SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/3/2020
9:35 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The Meaning of Mercy”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 5:7
Message of the
verse: “’Happy
are the merciful, for they will have mercy shown to them!’” (Philips).
We have been writing about the meaning
of mercy and so let us take a look at what John MacArthur has to say about this
word “Merciful is from eleemon, from
which we also get eleemosynary, meaning
beneficial or charitable. Hebrew 2:17
speaks of Jesus as our ‘merciful and faithful high priest.’ Christ is the supreme example of mercy and
the supreme dispenser of mercy. It is
from Jesus Christ that both redeeming and sustaining mercy come.
“In the Septuagint (the Greek Old
Testament) that same term is used to translate the Hebrew hesed, one of the most commonly used words to describe God’s
character. It is usually translated as
mercy, love, lovingkindness, or steadfast love (Ps. 17:7; 51:1; Isa. 63:7; Jer.
9:24; etc.) The basic meaning is to give
help to the afflicted and to rescue the helpless. It is compassion in action.” Now as I think about the meaning of this word
as it speaks of giving help to the afflicted and to rescue the helpless it
makes me think of how I, and every believer were when the Holy Spirit of God
gave them His effectual call as we were all “poor in spirit,” and so God looked
down on us to save us.
Jesus is not talking about something
that we need, yet cannot have, some detached or powerless sentiment that is
unwilling or unable to help those for whom there is sympathy. He is not speaking of false mercy, the feigned
pity, that gives help only to salve a guilty conscience or to impress others
with its appearance of virtue. And another
thing this is not passive, silent concern which, through genuine, is unable to
give any tangible help. What this is is
genuine help, selfless concern expressed in selfless deeds.
Now before we go on I want to remind
us all once again that the book of Matthew was written to the Jewish people and
Matthew is portraying Jesus as the King, which is exactly what He is. Another thing I want to remind us is that the
Sermon on the Mount is given to believers, believers who will one day be in the
earthly kingdom of God and its instructions are on how believers will live
while in that Kingdom. Believers today
are in what we have called the invisible kingdom as Christ reigns over His
kingdom from heaven, but we have learned that after the church goes to be with
the Lord in what is called the “Rapture” that there will be seven years of
great difficulty for all who live in what is called the tribulation period, and
then at the end Jesus returns to set up His earthly kingdom that will last for
1000 years.
“Jesus says in effect, ‘The people
in My kingdom are not takers but givers, not pretending helpers but practical
helpers. They are not condemners but
mercy givers’” (MacArthur). This
certainly is not the way that the world lives in Jesus’ time or in our time as
they are pretty much the opposite of being merciful, and if they try to be
merciful it has the motive of getting something out of it for themselves. Jesus had to get on the Pharisees over their
tradition of Corban, and this was a way for the Pharisees to get out of helping
their mothers and fathers as they gave the funds that were to go to them to the
synagogue so they could get their hands on it, as there was certainly no mercy
in that tradition, only selfishness.
We will end with a quote from John
MacArthur and then a quote from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.”
Mercy is meeting people’s
needs. It is not simply feeling
compassion but showing compassion, not only sympathizing but giving a helping
hand. Mercy is giving food to the
hungry, comfort to the bereaved, love to the rejected, forgiveness to the
offender, companionship to the lonely.
It is therefore one of the lovliest and noblest of all virtues.
“The quality of mercy is not strain’d;
It droppeth, as the gentle rain from
heaven,
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d
It blesseth him that gives, and him that
takes:
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it
becomes
The throned monarch better than his
crown.
5/3/2020 10:08
AM
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