of it in Deut. and Lev. but they willfully ignored God's Law time after time. Because God is righteous, He had to punish them for their sin. If He had not punished, He would not have been righteous. He is also Love. Therefore, after they were punished, He showed mercy to them. Isaiah 49:13-15 Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her suck ing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Isaiah 54:7 For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. Daniel 9:18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. Isaiah 14:1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. Jeremiah 31:20 Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him," says the Lord. Zechariah 10:6 I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them. Nehemiah 9:31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; for You are God, gracious and merciful. God's Mercy is dependent on the people's repentance Much affliction and suffering people experience is deserved. Israel and Judah deserved what they got. Before God would help them, their attitude had to change. Even after their attitude changed, they still deserved what they got. This is similar to when some criminals attitudes change in court. They are still guilty! In their attitude change, they must recognize that they deserved it and their only hope was in God's love expressed by His mercy. Deuteronomy 4:26-31 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them. Psalms 103:13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. (pity = Racham = mercy) Luke 1:50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. Jonah 4:2 ... Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Jonah knew that Nineveh would have to repent before God could forgive. He knew that his message might cause them to repent so he decided to not go. They had to hear the message and respond to it. This is why God went through so much trouble to get Jonah to go. There was no direct operation of the Spirit then or now. God is merciful to sinners When God looks upon us, He sees us as sinners whose principal need is grace and for giveness and salvation. This is why so many of the passages that speak of God's mercy also speak of His grace and forgiveness. Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly par don. Psalms 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multi tude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Habakkuk 3:2 O Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. Isaiah 54:8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," says the Lord, your Redeemer. Most passages have been from the OT. There we find the nature of God. In the O.T. the emphasis of God's mercy is related to physical suffering. In the N.T. the emphasis is related to forgiveness and eternal salvation. Most important teaching on the mercy of God is that He is not just merciful to those who are suffering physically, but He is merciful to those who are suffering spiritually. In the O.T., much of the emphases on God's mercy as to do with this life. In the N.T., the emphasis is on our forgiveness of sins. (O.T. and N.T. do contain both ideas) Luke 1:76-78 and you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us. (Remission of sins was provided by the mercy of God.) 1 Timothy 1:13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (God still loved Paul while he was Saul of Tarsus) Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 1 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. Ephesians 2:1-6 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 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, Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight -- that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 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. Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc