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Let Mercy Prevail!
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Did you know
that God hates his job? Well, part of it anyway. He loves helping all who
call on his name, and rescuing the lost from danger. But he isn’t all that
crazy about punishing people. Even though he promises that he will not allow
injustice to pass unnoticed, that he will defend the innocent, punish the
guilty and eventually establish justice on earth forever, God does not want
to be known as an angry God. Rather, God
chooses to reveal himself as a God of love. He would establish a just world
through peaceful means, by drawing us to him that we might become his
instruments for justice, that by being just people, we might transform the
world from within. God would rather change the world through mercy than
correct it through judgment. Hence he himself bore our sins in his body when
we in no way deserved life—the ultimate act of love triumphing over wrath. This is good
news for us because it means we can truly live as forgiven people. Being
saved does not prevent us from sinning against others; we must daily ask our
neighbors to forgive us our debts. Yet no matter how often we fail to live up
to Christ’s calling in our dealings with others, God’s mercy always allows us
time to recognize our errors and repent. He chooses to be to us a father, not
a judge. It is also
good news for the world, whom God desires to reconcile to himself. Not
desiring that anyone perish, God remains patient, holding off judgment while
he calls the world to worship him alone. Meanwhile, he tempers his anger at
the world’s violence and oppression with his mercy, looking for people who
will “stand in the gap,” as Ezekiel says, and work for peace from inside. He
desires that justice come through his love, not his power. But this good
news also stands as a warning for us. For although justice pleases the Lord,
it is not to be valued more than mercy. It is to be seasoned with forgiveness
rather than vengeance, since, as Amos reminds us, the day of the Lord is not
to be desired. Therefore, when we stand up for those who are oppressed, we
must also pray for their oppressors. When we are mistreated, we must bless
those who hurt us. And when we punish the guilty, we must not rejoice that
justice has been done, but rather mourn the fact that punishment is necessary.
The world already knows revenge; it does not know forgiveness. God wants us
to take into the world his grace, not his wrath. Our God is a
just God who prefers grace and mercy to punishment and vengeance, who chooses
to reveal himself as Love. As his people, therefore, let us reveal his
character by working to establish justice on earth through love rather than
through judgment. Through us, may his mercy prevail in the world. --January, 2003 |
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