Mercy
Allow me to begin by saying that I’ve been watching a very interesting show lately. While I could tell you which one, I don’t feel as if this is the place, nor the time, to be telling you all what I watch during my free time. But, to be nice, I will drop little hints throughout the article to let you decipher which program I’m referencing.
Anyways, what struck me about the show - and the reason that I’m here today - is because one of the smaller themes of the show struck with me. Convicted me, if you will.
Most of the major characters are pitted against one another in a battle of virtues. Every side believes that they are right; that they follow the right path. Consequently, they see the others as being “wrong” and as adversaries that need to be defeated. One of those debates is the question of mercy: should you be merciful in life or should you not be?
To understand what mercy is, we must first have a definition. The word is defined as being “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.” It seems simple enough, right?
Some of the main characters have presented the argument that life isn’t fair, nor is it merciful. Restaurants around the world throw tons of food in the trash everyday, yet leave the hungry to starve in the alleys beside them. Crimes are committed everyday against people who didn’t deserve them. That’s true. The Bible might even support this in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 - 37). The man who was beaten and robbed - left for dead - was not shown mercy or compassion by either a Levite or a Priest. They unwittingly chose to harm him by not helping him.
Other characters say that the question of mercy should be given to all, no matter what. The power that you are given to help others should be used to help others, even if it can come to your own detriment.
Where would the Father, God, stand on this issue?
His Word gives us a good idea on His understanding of mercy. King David was someone who saw a lot of His mercy while out on the battlefield. He knew exactly what He was talking about when he wrote powerful words such as “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands (2 Samuel 24:12) and psalms like “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you” (Psalms 86:5). The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth is merciful and loving.
So loving, that He sent His Son, Jesus, to tell you to be loving and merciful too (Luke 6:36).
The Good Samaritan decided to show mercy and compassion to the fallen traveler, who was victim to robbers who struck first, struck hard and had no mercy. From that alone, we should know that as followers of Christ, that we should be merciful. If that isn’t enough, look at the story of David and Saul: the former always sought to be merciful to his king, even though the latter tried to kill him on multiple occasions (1 Samuel 26).
If I’m to present the argument as to why we should be merciful, I cannot forget the merciful God that we serve. He sent His Son to save (John 3:16), out of love and mercy, even though all had sinned and fell short of His glory. He continues to forgive us whenever we do wrong. Who are we therefore to be more severe than the Father who made us? Lest we not forget that His mercy supersedes our understanding (Ephesians 2:4; Titus 3:5).
Be merciful in your actions and in you words. Even if your enemy's ideals never dies, be merciful towards them and pray for them. The love of the Father is always stronger and mercy is one of the greatest examples of this. Being merciless isn’t a sign of strength, but the true definition of weakness. The merciful person knows their strength and their limit is within the Father who defined them and loved them.
If I seem harsh, it’s because I know that the Father wants you to be better than you were before. To be more like Him: loving, compassionate and merciful.
May the Father bless and protect you,
Eli
P.S: You can guess which show it is in the comments or on social media, I want to see what you all think it is.