For Those Who Show Mercy Part 1
Jesus’ teaching known as “The Beatitudes” is recorded in Matthew 5:3-12. Within this passage, He identified attributes or experiences that will be manifested in the lives of those who are indeed the children of God. Each of these experiences is a reflection of the suffering and sacrifice that Jesus Himself endured, and each of these brings the promise of God’s blessing. Jesus began by teaching that we as God’s children will know and experience what it is like to be poor in spirit, even though the kingdom of Heaven is ours. We will know what it is like to mourn and to be partakers with the Him, the Man of Sorrows (John 16:20-22, Isaiah 53:3), and yet we are assured that the time will come for us when we will be comforted. We will also be brought to a position of meekness or humility as God works in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29, Hebrews 2:10-11), and yet the time will come when we inherit the earth. We will hunger and thirst for righteousness when surrounded by unrighteousness in a wicked world (Psalm 42:2, 63:1, 143:6). However, we are assured that the time will come for us when we will be filled, and we will hunger and thirst no more (Revelation 7:16-17). We will also find ourselves called upon to sacrifice something of what we have and could have kept for ourselves, in order to be merciful to someone in need. Love manifesting itself through acts of mercy is one evidence that we ourselves have received God’s mercy, having been called to faith in His Son.
Jesus also taught that we will know something of what it is like to be pure in heart. As those who have been called to faith in His Son, God has given us a heart to obey Him and keep His commandments (John 14:23-24), which is another evidence of a genuine faith that will be manifested in the lives of God’s people. As Jesus continued, He taught that we will know and experience something of what it is like to be peacemakers among those who are self-willed. As believers, God has ordained that the life of the Prince of Peace will be manifested through our lives lived here on the earth (Isaiah 9:6-7, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12). Jesus concluded His teaching in this passage by saying that we as His people will also know in some measure what it is like to be persecuted. We will be excluded, insulted, and falsely accused because of who we are, believers in Christ (1 Timothy 3:12). Among these beatitudes, we find the beatitude of showing mercy toward others. The love of Christ will be manifested in the life of every believer, and this love will motivate us, and even compel us, to show mercy to others (Matthew 25:31-46, John 13:34-35, 1 John 3:11-20). Our faith in Christ will be shown to be a genuine faith by love manifesting itself through acts of mercy. Jesus taught that in return for the mercy that we show to others in their time of need, we will receivethe mercy of God in our own times of trouble, and eternal reward and blessing in Heaven.
A Lesson from Psalm 41
In Psalm 41, David told of the mercy of God that is extended to those who have shown mercy to others. In the context of this psalm, we see that David was very ill, and he acknowledged that his present illness was a consequence of his own sin. Certainly not all illness and affliction is a consequence of one’s own personal sins, as is clearly taught in the Book of Job (Job 1:1, 2:8, 2:3). However, in the context of this psalm, David acknowledged his illness to be a result of his sin. Beginning in verse 1, we read: How blessed is he who considers the helpless.
Blessed [by God’s grace and compassion] is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will save him in the day of trouble. 2 The Lord will protect him and keep him alive; And he will be called blessed in the land;You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies. 3 The Lord will sustain and strengthen him on his sickbed; In his illness, You will restore him to health. 4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” (Psalm 41:1-4) The promises of God’s blessing that we find in these verses are given to those who show mercy to the weak. David taught that in return for the mercy that we extend to those who are helpless and in distress, the Lord will extend His mercy to us and deliver us in our own times of trouble. Even as David acknowledged in verse 4 that his current affliction was a result of his own sin, he knew that God would remember the mercy and kindness he had shown to others in their weakness, vulnerability and need. God will remember our acts of mercy toward others, and He will in turn show His mercy to us in our time of need, even in the midst of His disciplines, which always come upon us as a consequence of our sin.
A Lesson from Isaiah 58
In the book of Isaiah, we find another promise of God’s mercy given to His people in return for the mercy they have shown to others. Speaking through theprophet, the Lord rebuked the house of Jacob for their superficial type of fasting.They went without food, but they continued in other sinful practices such as exploiting their workers, quarreling, and even striking one another with their fists. After His rebuke, the Lord said that true fasting that pleases Him is to extend mercy and acts of kindness to others. In this passage, God promises His people that in return for the mercy that we show toward others in need, we will receive His mercy, provision, and help in our time of need. Beginning in verse 6, we read: “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the “[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose, To undo the bonds of wickedness, To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke, To let the oppressed go free And break apart every [enslaving] yoke? 7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth; Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity], The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression], The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech, 10 And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry And satisfy the [a]need of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. 11 “And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your soul in scorched and dry places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 12 “And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste]; You will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets [b]with Dwellings. (Isaiah 58:6-12)
In His Will,
Pastor William Francis