Mercy
Words for 'mercy' are used almost 300 times in the Old Testament, the most used word being 'checed' meaning kindness or favor. Another word, racham, means to be compassionate and eleeo means to give out compassion (eleos).
In the New Testament, one form of the word is translated from the Greek word, hilasterion, which means expiatory place, atoning sacrifice, atonement cover, the place where sins are forgiven. It is traditionally translated as propitiation or mercy seat.
I was thinking on the way to work this morning about how true mercy is exhibited by the events that are celebrated this week. My Jewish co-workers will begin to celebrate Passover this evening. Passover recalls how God showed mercy and kindness by His deliverance of the Israelites from Eqypt. Those were some of my favorite Bible stories when I first learned about God.
I can still hear Mrs. Klingingsmith in the after-school program at the Methodist church that was near my home as a little girl. She made the Bible come alive for me. Her stories about Jesus made Him as real to me as my parents. He showed that children were important to Him and to His Heavenly Father when He rebuked the disciples for trying to send them away from Him. And He healed sick people, no case was too difficult for Him. I absolutely fell in love with Him because of His kindness and favor, and His mercy.
When the teachers told me about Him dying, though, and how He suffered in His death, I couldn't understand that. Why did He die? They told me that He came back to life, but it was all perplexing to me.
They tried to explain but I couldn't grasp it. Even as a pre-teen in Mrs. Hanawalt's class when I asked, it didn't make sense. Is God really so cruel that He would want a loving perfect man to die so horribly? The problem was that I'd heard about God's mercy, but I didn't know why I needed it.
Isaiah 59 explains the problem - "your sins have cut you off from God." What's that? My sins? I thought Jesus drew me to Him. The next verses tell me what I'd rather not hear about. The times I've lied are enough to keep God from listening to me. He can hear me, but my sins kept Him from being able to draw me to Himself. Not because His arm is too short to pull me toward Him, but because my sins separated me from Him - I didn't want to be drawn there because I knew my sin and how unworthy I was to be there.
In Isaiah 61 though, God reveals His plan. He sends Someone who can draw us to Himself. He appoints His very own Son to be the bearer of the good news that the brokenhearted are comforted, captives are released, mourners receive beauty from the ashes of their grief. And the despair we experience because we are separated from God is turned into praise because Jesus draws us near to Himself.
Romans 3 tells about the way God made when there was no other. That way is not about obeying laws or doing good things. He knows that we cannot do that. Commiting only one lie, using our mouths to speak in anger against someone else wipes out any hope we have of reconciliation with God.
"We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when He did not punish those who sinned in former times. And He is entirely fair and just in this present time when He declares sinners to be right in His sight because they believe in Jesus. "
When I realized that sin kept me from God the Father, then I understood why Jesus came. And though such fathomless love is still beyond my comprehension, I know that God loves us so much that He sent His very own Son, whom He loves, to be the way back to Him.
Mercy is for all of us today. Like the song we sing during worship sometimes, "I'm running, I'm running, I'm running to the mercy seat. Where Jesus will meet me, He said His blood will save me, I'm running to the mercy seat!"
In the New Testament, one form of the word is translated from the Greek word, hilasterion, which means expiatory place, atoning sacrifice, atonement cover, the place where sins are forgiven. It is traditionally translated as propitiation or mercy seat.
I was thinking on the way to work this morning about how true mercy is exhibited by the events that are celebrated this week. My Jewish co-workers will begin to celebrate Passover this evening. Passover recalls how God showed mercy and kindness by His deliverance of the Israelites from Eqypt. Those were some of my favorite Bible stories when I first learned about God.
I can still hear Mrs. Klingingsmith in the after-school program at the Methodist church that was near my home as a little girl. She made the Bible come alive for me. Her stories about Jesus made Him as real to me as my parents. He showed that children were important to Him and to His Heavenly Father when He rebuked the disciples for trying to send them away from Him. And He healed sick people, no case was too difficult for Him. I absolutely fell in love with Him because of His kindness and favor, and His mercy.
When the teachers told me about Him dying, though, and how He suffered in His death, I couldn't understand that. Why did He die? They told me that He came back to life, but it was all perplexing to me.
They tried to explain but I couldn't grasp it. Even as a pre-teen in Mrs. Hanawalt's class when I asked, it didn't make sense. Is God really so cruel that He would want a loving perfect man to die so horribly? The problem was that I'd heard about God's mercy, but I didn't know why I needed it.
Isaiah 59 explains the problem - "your sins have cut you off from God." What's that? My sins? I thought Jesus drew me to Him. The next verses tell me what I'd rather not hear about. The times I've lied are enough to keep God from listening to me. He can hear me, but my sins kept Him from being able to draw me to Himself. Not because His arm is too short to pull me toward Him, but because my sins separated me from Him - I didn't want to be drawn there because I knew my sin and how unworthy I was to be there.
In Isaiah 61 though, God reveals His plan. He sends Someone who can draw us to Himself. He appoints His very own Son to be the bearer of the good news that the brokenhearted are comforted, captives are released, mourners receive beauty from the ashes of their grief. And the despair we experience because we are separated from God is turned into praise because Jesus draws us near to Himself.
Romans 3 tells about the way God made when there was no other. That way is not about obeying laws or doing good things. He knows that we cannot do that. Commiting only one lie, using our mouths to speak in anger against someone else wipes out any hope we have of reconciliation with God.
"We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when He did not punish those who sinned in former times. And He is entirely fair and just in this present time when He declares sinners to be right in His sight because they believe in Jesus. "
When I realized that sin kept me from God the Father, then I understood why Jesus came. And though such fathomless love is still beyond my comprehension, I know that God loves us so much that He sent His very own Son, whom He loves, to be the way back to Him.
Mercy is for all of us today. Like the song we sing during worship sometimes, "I'm running, I'm running, I'm running to the mercy seat. Where Jesus will meet me, He said His blood will save me, I'm running to the mercy seat!"
posted by Deborah at 4:27 AM
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