Matthew 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Luke 6:37-38“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
The crowd on the hillside is becoming confused. This preacher from Galilee is talking about being merciful; meanwhile, his listeners are remembering all the times they have found themselves oppressed by the systems that control their lives. Poverty has ground many of these people down to the nub. Even the wealthy members of the audience are not immune, for everybody struggles under the draconian laws of the Romans. Even top Roman politicians struggle, for if they fail to please their superiors, they might find themselves exiled to some forgotten corner of the Empire.
When we study the Beatitudes, we must realize that each precept builds on the one preceding it.
3 God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, (righteousness) for they will be satisfied.
Why does Jesus list these attributes in this order? You must recognize your spiritual poverty before God can move in your life. Once you are willing to confess that you are a sinner and there’s nothing you can do to earn your way into heaven, then God can begin to change you.
Moved by the plight of children on a Korean island, missionary statesman Bob Pierce prayed, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” This led him to found World Vision International in 1950 and Samaritan’s Purse in 1970 to help meet needs in the Name of Jesus Christ. Pierce had acknowledged his spiritual poverty and allowed God to change him. Now Pierce was mourning over the state of those desperately needing help.
Pastor Richard Halverson , the 60th Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, wrote that Pierce “prayed more earnestly and importunately than anyone else I have ever known. It was as though prayer burned within him. … Bob Pierce functioned from a broken heart.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pierce
Commenting on this Beatitude, David Guzik says:
a. Blessed are the merciful: When this beatitude addresses those who will show mercy, it speaks to those who have already received mercy. It is mercy to be emptied of your pride and brought to poverty of spirit. It is mercy to be brought to mourning over your spiritual condition. It is mercy to receive the grace of meekness and to become gentle. It is mercy to be made hungry and thirsty after righteousness. Therefore, this one who is expected to show mercy is one who has already received it.
· The merciful one will show it to those who are weaker and poorer.
· The merciful one will always look for those who weep and mourn.
· The merciful one will be forgiving to others, and always looking to restore broken relationships.
· The merciful one will be merciful to the character of other people, and choose to think the best of them whenever possible.
· The merciful one will not expect too much from others.
· The merciful one will be compassionate to those who are outwardly sinful.
· The merciful one will have a care for the souls of all men.
b. For they shall obtain mercy: If you want mercy from others – especially God – then you should take care to be merciful to others. Some people wonder why God showed such remarkable mercy to King David, especially in the terrible ways in which he sinned. One reason God gave him such mercy was because David was notably merciful to King Saul, and on several occasions was kind to a very unworthy Saul. In David, the merciful obtained mercy.
Many of us struggle with emotional baggage we have picked up in our families of origin. While our parents might have made sure we were fed, clothed, housed, and sent to school, they may have been merciless in their anger and their criticisms. The scars from emotional abuse aren’t as obvious as those from physical abuse, but they can be just as deforming. Sadly, unless God changes us, we will be just as merciless to those around us.
What do we do when we realize that inside we are merciless? How do we break that vicious cycle? 1 John 1:8-9 gives us the answer. “8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Recently, we took our car through an automated car wash, and it was a revelation. Huge rotating brushes, pipes spouting soap, water, and even car wax, cleaned our vehicle far more thoroughly than we could have done. In the same way, God through His Holy Spirit can clean us completely, even including the parts of our hearts where we hide pet sins we refuse to acknowledge. We cannot clean ourselves up. But God can. Let’s pray.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are merciless and have no means of changing ourselves. But You have promised in Your Word that You will forgive us and cleanse us from all wickedness. Please forgive us, clean us up, and help us to be merciful to all those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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