Administer Justice: Love Mercy (11/22/24)
Step 2 to love mercy when administering justice (Micah 6:8)
Freya
11/23/2024
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
-Micah 6:8 (NIV)
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Now that we've had a chance to study how "to act justly," let's focus our study on the concept of "to love mercy" when administering justice. When we discuss “mercy” in the Bible, we generally define mercy as “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power” or “compassionate treatment of those in distress.”1
Mercy is another important characteristic of God as King David describes in Psalm 25:6, 11 (NASB). Taking the first definition above and the Psalm 25 verses, I consider this type of mercy to be known by another word – forgiveness. Jesus, who is God in the form of man, explains this concept of mercy or forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-35 (NASB) to Peter, who asks how many times he has to give mercy/forgiveness to someone who offends him. Jesus answers with an exaggerated number and a parable about what heaven is like with regards to mercy (forgiveness).
The Bible also illustrates God's merciful nature in His compassionate treatment of those in distress. Again, King David literally proclaims it in Psalm 4:1 (NASB). In the New Testament, Jesus answers and explains the concept of mercy (compassion) with the parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end of the parable, Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer, who asks the who-is-a-neighbor question. The lawyer learns his question isn't about a person or group, but about personal interactions where a neighbor is one who shows mercy (compassion) to one in distress.
Basically, in order to "to love mercy" when administering justice, we must embody the concept of forgiveness to those who wrong us and compassionate treatment of those in distress when we interact with others.
Questions Administer Justice: To Love Mercy
How do you view mercy? Why do you think God requires a person to love mercy to administer justice?
Consider John 8:3-11 and Luke 18:35-43, how does Jesus exhibit mercy in these instances? Which definition does each fall under? What is Jesus' last comment to each? Why?
Prayer: Almighty God, you are the merciful God, who is righteous, just and faithful. Keep our hearts tender to allow us to receive your mercy and behave mercifully to others. Amen.
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