A Pleasure of God

“The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” (Ps 147:11 AV)

Fear and hope of mercy are mutually inclusive of one another.  You cannot have one without the other.  Fear is a healthy respect for who and what God is, knowing that we deserve divine judgment for the sin of which we are guilty.  To understand and appreciate mercy, we must realize our standing before a holy, righteous God.  Mercy is not the absence of justice and judgment.  It is the transference of justice and judgment.  The justice and judgment must come upon someone.  In our case, God’s judgment rests upon His own Son at the cross of Calvary that we might attain the mercy of God for our sins.  Thus, fear and mercy go hand in hand.  If there is no fear, then there is no hope for mercy because one does not respect the judgment of God nor believes that it will come.  Hope is mercy is required for because future judgment is understood.  The LORD takes pleasure in those who can see and live this truth.

It has occurred to me that many saints confuse mercy and grace.  They are not the same thing.  Grace is giving something which we have not, nor cannot, earn.  Mercy is the withholding of something which we are required to suffer.  It also occurred to me, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that we simply do not fear God as we should.  There is a danger of believing God is the galactic ogre who is sitting on His throne looking about to see whom He make strike because of their sin.  That kind of fear is not a biblical fear.  That kind of fear is an irrational fear not based on God’s character.  But the opposite is also true. We can begin to think that God’s mercy and forbearance is like a nonchalant parent who lets things slip by because he wants his children to love and adore him.  This is not true either.  To believe the first would refuse a truly intimate relationship with God based on love.  The second would produce a relationship of presumption and rebellion.

God takes pleasure in those who respect His authority and rights as Creator, knowing they are condemned for their actions, yet realize and believe that God is a God of mercy placing all their hope in that mercy.  For salvation’s sake and for daily living, those who hope in the mercy of God do so because they realize the justice and wrath of Creator God was satisfied in His own Son, Jesus Christ.  Mercy is possible because justice has been satisfied.