I started thinking about mercy when, in my daily reading in Exodus 25, I read about the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark in the Most Holy Place was a box made of wood overlayed with gold. Inside it was the law God gave to Moses. The lid of the Ark was made of solid gold, and called the atonement cover. Some Bibles translated this cover as the “mercy seat.” There, God would meet with Moses, at the point of mercy.
There is no doubt from Scripture that our God is merciful. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3) God declared this as one of His attributes to Moses. “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.’” (Exodus 34:6) Other translations replace the word merciful with “compassion” or “loyal love.”
Mercy is a request to God for forgiveness instead of justice. But it’s more than a simple request; there must also be an admission of guilt. That’s what’s behind the story of the proud Pharisee and the humble tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee saw no need for mercy, whereas the “tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to Heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” Notice that Jesus said, “I tell you that this man [the tax-man], rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13–14)
The Law was inside the Ark and covered by the Mercy seat. The Ark, being simply overlaid with gold and the lid being solid gold, we see that mercy is one of the most valuable aspects of the Law. That’s why Jesus said to the religiously proud that mercy is one of the most important things He requires. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices… But you have neglected the more important matters of the Law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former [tithing].” (Matthew 23:23)
“No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20) We all need God’s mercy. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6–7)
The clearest demonstration of God’s mercy is salvation. Salvation is offered to all people, not that we deserve it, but because of the kind decision our sovereign and merciful God made. He sent Jesus to die for our sins. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 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 3:4–5)
God loves to show mercy to everyone who asks Him. God wants to show you mercy, but the conditions upon the dispensing of His mercy is repentance of your sin. “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all.” (Romans 11:32) Because He is also holy and righteous, He can’t just overlook sin all together and extend mercy willy-nilly. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Jesus told the man out of whom He had cast multiple demons that he should go back to his family and emphasize God’s mercy shown to him. “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19)
May we who are Christ-followers never tire of telling the salvation story of God’s mercy.
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