MEANING OF MERCY - Part 2

THURSDAY, 3RD NOVEMBER, 2022.

Topic: MEANING OF MERCY – Part 2

MEMORIZE: “Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.” — Isaiah 9:17

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 18:23-35.

²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

²⁴ And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

²⁵ But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.

²⁶ The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'

²⁷ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ 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!'

²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'

³⁰ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.

³¹ 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.

³² Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'

³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

³⁵ So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

EXPOSITION:

Other biblical meaning of mercy include:

3. In the New Testament "mercy" is associated with "grace" in the apostolical greetings and elsewhere. Trench points out that the difference between them is that the freeness of God's love is the central point of grace, while mercy has in view misery and its relief; grace is His free grace and gift displayed in the forgiveness of sins - extended to men as they are guilty; His mercy (is extended to them) as they are miserable. The lower creation may be the object of His mercy, but man alone of His grace; he alone needs it and is capable of receiving it.

(4) From all the foregoing it will be seen that mercy in God is not merely His pardon of offenders, but His attitude to man, and to the world generally, from which His pardoning mercy proceeds. The frequency with which mercy is enjoined on men is specially deserving of notice, with the exclusion of the unmerciful from sonship to the all-merciful Father and from the benefits of His mercifulness. Shakespeare's question, "How canst thou hope for mercy rendering none?" is fully warranted by our Lord's teaching and by Scripture in general; compare especially the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35 ). 

(5) As the rule, the American Standard Revised Version has "lovingkindness" for "mercy" when ḥeṣedh is used of God, and "kindness" when it is used of men in relation to each other. "Compassion" is also in several instances substituted for "mercy" ( Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 14:1; Isaiah 27:11; Jeremiah 13:14; Jeremiah 30:18 ), also "goodness" (referring to man) (Hosea 4:1; Hosea 6:6 ). 

PRAYER POINT: 

Lord, let your mercy speak for me even when I don’t know what to do or ask for in Jesus name.

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DAILY BIBLE READING IN A YEAR –  John 1-3.