Matt. 05 : 07 Is God Merciful?

[Mark]

Messiah declared in Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." If mercy is defined as "unmerited favor" and we have to demonstrate mercy in order to obtain mercy from God, doesn't that make God unmerciful?

[Nashdude]

No, not really. First off, mercy is not "unmerited favor". That's grace. Fine line, I know, but look at it this way. Grace is blessing you with what you don't deserve. Mercy, on the other hand, is witholding the penalty you DO deserve. Two sides of the same coin, true, but the opposite side from your definition, nonetheless.

Anyway, the true meaning of your verse is in how you look at it, and in this case, face-value will be misleading, because it suggests that each is a "cause and effect". Matthew 5 is filled with that kind of stuff. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." And so forth.

At first glance, it does seem that the "for they" is a response to the "blessed are", as if the latter is the reward for the former, but that is scripturally not the case. One verse in the Bible blows that out of the water...

Romans 5:8 -- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus didn't die for us because of anything we did. His was the INITIATING force, and our salvation the response. There is nothing we can "do" to receive the blessings of God. The relationship---and the blessings thereof---is not bound up in what we do, but in who we ARE. That being said, look at the beatitudes again.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. In terms of salvation, are we poor in spirit before we meet Christ? Nope. It's only AFTER we've met Christ that we become spiritually bankrupt, realizing our own failings, and our need for a savior.

Blessed are the peacemakers. In terms of salvation, are we peacemakers before we meet Christ? Nope. Until we meet Christ, it's in our nature to struggle, to feed into the fight, rather than to defuse it. We may attempt to make peace, but we are not peacemakers.

Blessed are the merciful. In terms of salvation, are we merciful before we meet Christ? Well, maybe in our own minds, but not in the grand scheme of things. Our "mercy" tends to come at a price, given only when it will benefit us, or when the mood strikes us. To be truly merciful is to grant mercy EVEN WHEN WE DON'T WANT TO. That is virtually impossible in the absence of Christ.

So when you look at it, the beatitudes is not check-off list of rewards, a heavenly menu of "you spend this, and you'll receive that". In this light, God's mercy is not a response to our mercifulness. Rather, that future mercy is promised to His children---US---and the "blessed are's" are indications of the kind of people His children are. The blessings of God then are not future blessings contingent on the actions of today, but on the relationship that WE HAVE ALREADY entered into!!!

In short, while Matthew 5 may make it seem that God's blessings are a response to our actions, in reality, Jesus is describing a people that are, in fact, responding to blessings promised, because of their relationship with God through Him!

BECAUSE of His kingdom, we are poor in spirit. BECAUSE we will inherit the earth, we are meek. BECAUSE He will fill us with His righteousness, we hunger and thirst after it.

BECAUSE He grants us His mercy, we are merciful.

[nasah]

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"

I cry for those as well as m,yself, becauuse we all are so exceedingly sinful. How much more does this go for those who don't have a clue what Love is?
Would we want to punish our children so severely, for something they had no concept of?

And if we are not the light or salt of this earth, then who would know the difference?

Mat 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Perhaps i see this verse speaking more towards the measure of mercy we are given to give out to others rather than something given for our own benefit.

Shalom,
nasah

[Mark]

First, we in this culture are doomed for life, having seen the Veggie-tales Jonah Movie, we can never look at the words "mercy" and "compassion" the same way.

The Greek word that is translated "mercy" in Matthew 5:7 means "compassionate". They are, in Greek anyway, the same word: ele-aymone. The Hebrew equivelant is the word, rakh-oom, is not necessarily used by our Messiah. While there are a number of words translated which carry the idea of mercy and compassion, this word is only ever used in the Old Testament as a description of Adonai. He is compassionate by definition; and as such none can compare to His mercy.

It is likely that, when Messiah spoke these words, probably in Hebrew, He used the word ka-seed, which means "kind or generally pious". Wonder why I might suggest that? It is because that is the passage of Scripture He appears to be quoting:

With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself unsavory.
(2 Samuel 22:26-27)

It may be that the distinction is a bit academic. You can’t be considered kind or pious (that being a trait of your character) without having a reputation for showing mercy or being compassionate. This may be the very thing that our Messiah is speaking to: that this is the quality of our character, not simply an evidence of our example. Who we are runs much deeper than the example of how we know we ought to behave.

There are a lot of critters that live in this area, somewhat of a rural farming community but also a bedroom community to larger cities. How do I know for a fact? It is because of the number of them I tend to see lying on the side of the road. Now, sometimes, it just can’t be helped. The little buggers wait until they are right under your bumper before they dart across the road. Sometimes it can be helped. I’ve found that there are those who, in that split second, take drastic measures so as not to hit the animal, and there are those who do not. The decision is made long before you ever get into the car; and usually it is made without even considering it on any intelectual level. It is simply an expression of one’s character: are you the type of person who will make every effort to preserve life or not? We’re not talking about the times that there is opportunity to think about it. We’re talking, literally, about the knee-jerk reaction that is part of our character.

The ele-aymone, the merciful, is compassionate by character. It isn’t the second thought. It isn’t a result of re-thinking a situation and deciding, "Oh yeah, I need to be nicer to that person." It is an expression of our most basic and fundamentally personal idealism.

