Never-ending Mercy

“But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.” (Ho 1:7 AV)

 

Hosea’s ministry spanned four kings of Judah.  It was during these four kings that Israel, the ten northern Jewish tribes, was repeatedly invaded and eventually carried away into Assyria.  When the enemies of God came against the disobedient children of Israel, the LORD protected Judah and Benjamin without the need for military participation.  God took care of them so they would repent of their sin and not go the way of Israel.  God was merciful to them when they did not deserve it in the hope they would change course and walk in obedience.  It almost worked.  The revival under Hezekiah is one of the most significant revivals ever to hit Judah or Israel.  Yet it was his son who led Judah into a final judgment.  Although we could dwell on the failure of Judah to respond to God’s grace, we would rather meditate strictly on the goodness of God and His desire to save us from that which would irreparably cause great harm.

According to one source, the Hebrew word for mercy here means, “to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion.”  Another source compares mercy here as a constant and passionate connection to the object of one’s love.  This mercy has the understanding of non-stop compassion towards someone that would take extreme circumstances to break that connection.  This is certainly true of Israel.  God made covenants with the descendants of Abraham and David.  He made promises that are still active today and will be culminated when the Son of God returns to set up His physical kingdom.  This mercy that the LORD promises to Israel may exhibit itself in less than obvious ways.  It may seem as though His mercy has been suspended.  But His mercy is always there.  Israel still exists as a nation for thousands of years since its inception.  Very few nations can also make that claim.  God has protected their existence through centuries and millennia of constant attack.  Some to near extermination.  The LORD has never completely removed His hand from the nation of Israel and before the world can adjust, Jesus will come back and the promises of a kingdom of peace and prosperity will become a reality.

The mercy that God shows towards Israel is the same mercy He shows towards the child of God. The saint has placed his or her faith in the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary as his or her only means of God’s forgiveness.  The saint has accepted the gracious gift of salvation in Christ with a humble and broken heart.  When that happened, immediately an adoption was completed.  The sinner became a son of God.  The new believer was instantaneously adopted into the family of God and there is nothing that can undo that operation.  He or she is secure in the grace of God.  What we tend to forget is the mercy that saved us continues unabated for the rest of eternity.  Yes, the LORD may have to correct us.  Yes, He may be displeased with some of our choices.  But that does not suggest His mercy has ceased.  Strong's defines this mercy as fondling.  Today, the word has a mainly negative connotation.  But in its original use, the word comes from the same root as fondly.  The understanding is never-ending compassion and deep love like a parent would have for his or her infant.  This is the nature of God’s mercy towards those who love Him.  This never ceases.  This is something we cannot earn.  The mercy of God is something given based solely on the nature of God.  He does this for us and we must accept this by faith.  To do so would mean our motive for godly living changes from an attempt to be affirmed to the security that we already are affirmed.