Sing of the Mercies of the Lord

“Mercy” or “merciful, ” describes a characteristic of God. “ Mercy reflects God’s dominant mood” (Dr. Metzger). It is a quality intrinsic to the nature of God and one that God requires of his people. However, a lack of mercy is more natural to the human condition ( Prov. 12:10 ; Isa 13:18 ; Jer 50:42). Cruelty, the antithesis of mercy, is more natural to human beings and sad to say, even to professing Christians”!

The word cruelty is defined as “callous indifference to, or pleasure in, causing pain and suffering.”
Or ‘Any act of a human being which inflicts unnecessary pain; any act intended to torment or which actually torments, afflicts without necessity; wrong; injustice; oppression. (Webster’s American Dictionary)

In Ezk. 34: 4, talking to the irresponsible shepherds of Israel God said this to them;
“The weak you have not strengthened nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them” In verse 10, God says He is against such shepherds. God detests cruelty / mercilessness.

In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Peter, who was told by the risen Lord to feed the flock of God out of love for Him had this to say to his fellow shepherds of the flock of God.
“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away”
Peter tenderly exhorts elders not to lead by force and cruelty but to lead by example.

Neglect of the needy can be a form of cruelty. As in the parable of the Good Samaritan; “A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” (Luke 10:31-32)

In another instance, Jesus warned about cruelty by neglect:
“‘For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'” (Matthew 25:42-43)
When asked by the onlookers when they had neglected him in those ways, Jesus answered:
“‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'” (Matthew 25:45)
Jesus’ point in both cases was that everyone is our neighbor and deserves to be treated with kindness. God considers cruelty by neglect a sinful act.
There is also the Cruelty Caused by Deeds
When a woman caught in adultery was about to be stoned. Under Mosaic law, the death penalty was legal, but Jesus saw it as cruel and merciless in her case. He told the crowd, poised with stones in their hands:
“‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'” (John 8:7)
Of course her accusers were all sinners. They drifted away, leaving her unharmed. Although this lesson called attention to human cruelty, it showed that unlike man, God judges with mercy. Jesus dismissed the woman but told her to stop sinning.
The most obvious example of cruelty in the Bible is the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was wrongly accused, unjustly tried, tortured, and executed, in spite of being innocent. His reaction to this cruelty as he hung dying on the cross?
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'” (Luke 23:34)
Jesus forgave their (and our) sins before they (we) even asked for forgiveness. he offered mercy before they even sought mercy! Mercy is the quality in God that directs him to forge a relationship with people who absolutely do not deserve to be in relationship with him.

Many relationships in the church and in the world are thirsty for mercy!
Parents need to be merciful to their children. Brethren to fellow brethren. Dominant cultures/tribe cruel to other cultures. Mercy is the quality that will foster strong and healthy relationships in the church first, and in the world today. I say amen to what Dr. Metzger wrote; “It is a contradiction in terms to act without mercy and claim Christ”.
When Jesus Christ says; Blessed are the merciful, He gives us the signs and evidences of the work of Grace in the soul of the one who is merciful.
“The truly merciful realize how indebted they are to God for his mercy, and so they show mercy to those in need. In turn, God shows them mercy over and over again: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7; ESV) How we treat those in need serves as a barometer for how well we have accounted for God’s mercy on display in our lives. Unlike the ungrateful and merciful servant, we should never cease to extend mercy and forgiveness toward others given how merciful God is toward us (See Matthew 18:21-35). (Dr. Metzger)
I will end my blog with these facts about God’s mercy and I hope they inspire you to sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. (Ps. 89: 1)
God’s mercy is tender (Luke 1:78)
God’s mercy is great mercy (Ps. 108:4). It is so great that it forgives great sins.
God’s mercy is undeserved mercy. You and I surely do not deserve His mercy.
God’s mercy is rich mercy, it is manifold, unfailing and abounding in that many have received it and it is far from being exhausted. Amen! Sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever! Trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. (Ps. 52:8)

