At the end of the Civil War when the Confederate Army was finally defeated, Abraham Lincoln was asked how he would treat the rebellious South. The question hinted at the desire for severe punishment. But the merciful President said, “I will treat them as if they had never been away.” Some vindictive Yankees urged the President to hang the rebel leaders, but Lincoln insisted, “No--we must hang on to them.”
The word “mercy” indicates having another person’s misery in our hearts. Our merciful God has pity on His children, who are in much distress, often of our own making. Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” And so mercy is a disposition to pardon the guilty. When a President or Governor issues a pardon, it is not because the one pardoned is innocent, but because they want to show clemency. It would not be mercy if it was deserved.
In His tender mercy God gives what is undeserved, and doesn’t give what is. We are protected from God by God. We need to remember that God doesn’t owe us Heaven. We deserve damnation. God’s mercy is His goodness towards those in misery and distress--the distress of sin. In mercy God acknowledges our fallen condition and responds to our plight, providing payment for our sin, and raising us up to new life in Christ. Instead of requiring us to pay the price, God pays it Himself. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for ours.
So many people claim they only want what they deserve. Not me; I know what I deserve! If God gave us our “just desserts” we would be without hope. People ask, “Why doesn’t God wipe out all evil?” Be glad He doesn’t; if He did a thorough job, He would not spare us. C.S. Lewis said, “I’d sooner pray for God’s mercy than for His justice on my friends, my enemies, and myself.” Scripture paints a bleak picture of life without Christ. But mercy is available to all. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not,” Lamentations 3:22.
In the movie Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler tells Nazi SS Officer Goeth: “Power is when we have every justification to kill and we don’t; instead we show mercy.” God would be justified to condemn us all; yet He doesn’t.
Mercy is not something God has but something God is (Tozer). He doesn’t become merciful; He always has been. His mercy is eternal, immeasurable and unchanging; nothing can diminish it. God’s mercy knows no bounds. And God keeps His word; He won’t give up on us; He won’t “change His mind.” He welcomes us as friends. What blessed assurance!
In ancient Israel, within the Temple, the “mercy-seat” was the cover or lid of the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God’s presence and pardon. The blood of the Temple sacrifice was sprinkled onto the Mercy Seat, securing atonement for sin. The Mercy Seat in the Old Testament, and the Cross in the New, are corresponding places that provide mercy. In both, sacrifice was necessary. “It was the mercy of God that gave us the cross, not the cross that gave us mercy” (Tozer). The symbol of our Christian faith is the cross, not the scales of justice--thank God.
In Luke 18, Jesus commended the humble remorse of a man who cried out: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is the kind of prayer that brings merciful healing and wholeness. It has been called the “Jesus Prayer” and “The Prayer of the Heart,” and many people pray it regularly. To pray “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner,” is a reminder of our condition and our ongoing need for God’s abundant mercy.
We are to reflect this divine quality: Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful” and Luke 6:36, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Some people get emotionally stirred by the needs of people but do nothing about it. God is actively merciful. And because of His mercy, He is “slow to anger,” Psalm 103:8.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there is a play within the play. A group of traveling actors arrive at Elsinore castle and Hamlet charges the king’s advisor Polonius to care for their needs. Polonius replies, “I will give them according to their merit.” And Hamlet explodes: “Heavens, man, much better! Give everyone what they deserve and who should escape whipping? Treat them with honor and dignity. The less they deserve, the more merit in your bounty.” This is showing mercy.
The unmerciful show no quarter; they “take no prisoners.” In Matthew 18 we see the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant--a man who owed a huge debt and pleaded to the king for mercy, but was unwilling to show mercy to others. The king’s response was: “So you want to live by justice? Then you shall have justice!” Because God is merciful, He is opposed to those who lack mercy (James 2:13).
When we are wronged, we may vent in anger, “I hope they get what they deserve!” God never says this; He does not delight in the punishment of the wicked (Ezek 18:32, 33:11). He takes no pleasure in condemning sin, just as juries and judges aren’t delighted with a “guilty” verdict. It is a sad state of affairs to sentence the guilty, and many judicial sentences are issued with a heavy heart. Some defendants who know they’re guilty admit it up-front, and throw themselves “upon the mercy of the court.”
In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Gandalf are talking about the troublesome Gollum, and Frodo says in frustration that Gollum deserved to die: “It’s a pity Bilbo didn’t kill him when he had the chance.” Gandalf replies, “Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo’s hand. I daresay many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment.” Frodo learns that an unmerciful attitude is self-destructive. “The most miserable prison is the one we make for ourselves when we refuse to show mercy” (Wiersbe).
We’re in need of pity. “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, nobody knows but Jesus.” God is burdened with what burdens us. When we’re sad, God weeps with us; when we’re in misery, God suffers along with us. We cry out to God and He sympathizes with our grief and distress. Jesus has experiential understanding of life’s hardships. Without mercy we can never hope to approach God. Our appeal to God for mercy is not based on how much trouble we’re in, but on God’s character.
We’ll soon be gathered at the Lord’s Table. Communion is a mercy meal. It reminds us that Jesus paid the ultimate price for damaged goods. He died for us--the Just for the unjust--in an act of mercy. He took pity on us and by His sacrifice we are healed. The devil would like to hang us, but God wants to hang on to us.
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy. Do you see your need of mercy? Then trust the Father of mercies. God doesn’t quit on us. We are kept securely anchored by His mercy. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.” Amen.
