For the Love of Mercy

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

The message of the book of Micah vacillates between messages of destruction and messages of hope. The prophet Micah emphasized to the Israelites God's intolerance for idolatry, injustice, and religious ritualism and he prophesied of the impending judgment and ultimate destruction of Israel in light of their disobedience. Despite the message of doom, the message included hope for the Israelites through reconciliation and restoration. The message holds true for us today!

In the previous verses, Micah asks the question, "With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?" (Micah 6:6) After examining the possibilities of the right type of sacrifice in the verses following, Micah concludes that God has already shown His people what He requires, and that is to "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

In our world today, there is much finger pointing and condemnation offered to those who do not live according to the truths and guidelines laid out in Scripture. Unfortunately, those who are so willing to condemn others are missing so many other valuable truths taught in Scripture, and a very important one is to love mercy. Jesus taught, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7) This teaching is in line with another Scripture, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7) In other words, however we treat others, we can expect the same treatment in return. Since none of us has achieved perfection in our lives, and we are all in desperate need of God's mercy, then is seems the best way to receive mercy is to offer it freely to others. It sounds so simple, but unfortunately, Christians are notorious for "shooting the wounded" or condemning others for their lifestyles.

In Jesus' earthly ministry, there is not one example of Jesus speaking condemnation to those caught in sin and brought before Him. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus challenged her accusers, and once they had all left, He encouraged the woman to, "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11) Jesus did not lecture her, point His finger at her, or condemn her in any way. If this is how Jesus treated sinners, then where in the world do we get the idea that we can condemn those who sin? Are we not all sinners? Scripture states, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

The only folks we see Jesus reprimanding harshly are the religious people - the ones who thought they knew it all and were all too ready to condemn anyone they thought needed it, including Jesus. In the book of Matthew, Jesus speaks directly to the Pharisees and teachers of the law condemning them for their hypocritical ways. He confronts them for their treatment of non-believers, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matthew 23:13) The Pharisees and the teachers of the law LOVED justice rather than mercy, and unfortunately that attitude is still prevalent today.

I am humbled each day by the love and mercy that God pours out on my life. What I cannot find in His love and mercy is any directive to condemn others. Yet, I find myself guilty of doing just that! Once again, I am reminded of just how ugly and destructive that type of attitude is especially when I see it played out so blatantly in the news media. I can only ask for forgiveness for myself, and pray for those who feel it is their duty and right to condemn others.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. I Corinthians 13:1-3