“But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!” Nehemiah 9:31
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5
A few years ago, I was asked to disciple a young woman who was new to our church. I realized early on that as a result of her not knowing the Bible she also didn’t really know or trust God. Wanting to give her what she needed, I asked which parts of the Bible interested her most. She answered, “I want to know more about the God of the Old Testament.” Her reasoning? She couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea that the merciful God she gravitated towards in the New Testament was the same as the wrathful one in the Old.
Now, some of you may think the same. That olde God who destroyed whole cities and their entire populations certainly isn’t the same as the new God of mercy and love, correct?
If you’re thinking that way, I encourage you to read the book of Isaiah. Yes, you’ll find God’s anger and wrath in those scriptures. You’ll also find his long suffering and mercy towards His people.
“Turn to the Lord and pray to him,
now that he is near.
Let the wicked leave their way of life
and change their way of thinking.
Let them turn to the Lord, our God;
he is merciful and quick to forgive.
“My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours,
and my ways are different from yours.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.” Isaiah 55: 6-9
After years of turning their backs to God, He still holds out his hand to His people imploring them to come. To receive His mercy and love and rest. In fact, the Old Testament is rife with God warning His people and then giving them another chance. Of being disrespected and still promising green pastures for those who believe and trust in Him. Throughout the Psalms we read of God’s unexplainable mercy to those who aren’t deserving of it.
“The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalm 145:9
I mentioned in the last post about God’s love that the Old Testament is a love story. A story between a God and His people. He woos them, protects them, and shows endless amounts of mercy. And when He’s finally had enough, He allows their actions to have serious consequences, mostly by the hands of pagan nations. Yet in the Old Testament we also see God’s promise of the final mercy. Isaiah chapters 7, 9 and especially 53 all prophesy of this hope and mercy to come—the Messiah.
Mercy Fulfilled in Christ
But the God of the New Testament shows no wrath, correct? In this case might I suggest you watch the Passion of the Christ? To whom does God show no mercy and why? Jesus. Our sins need to be taken to account in order to stand in front of a perfect God come Judgment Day. In the Old Testament he required frequent deaths of animals to partially cleanse the people of their sins. In the New, He puts His Son through a terrible death so that we may obtain His ultimate mercy.
Understanding this truth became deeply personal when I was out walking one day. I began visualizing what Jesus went through before and during the Cross. I wanted to feel as though I was there in person watching and agonizing with the disciples. They didn’t know at the time why God required this to happen. They were constantly confused when Jesus spoke of His impending death. But we know why.
So I imagined the excruciating pain He experienced for me and broke down in tears. Not just in the fact He was in pain. No, more so that He was in pain FOR ME to receive less than I deserve from God.
Got Questions has an interesting take on the concept of God’s mercy:
“Mercy is such an exceptionally complex concept that several Hebrew and Greek words are used to express the dimensions of its meaning. Synonyms like compassion, lovingkindness, favor, and steadfast love often appear in Bible translations to illustrate the idea of mercy. A brief biblical definition of mercy is “the gift of God’s undeserved kindness and compassion.”
You find all these synonyms in Jesus’ sacrifice. They are spread throughout the Old Testament as well. The Israelites were rescued out of Egypt and immediately started complaining. And God gave them food and water. They complained they didn’t have a king like other nations and He gave them King David. They complained, we complain, they sinned, we sin. And God gave us Jesus. The most merciful act anyone could hardly imagine; To save us from eternal hell.
There’s a very poignant song performed by Steve McWirther called Come Jesus Come. The chorus goes like this:
Come Jesus Come we’ve been waiting so long
For the day You return to heal every hurt and right every wrong
We need you right now come and turn this around
Deep down I know this world isn’t home
Come Jesus come
It’s a beautiful plea to God. I recognized one day that although I was personally ready for the day of Jesus’ return a few of my loved ones are not. It made me think of God’s mercy. He is right now allowing His Word, in both the New and Old Testament to be shared; for the truth of His mercy to be received before He comes in judgment of all humanity. Our merciful God is gathering all His people before the final days. His mercy is not a past story or a future hope alone—it is an open invitation right now.
“Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
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