Basic Requirements: Love Mercy
Micah 6:8 (NKJV)
“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?”
This is the second in a three-part series in which we consider each of these BASIC REQUIREMENTS, first seeing what God’s Word has to say, and then examining what that looks like in our day-to-day practice.
Love mercy - Mercy is being spared from getting what we deserve. We tend to love mercy when it is extended to us, but we may become miserly when faced with the opportunity to extend mercy to others.
Luke 18:13, “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ “
Do you LOVE MERCY? Do you love to SHOW MERCY?
The classic passage regarding this concept is Matthew 18:23-35. [emphasis mine]
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants . . . One was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold . . . The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
“So, when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?’ And the master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So, my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Our sin debt is far greater than 10,000 talents! (One online source had this comparison: A talent is 6,000 denarii, or 20 years of daily wages for a six-day work week. Today, one talent would be $348,000.) It cost our Savior His very life. And it would have resulted in our being separated from God for all eternity had He not been willing to be our substitute.
Justice is getting what we deserve.
Romans 3:23 (KJV), “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23a (KJV), “For the wages of sin is death.”
Ezekiel 18:20a (KJV), “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
BUT GOD
Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us.”
There are so many examples of God’s mercy throughout the Bible.
Genesis 19:19 (KJV) [Lot], “…thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life…”
Genesis 39:21 (KJV) [Joseph], “But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (KJV)
Lamentations 3:22 (KJV), “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
I Chronicles 16:34 (KJV), “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.”
Psalm 86:5 (KJV), “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”
In looking up verses about mercy, it was not lost on me that the very place of God’s presence in the tabernacle was called the MERCY SEAT!!! Think of it. Not the judgment seat. Not the love seat. Not even the grace seat. What sinful, selfish people need more than anything is God’s mercy.
I suggest you do your own search. God’s mercy is a recurring theme.
What did I learn from this search?
God shows mercy to individuals as well as nations.
God responds when we ask Him for mercy.
God’s mercy is sometimes tied to our obedience.
God’s mercy is often granted despite our disobedience.
God’s mercy never ends.
God’s mercy is plentiful (not stingy).
But we are not God. How can we be expected to show that kind of mercy? Our text passage in Matthew 18 plainly teaches that God does expect us to show mercy based on the mercy He has shown us.
How does this play out in our daily lives?
We must work at showing mercy.
We must develop an attitude of mercy.
We must look for ways to show mercy (devise good).
We must confess and forsake our own sins to make progress in showing mercy.
The classic illustration of SHOWING MERCY is found in Luke 10:25-37, the account of the Good Samaritan.
Luke 10:33-35 “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said unto him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.”
What do we learn from this passage?
Showing mercy requires action. (saw, went, bandaged, poured, set, brought, took care of)
Showing mercy requires sacrifice. (time, resources)
Showing mercy requires commitment. (follow up)
I’m afraid we are often too much like the Pharisees. We go to church, sit in the pew, sing in the choir, do the things that don’t require us to get dirty, or sidetrack our own plans, or rearrange our schedules. We smugly thank God for those who are willing to work in the bus ministry or the addictions ministry or the jail ministry or the nursery. We praise God that He has not called me to do those things. Has he?
I see nothing in the Luke passage to indicate that He does not expect such action from every one of us every day as every opportunity presents itself. To ignore the needs around us is to ignore the nudging of the Holy Spirit as well as the revealed will of God in the Word of God. The priest and the Levite (religious leaders) in verses 31 and 32 were guilty of this.
Don’t get involved! You’ve got too much on your plate already.
Don’t get dirty! Your reputation is at stake.
Don’t stop! You might not get everything checked off your “to do” list.
Maybe we should have only one item on our daily “to do” list: Find opportunities to show mercy. Period. Be on the lookout. Actively seek them. Ask God to lead you to those who need mercy. When He does, spring into action. Don’t wait. Don’t make excuses.
In today’s dog-eat-dog world, it’s every man for himself. Many people simply do not care about others. Of course, that should not be the Christian response. We are instructed to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). We demonstrate love by helping those in need. “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (I Jn 3:17). Opportunities abound.
A sick neighbor needs a meal or someone to run errands.
A friend is struggling to make ends meet and needs groceries or a full gas tank.
A lonely widow (or widower) just needs someone who will listen.
A frazzled mom needs someone to watch the children so she can have an hour of downtime to recharge her emotional and physical reserves.
A teen is searching for her identity, trying to make sense of all the emotions she’s feeling, and needs godly counsel to ground her.
LOVE MERCY.
Not just when God extends it to me, but when He prompts me to show His mercy to others.
God takes notice of (and keeps a record of) every time we show mercy to others. Again, the classic passage is found in Matthew 25:31-46.
Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to me.” (40) “…inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
It’s time we stopped looking the other way, crossing the street (as the Pharisee and Levite), and making excuses. We must look around and beyond ourselves and our comfort. We must be willing to set aside our plans and allow God to use us to accomplish His plan.
