"God of... mercy"

    This week, I would like you to take the time to read Psalm 59 – it’s only 17 verses long – and if you can, please read Psalm 57 (11 verses) as well. Both these psalms are among the psalms David wrote while King Saul was murderously pursuing him. It is valuable to consider those circumstances as you read these psalms, so you can better hear the earnest pleading in David’s words but also be buoyed by his confidence in God’s mercy.

    It is interesting to note that the actual term “God of mercy” (or “God of my mercy” as it is sometimes translated) is only found two times in the Bible, both in Psalm 59, yet one could readily argue that God is accurately described and depicted as a God of mercy throughout the Bible; there are hundreds of verses that speak of His mercy and lovingkindness toward men, the greatest ones being those that tell of Him sending His Son to save us from our sins – that is surely the greatest possible proof of His mercy (John 3:14-21, 1 John 4:7-10)!

“My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. Do not slay them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O LORD our shield.” (Psalm 59:10-11 NKJV)

    Why was David so confident in God’s mercy? He knew that he was upholding God’s law and abiding by it to the very best of his abilities. He states, “The mighty gather against me, not for my transgressions nor for my sin, O LORD. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine” (Psalm 59:3b-4). At the beginning of his troubles with Saul, it says in 1 Samuel 18:14 that “David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him” and later, when given two opportunities to end Saul’s life, David stated on both occasions, “The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:1-22; 26:1-25)

    David could be assured of God’s mercy because he had been merciful (consider Matthew 5:7) and he loved God and kept His commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalm 25:10). Time and time again David trusted in God’s mercy – consider David’s prayer for forgiveness in Psalm 51 and his choice of punishment in 2 Samuel 24:10-25 – and so we find him speaking of God’s mercy throughout his writings: “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:8-9).  

“To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, My God of mercy.” (Psalm 59:17 NKJV)

    In your troubles, can you do as David did?  Can you trust in God’s mercy enough to praise Him in the midst of the storm, fully confident that He will help? Do you consider God your defense?

    In Psalm 57:1-3 David begins his plea to the LORD: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all thongs for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproached the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.” (NKJV)

    Are you assured of God’s mercy as you faithfully serve Him? He is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (as we studied earlier, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7), you can trust in His mercy – it is renewed every morning; it will not run out (Lamentations 3:22-24)! Learn from David and let his trust in God lead you to trust Him more – let David’s words become your words:

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens”… “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!” (Psalm 89:1-2, 14-15 NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!!