MERCY
And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand?the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. Genesis 19:16 (NKJV)
Context is key when it comes to understanding mercy. For example, in the passage above, which is the first time mercy is mentioned in the Bible, we need to understand the circumstances in order to understand the meaningfulness of the Lord's mercy.
The setting is Sodom, and God is about to bury it in judgment. But before He does, He warns Lot and his family to flee. As time is running out, Lot lingers. It's then that the Bible says the Lord mercifully has Lot taken by the hand and saves him from destruction. That's such an apropos portrait of mercy, because mercy is the act of sparing and saving us from judgment and destruction.
That's how God is. He's merciful. He doesn't stand back with folded arms as people face imminent judgment, and He doesn't delight in their destruction but desires to preserve and rescue them from it (Ezekiel 18:23, John 3:17).
God's mercy means He meets us in our proverbial Sodom, takes us by the hand, and mercifully leads us out of our destructive situations. Unfortunately, that's such a far cry from the image many people have of God. They picture Him impatiently poised and ready to incinerate us at the first opportunity.
That's not mercy, and that's not the God of Scripture, whose mercy endures forever (Psalm 136). May we not only receive God's merciful nature for ourselves but also reflect it for those who don't know it.
Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. (Micah 7:18 NKJV)
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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