Response to Dr. Metzger’s blog Blessed are the merciful……

Dr. Metzger, the following paragraph in your blog was especially impacting. I totally agree with you. You wrote;
“The truly merciful realize how indebted they are to God for his mercy, and so they show mercy to those in need. In turn, God shows them mercy over and over again: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7; ESV) How we treat those in need serves as a barometer for how well we have accounted for God’s mercy on display in our lives. Unlike the ungrateful and merciful servant, we should never cease to extend mercy and forgiveness toward others given how merciful God is toward us “ You also made this powerful statement that;
“It is a contradiction in terms to act without mercy and claim Christ”.
However, many relationships in the church (and in the world) are thirsty for mercy. Relationships are shallow, weak and breaking left and right!
Parents need to be merciful to their children. Spouses are thirsty for mercy from their mates. Brethren are cruel to fellow brethren. Dominant cultures and/or tribes cruel to other cultures/ tribes …..
What I hear you say in the quotes above is that Mercy is the quality that should foster strong and healthy relationships in families, the church and in the world today;especially beginning in the church because we understand how merciful God is toward us. Truly it is a contradiction to claim Christ and at the same time to act without mercy. This calls for self examination to make sure we are not pursuing dead religion but a living relationship with the living one who is rich in mercy and has extended mercy to us when we didn’t even deserve it, Christ Jesus our Lord.and Savior .
I/we need to take heed to the exhortation of David in Ps. 103:1-4; “….Forget not all his benefits….”., and never forget how merciful my God has been to me/us.

Pursue Righteousness

Many people today are prepared to seek “all these other thing” with the hope that when they get “all these other thing”, righteousness will be added unto them! People chase from preacher to preacher and conference to conference seeking some kind of blessing from on high. They hunger for spiritual experience but not for righteousness.There is nothing wrong with seeking all these other things as important as they may be. But we all need to understand that “all these other things” are not as basic as righteousness. We should be consumed by a spiritual hunger and thirst for righteousness. Our God Himself is righteous. He loves righteousness.
Consider the following scriptures;
Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled”

Matthew 5:20: “ For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”

Matthew 6:33 says that; “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you”

What is this righteousness which we must hunger and thirst for? What is this righteousness which we should seek first?

Let us look at what the righteousness we should hunger and thirst for is not.

It is not the pharisaic righteousness – an external conformity to rules. It is not as a result of pursuing empty religiosity. It is not our own righteousness which we may seek to establish. Roman 10:3.
This is what Dr. Metzger said about our own self-righteousness;;
“Fast food righteousness includes self-righteousness that entails taking matters into our own hands or wishing that others would take matters into their hands on our behalf. It also entails the sense that we are the ultimate decision makers on what is right and wrong Many, if not all of us, want quick action taken on our behalf rather than wait on God and look to God who alone is just and the ultimate arbiter of justice. It involves hate and revenge rather than love and mercy. It fixates on getting even with others rather than making things right. Others of us might appear passive. We might not demand quick righteousness or justice on our behalf. Still, we might permit a desire for revenge to grow within us; at some point that very passion might erupt unexpectedly” ……….,

What is this righteousness then?

It is the inner righteousness of heart, mind and motive which only comes through faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4. This is the righteousness of faith. This is God’s righteousness. “Righteousness ultimately derives from our union with Jesus—the Lord of the kingdom. Those who align themselves with Jesus will be satisfied. Their hunger will be filled. Their thirst will be quenched. He will make all things right and whole.” (Dr. Metzger)
I will end my thoughts with this quotation from Dr. Metzger’s blog
“Cathy Deddo of the Trinity Study Center provides the following helpful reflection on righteousness in Matthew 5:6.
What is righteousness? Often I think we assume it is the achievement of some perfect and unnatural state. But righteousness is more simple and far more broad than that. Righteousness is having all things set right. When there is righteousness in the world then all things will be in right relationship with one another and will be living and acting according to its created purpose. To desire righteousness in ourselves is to desire that we are living in line with who we were created to be and not in rebellion to it. Jesus says here that one who is hungering for righteousness is blessed. This means that these people are those who ache to see things made right, in all places. The desire is so deep, so intense, that they feel they cannot live without it. The person that Jesus is talking about here is longing to see, for example, justice in the Middle East and relationships full of joy, blessing, and peace around them.”

