Mercy-Part Eight
Examples of Mercy
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Examples of Mercy
King David
We assume most of you know the
story of King David and Bathsheba. It is found in 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25. David
had sexual intercourse with Bathsheba, she became pregnant, David had her
husband killed in the battleground, David married Bathsheba, and their child
died.
King David committed adultery and
murder. Justice would demand that David be dethroned and killed. The mercy of
God spared David’s life and allowed him to continue to be king. Most of us
would have demanded that David be punished, in fact, demand that he receive the
death penalty. However, in God’s wisdom, He knew that David would repent of his
sin. The Lord used this story to show us an example of His never ending mercy.
Mercy was given when it was not deserved.
Even though David received mercy,
there were consequences for his actions–his son died,
he was told that throughout his reign his kingdom would be in war, his son
Solomon also allowed lust to control his life.
My Story
Before I was a Christian, whenever I drank
alcohol, I would drink until I would pass out, be horribly sick, black out, or
just be drunk. There were many times that I would drive the streets of the Los
Angeles area not knowing how I got home. Once, I sideswiped a parked car before
going to work. I then went to work at a 7-Eleven and vomited all over a
customer’s groceries. I never experienced consequences for my drinking
actions–none*. I lived my life as an atheist with no fear of God and I was
certainly not a merciful person to others; yet my Heavenly Father gave mercy to
me. He gave mercy to me when I did not even think I needed mercy.
What brought me to God, was a minor accident while completely sober. In my mind
I should have been seriously injured, but I only had a sore knee. I felt that
God had mercy on me, and I went on a God hunt and found Jesus. I did not see a
need of mercy when I did so many foolish things, but suddenly in a minor
accident, I see His love and mercy for me.
It boggles my mind when I think of
God’s mercy towards me. I did not deserve mercy. It is as if He winked at my
rebellion and foolishness.
As a Christian, God’s mercy has
been shown to me in a different way. I spent many years as an angry, depressed
man who damaged many relationships. The mercy of God has been shown to me by
allowing me to suffer the consequences of my actions. The result is that I have
received counseling and I am a different person. I also have a strong desire to
minister to others who struggle with anger, depression, or addictions. I am
able to have mercy for them and yet at the same time hold them accountable.
Summary
The source of mercy is God Almighty.
We do not deserve mercy, it is a gift from God.
Whenever someone cried out for
mercy, Jesus granted their wish.
Sometimes in God’s wisdom, we do
not suffer consequences for our actions**.
Other times, the Lord demands justice.
Until we have experienced God’s
mercy in our own lives, it will be hard to show mercy to others.
If we have the mind of Christ, we
will show mercy to others.
We need wisdom to know how to best
manifest the mercy of God.
* I am speaking about consequences
in regards to job loss, tickets, jail time, etc.
**I do believe there is always a
consequence for sin, even if God shows us mercy. There can be the loss of
relationship, loss of finances, loss of peace, loss of joy, loss of health,
loss of innocence, etc.
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Copyright © 2002 Richard D. Dover. All rights reserved.
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations used are from the New American Standard Version (NASB).