what is
Mercy
Mercy
(NOUN)
Mercy is:
The compassionate treatment of those in distress
Forgiveness towards those we could harm or punish
Forbearance for one who offends
A blessing of divine favor
To show kindness
Hebrew, Old testament
Strong's Number H7356, רַחַם (racham), means “compassion or tender love as felt in the womb or bowels”
GREEK, new testament
Strong’s Number G1656, ἔλεος (éleos), means “active compassion either human or divine”
Did you catch that?
in the word
What God Has to Say
Deuteronomy 30:3
“Then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.”
2 Samuel 24:14
“Then David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.’”
Psalm 23:6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Psalm 25:6
“Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.”
Isaiah 30:18
“Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
Hosea 6:6
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Matthew 9:13
“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Ephesians 2:4-7
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 1:16
“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
God’s Heart for Mercy
Mercy is translated into six different words in Hebrew and seven in Greek. It is used throughout the Bible to demonstrate God’s love and compassion for His people, even when they did not deserve it. God longs for His people to know, understand, and experience His mercy. It’s why He put it at the center of the Gospel. To know God is to know mercy.
It is God’s nature to be merciful
God’s mercy, sometimes translated in Hebrew as חֶסֶד (ḥeseḏ) means “steadfast love or lovingkindness,” which is at the heart of God’s name. It is how He describes Himself. When He appears to Moses, He uses the sentiment several different times.
Exodus 34: 6-7 (NLT) “The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”
We cannot understand the nature of God without understanding His mercy and kindness.
God’s mercy means we should have mercy
Mercy can also be translated to a deep, inner tenderness, similar to a mother for her unborn baby in the womb—a deep feeling within. In Greek, this is σπλάγχνον (splánchnon), which means “a heart in which mercy resides” or “bowels.”
1 John 3:17 (NLT) “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?”
In the same way that God shows deep compassion and tenderness towards us, even in our sins, we are meant to show that to others. We cannot claim to have God’s love in us if we do not show mercy and compassion for those who suffer.
God’s mercy is unrelenting
God’s tender mercies are new every morning. His mercy cannot be earned. It is worth praising and glorifying. Even when we are unfaithful, God is faithful in His mercy. Even in sorrow, like in Lamentations, God is merciful.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
The Psalms use the word mercy more than any other book in the Bible. King David was known for calling upon the mercy of the Lord in his trials and in the depths of his sorrows. When David was about to be killed by his enemies, God spared him. When David took Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and had Uriah killed, God forgave him. When David called to God for help, God answered him. That is God’s mercy. It was extended to David, a man after God’s own heart, and it is extended to you, His beloved child.