Response to Dr. Metzger’s blog on ” hunger and thirst for righteousness”

Dr. Metzger, your statements;
“Fast food righteousness includes self-righteousness that entails taking matters into our own hands or wishing that others would take matters into their hands on our behalf. It also entails the sense that we are the ultimate decision makers on what is right and wrong Many, if not all of us, want quick action taken on our behalf rather than wait on God and look to God who alone is just and the ultimate arbiter of justice. It involves hate and revenge rather than love and mercy. It fixates on getting even with others rather than making things right. Others of us might appear passive. We might not demand quick righteousness or justice on our behalf. Still, we might permit a desire for revenge to grow within us; at some point that very passion might erupt unexpectedly” ……….,
reminded me of term “mob justice”. This is a common method of dispensing justice mostly in the rural areas in my country. Basically what happens is that a large angry mob takes justice into their own hands when an individual commits a crime and is caught. This usually ends with that individual getting, stripped naked, beaten, stoned to death, torched, or even hanged. Unfortunately most of the people who take justice in this manner have “bible names” ( such as John, James, Daniel, etc.) and are church goers too. You can call them “religious”. Saddening!!
The sin of self righteousness is a very serious one. It is not always a sin of the outside world. This sin most often grows up among religious people.
I also view self-righteousness as a form of idolatry, because any individual who thinks himself to be righteous by his own works worships himself. Practically, the object of his adoration is his own dear, delectable, excellent self; all his confidence is in himself, his boasting is in himself and he is right in his own eyes.
I strongly believe that the deep righteousness of the heart which Jesus emphasizes in Matthew 5:6, is only possible to the regenerate not the “religious”.

Dr. Metzger you really summarized it perfectly for me when you wrote that:
“Righteousness ultimately derives from our union with Jesus—the Lord of the kingdom. Those who align themselves with Jesus will be satisfied. Their hunger will be filled. Their thirst will be quenched. He will make all things right and whole.”
D. A Carson expressed it this way that, the righteousness Matthew 5:6 refers to is not about obeying some rules, but conformity to all God’s will and that the more a person pursues conformity to God’s will, the more attractive the goal becomes and the greater the advances made. He goes on to say that “The person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is blessed by God and filled but the righteousness with which he/she is filled is so wonderful that he hungers and thirsts for more of it.”
We must be ever mindful of our own spiritual need and total inability to serve as the ultimate standards of righteousness.

“Poor in spirit”

Looking at what “poor in spirit” does not mean, can actually help us understand what it does mean. This analysis can help us come to the full understanding of what it means to be poor in spirit.

“Poor in spirit does not mean weak spirited” It does not connote poor-spiritedness, that is, a deficiency of vitality or courage.

“Poverty in spirit is not mediocrity and cheap contentment” – we want to be spiritually poor only for the sake of becoming spiritually rich; detached from consuming so that we can be consumed by God. The cross embraces all poverty and transforms it into a form of blessing. (Peter Kreeft ; For Heaven’s sake;p.104)

Poverty of Spirit is not financial destitution, or material poverty. King David was a wealthy king yet he referred to himself as a poor man in need of what only God could supply. He perceived himself as destitute of the resources to improve his lot. He saw himself as beyond the help of men, afflicted, crushed,forsaken, desolate, miserable as helpless spiritually as the poverty stricken are economically. In Psalm 51, David reveals in greater detail his recognition of the spiritual poverty. The spiritual things David requested are things only God could supply. He prayed: “Have mercy upon me………. blot out my transgression…, wash me thoroughly … cleanse me from sin …. create in me a clean heart … renew a right spirit within me…. don’t cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me…”
Though David was materially rich and blessed of God, he was spiritually bankrupt and acknowledged in his prayer to God that only God could supply what he lacked spiritually.

Poverty in spirit is not poverty of spiritual awareness. I lived along the shores of the second largest lake in the world for over 15 years. Through my ministry and interaction with the fishermen and the inhabitants in the fishing villages close to our mission property, I realized how real the spiritual world and spiritual realm was. Many people in these communities do not lack spiritual awareness because they believed in demons-gods, gods of the waters, offered sacrifices before they sailed and performed rituals to demons along the shores. Therefore,they were not poor in spirit because of their affiliation with other spirits and seeking solutions from other gods. They were not aware of their spiritual bankruptcy because they were not serving and totally depending on the one true God for what they lacked spiritually.

Poverty of spirit is a humble admission of impotence without God. He only who is reduced to nothing in himself, and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit. To such is the Kingdom of Heaven given.

Our only two options are membership in either Satan’s kingdom or God’s Kingdom. Since membership is determined by the heart’s allegiances, our first duty is detachment, dissolving the spiritual glue that glued us to the kingdom of Satan so that we are free to belong to Christ. The solvent is poverty of spirit, humility,and detachment.