Mercy and Truth

Last night after dinner our family read Proverbs 3.  Proverbs 3:1-4 reads, "My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; ² for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. ³ Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, ⁴ and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man."  How many times does God provide what the world frantically seeks!  Many people hope for a day when medicine and science will prolong life far beyond today's average life span or perhaps eliminate death altogether.  But God has promised length of days, long life, and peace to all who hear His Word and keep it.  What the world will purchase at any price is freely given by the hand of a loving Father through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ.  He gives eternal life and peace to all who repent and trust in Him.

It is not difficult to find faults in the lives of Christians.  Trusting in Christ as Saviour is not a claim to perfection, but an acknowledgement of great need.  Yet even those who are able to easily find fault in Christians cannot detect a single fault in Christ.  A thief who died beside Him rebuked those who reviled Christ:  "This man has done nothing wrong."  The Roman centurion who watched Jesus breathe His last on the cross was convinced:  "This surely was a righteous man."  By the mouths of two witnesses every word shall be established, and those who accused Christ before the Sanhedrin could not agree.  The fact is, many people who hate God, those who deny His very existence, and even people of other faiths find much to be admired in the words and deeds of Jesus.  He was a man of absolute integrity, unshakable righteousness, holiness,godliness, and walked in mercy and truth.  King Solomon held forth the wisdom of God when he wrote, "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, ⁴ and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man."  It is better to be held in high esteem with God than man.  Every man esteems mercy when he faces a judge for crimes he committed.  Every man esteems truth when he is innocent and is falsely accused.  God esteems highly the man who walks in mercy and truth, for this can only be done when one abides in the Vine, Jesus Christ. 

This morning I read Proverbs 16:6-7:  "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil. ⁷ When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."  My eyes were drawn immediately to the righteous combination of mercy and truth.  I had never noticed how often mercy and truth are coupled together in scripture.  A quick search with the Word Search Bible program revealed at least 20 times!  Psalm 25:10 reads, "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies."  Psalm 89:14 states, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face."  Mercy and truth are indeed admirable qualities.  While man lives by such maxims as "Might makes right," "Survival of the Fittest," and "You snooze, you lose," God establishes His throne upon mercy and truth (Isaiah 16:5).  As children of the King, we ought to walk in the way of mercy and truth.  Then we will find favour and high esteem in the sight of God and man, and He will make even our enemies to be at peace with us.

We do well to examine our hearts by considering this question:  is my life a revelation of God's mercy and truth to the world?  God spoke to His people in Hosea 4:1, "Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land."  God desires that the world be witnesses of His mercy and truth through the words and conduct of His people.  We remain on this earth by His grace so we might spread the knowledge of God through love, service, and the preaching of His Word.  The mercy, truth, and knowledge of God is to be shared within the family structure, the workplace, during the mundane grind, whatever we do or wherever we go.  I would suggest that most Christians go to church for one to three services a week.  Even if this were to amount to six waking hours spent at church every week, sleeping 8 hours every night, that is only 7% of your waking hours!  That means 93% of your time for ministry opportunity is taking place outside of a church building,  Let us use that time wisely.

If God has established His throne upon mercy and truth, then I would be wise to establish my decisions upon mercy and truth as well.  Establish your ministry, business practices, child rearing, words, and deeds upon mercy and truth.  When we do so, we build on the foundation of Christ, the personification of these qualities.  Don't just admire Jesus:  repent, trust, and abide in Him.  He is coming quickly, and His reward is with Him.