It is worth considering the anti-type of the merciful that is provided for us in the Scripture. King James translates the word "froward". The idea of froward usually represents someone who is self-absorbed or self -willed; but this word is different. "ique-kash" means to be tied up in knots, twisted or mangled. This is not the person who is bent on evil. It is not the person who will instinctively swerve to hit small fuzzy things that dare to cross over the fog line (or maybe even not). It is rather the person who intellectually stalls out when a decision between right and wrong has to be made.

We’ve all been there. And suddenly, we all must realize that the nature of our character is not always that of the merciful. There are some areas in our life where our nature is to intrinsically demonstrate compassion. There are other areas where we stall out. This is why rakh-oom is only used as a definitive characteristic of God. Yet, at the same time, it provides a direction toward which we are encouraged to aspire.

For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
(2 Samuel 22:29-33)

It is a good starting to place to recognize that we are not "the merciful" that Messiah is describing for us in the Scripture. It is a little shocking to be reminded that there are some areas in our lives that we are not as good as God… okay, not any areas. It is disappointing to realize that most of us are committed to stay that way. There is a fear that if we begin to untie the knots that bind us in indecision that we will become unravelled. This fear is well-founded, if there is nothing to secure us in its place. David declared, "The way of God is perfect, the Word of Adonai is tried, and He is a buckler to all who place their trust in Him." So, we are brought again to the , as the definitive means to establish in our lives the pattern of mercy as a condition of our character.

When we read Messiah’s declaration, in our Veggie-tales understanding, we are left with a paradox. Mercy is showing compassion, even when you don’t deserve it. Yet, Messiah says that the merciful will obtain God’s mercy. Does that mean that God is not merciful to those who are not merciful? But… that would mean that God is not really merciful. Yet, being merciful is the first item Adonai lists on His personal resume. It is not His character that needs re-considering. It is our definition.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t have to show compassion on those who don’t deserve it. Messiah Yeshua will certainly get to that later. It does mean that our simplistic understanding of the character of mercy does not allow us to check on our list how pretty-good we are. It means that we are not like God. It means that our righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and we are still beholding to His grace.

It also means that The Word of God still defines for us what is right and that we have a bulwark that we can tie ourselves to, as opposed to remaining tied up in our own knots.

[nasah]

Hmm Mark, i'll have to mull your reply over.

When we learn the ways of God through the Spirit at least i see the Spirit showing within me how sinful i am, and where i'm lacking in mercy and grace, compassion.

I recently was shocked awake one morning to be called a murderer by the definition and standard of God's Word, and i marveled at how deep my sin is. Once i saw that, my mind was made up, that i wanted His Word to permeate my heart to change that.

Only through Him i'm made aware of my nature, and how to overcome and forgive.
It is only through His nature that i can hope to pass on what He's given me.

Messiah says that the merciful will obtain God’s mercy.

Forgive so that you can be forgiven reminds me of the parable of the slave who asked His master for mercy on owing a debt, yet turned around and dealt harshly with the next person owing him, demanding the money with a threat of jail.

With the same measure you mete it will be measured to you.

It all goes back to treating others the same we hope to be treated, and the same we have been treated by our Father.

The measuring stick is God.

Shalom,
nasah

[lazarus]

Hello, Mark & Nasah;

I'm new to the site. Quite an impressive array of thoughts and discussion. But, if you will forgive my ignorance - what is the "veggie tales Jonah movie?" Not knowing this inhibits my ability to understand what is being discussed. You're probably thinking "Where have YOU been!?"

Sometimes I ask myself the same question!

This conversation is of such depth that I almost think I'd defile it by saying anything - I'm trying to understand is all. Thanks for your assistance - Elazar

[Mark]

Hi Elazar, we're excited to have you here!

The Veggie Tales Jonah Movis is a theological work of genius, confirming my long held belief that the angel choirs in heaven are negro spiritual.

Veggie Tales is a computer animated video series whose motto is "Sunday Morning Values- Saturday Morning Fun" Okay, so their not Sabbath keepers. The Jonah Movie is their first attempt at a feature length movie that went out to the theaters and everything. It is rentable at any video store- nothing absolutely earth moving; but if you enjoy a light-hearted rendition of a familiar story (and you don't mind the main character being an asparagus) then it is worth watching.

If you have grand kids, ask them. You'll probably get the whole story. And if not, it is certainly worth watching together on a rainy day.

[lazarus]

Thanks for the kind words, Mark;

Singing vegetables? Negro Spirituals? "Swing low, sweet anti-pasto?" Think I'll pass. They take the holiest of the holy and make cartoons of it!

I wonder if all the suffering the Jewish People have experienced has colored how they live their lives. I'm speaking in purely secular terms.

The claim that people do evil things because they themselves have experienced evil knows its best refutation in the history of the Jewish People.

Pasternak, himself apparently part Jewish, said (in Zhivago) to transcribe from memory, Jewish People were the "perfect Christians." (Note; I detest the term "Christian" - a Latin corruption of a Greek corruption of the original word...) Loaned the book to my aunt or I'd quote it. Can do so if interested (once book comes back!)

Yeshua to me almost seems to be the archtype of the Jewish People themselves. What a wonder to live in a time when the elder brother (Judaism) and the younger rebel ("Christianity") are at last being reunited, as on this site.

Blessings, Mark, upon you and yours, and all who read your words, in the name of Meshiach!
Elazar. For G*d has helped me. (Also the original name of an ancestor of mine, known by the Hellinized version, Lazarus...) (El'azar is said to mean 'he whom G*d has helped.')