Walking in Mercy
When we become consumed with rules, we lose the love. This was the main problem with the Pharisees of Jesus’ day and the many of our churches today. Legalism forgets grace and mercy, and these are the qualities God desires most of all.
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Hosea 6:6
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? Says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats.”
Isaiah 1:11
“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
Proverbs 21:3
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”
Isaiah 58:6
Today’s message hits me very hard right now. If we lose our compassion we are no better than the Pharisees whom Jesus argued with and condemned at every turn. Scripture is God breathed. It is the fundamental part of my very being. However, the law was meant to show us how deprived and unable to be holy on our own we truly are. The message of God’s word is love and righteousness… not legalism. To be righteous and holy as God commands us, we must behave as He does. We must shun evil but embrace love, mercy, compassion, and grace. To do one without the other is to limit the power of our God.
In our reading today, Jesus broke the rules but never the driving force behind them. God does not judge with a “one size fits all” mentality. He is an individual God. Why then do so many faithful people remove grace and mercy from their understanding? Consider the topic of divorce. Is it wrong for a woman to leave her husband because she wants to see what else is out there? She wants to shake off the shackles of her commitment to live free and taste what the world has to offer? To this, I would say yes. Would you answer the same to the battered woman or the one living in constant stress because of an emotionally abusive and rage filled husband? Unfortunately, far too many would also say yes. To them, the law says divorce breaks the covenant God created with two people. However, like Jesus taught in our reading today about David eating the bread which was unlawful to eat because he was about to die of starvation, mercy must be part of the equation. I was told by someone I love very much that even if a husband put his wife in the hospital, she was not permitted to divorce him. Where is the mercy in that? Where is the love for the woman? In that instance, the law was placed higher than the life. Scripture, and the very words of our Savior, rebuke such ideologies.
God is love, mercy, justice, holiness, and righteousness. He is faithful. He is three dimensional. We cannot paint a flat picture of our Creator. He calls us to be holy but commands us to walk in love and mercy. It is important that we do not diminish God by removing a part of His character. He is more than the law because He created the law for mankind. His children are always at the center of His commands. Let us live with our brothers and sisters at the center of our love. We cannot condone sin for the sake of the feelings of another, but we must not condemn what God holds with mercy and loving care. It can be complicated. Let us stand close to our God therefore and walk only in His footprints.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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