God's Mercy is Wonderful - Judges 16-18 and Luke 7:1-30
God is merciful in how He treats us. If He did not act in mercy, we would all be doomed. We all deserve His complete punishment for our sins, but in His mercy He gives us less punishment than we deserve. This is not to say that He does not punish our sins, because He always punishes sin. However, He is not nearly as hard on us as He could be. I pray that we are all thankful for the mercy of God.
We see God's mercy in Judges 16-18. In the death of Samson and in the idolatry of the tribe of Dan, God showed us His mercy. Why did God even let Samson live when He went to harlots? I believe it was a part of His mercy. It was giving Samson another chance to do His will. Finally, Samson came to the end of his life, blind and enslaved by the Philistines. It is not a pretty picture. However, when he cried out to God, God was merciful, and He gave him one more victory. If God was not the God of mercy, He would not even have answered Samson's prayer at all. Then, in the terrible instance of idolatry we read in chapters 17 and 18, we wonder much the same thing. How could God put up with such blatant sin? I can only attribute it to His mercy. He is longsuffering and merciful far beyond anything we can comprehend. I pray that these stories will cause us to thank God for His mercy toward us.
In Luke 7 Jesus pours out His mercy on the centurion, the widow, and John, the Baptist. The centurion's son would have died, but Jesus had mercy on him and healed his son. He did not have to perform that miracle, because He was the one in authority, but He chose to reward the man's faith by being merciful. The raising of the widow's son was pure mercy. He didn't have to stop the funeral procession, but He did. He looked upon this woman in His mercy. He gave the son a second chance in life, because of His mercy. Then, when John questioned if He was the Messiah, He was very merciful. He explained the situation and praised John for His great faith. I hope we will learn to be merciful like Jesus.
I must hasten to say, though, that we must not presume upon God's mercy. We must not expect it, or we must not sin, thinking He will not punish us as much. There is an end to God's mercy. There is a limit. When we presume upon His mercy, He will punish us to the maximum, so we are not led to sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 19-21 and Luke 7:31-50.
We see God's mercy in Judges 16-18. In the death of Samson and in the idolatry of the tribe of Dan, God showed us His mercy. Why did God even let Samson live when He went to harlots? I believe it was a part of His mercy. It was giving Samson another chance to do His will. Finally, Samson came to the end of his life, blind and enslaved by the Philistines. It is not a pretty picture. However, when he cried out to God, God was merciful, and He gave him one more victory. If God was not the God of mercy, He would not even have answered Samson's prayer at all. Then, in the terrible instance of idolatry we read in chapters 17 and 18, we wonder much the same thing. How could God put up with such blatant sin? I can only attribute it to His mercy. He is longsuffering and merciful far beyond anything we can comprehend. I pray that these stories will cause us to thank God for His mercy toward us.
In Luke 7 Jesus pours out His mercy on the centurion, the widow, and John, the Baptist. The centurion's son would have died, but Jesus had mercy on him and healed his son. He did not have to perform that miracle, because He was the one in authority, but He chose to reward the man's faith by being merciful. The raising of the widow's son was pure mercy. He didn't have to stop the funeral procession, but He did. He looked upon this woman in His mercy. He gave the son a second chance in life, because of His mercy. Then, when John questioned if He was the Messiah, He was very merciful. He explained the situation and praised John for His great faith. I hope we will learn to be merciful like Jesus.
I must hasten to say, though, that we must not presume upon God's mercy. We must not expect it, or we must not sin, thinking He will not punish us as much. There is an end to God's mercy. There is a limit. When we presume upon His mercy, He will punish us to the maximum, so we are not led to sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 19-21 and Luke 7:31-50.