Article - The God of Mercy
“ Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Critics of the Bible often picture God as indifferent, unkind and vindictive toward His people. Nothing could be further from the truth about God. The God we read about in the Bible is full of mercy and love towards His creation. Notice several passages of Scripture which teach us about the mercy and love of God.
In the times of the Exodus God was spoken of as being “…merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abo unding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7). Nehemiah spoke of God as being “Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness” (Nehemiah 9:17). Truly, during the Old Testament times God was a merciful and loving God.
In the New Testament times God is also seen as a loving and merciful God. With its fulfillment in the New Testament, the Hebrew writer said: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). James also reminds us that “The Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11). Jesus makes the application to us and says, “Therefore, be merciful as your father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
While critics of the Bible will accuse God of being evil and unkind, as one reads the Bible with an open and honest heart he is able to see God as a merciful and loving God. The Psalmist eloquently declared, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth ” (Psalms 86:15). May God help each of us to be a people of mercy and love!
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