Teaching Sinners Is Merciful

“Good and upright [is] the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.” (Ps 25:8 AV)

Good and upright are not purely dispassionate.  They are not attributes of God devoid of any feeling.  There are two sides of God reflected in His nature here.  If the sinner is a willing student, there is mercy and grace.  If the student is not a humble learner, then judgment and justice are His motive.  I choose to look at this in the former light this morning.  The law and commands of God are not rules handed down by a tyrant who simply wants to govern His created world for one colossal ego trip.  Rather, He is a God who desires all men to love Him and trust Him, expressing that love by obedience to His word and faith in His presence.  When the LORD teaches this sinner in the way, it is not to make my life miserable.  It is not to prove a point that He is God and I am not.  Rather, when God teaches this sinner in the way, it is an extension of His mercy toward me.  His love for me is manifested by instruction of right and wrong with the ability by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to do right.

To me, the word ‘teach’ reveals the love and mercy of God.  If God had no mercy nor grace, He wouldn’t bother to teach.  It would simply be “thus saith the LORD or else”.  We are guilty of that.  “Just do what I told you to do” is a suitable response to a child’s question regarding a rule, standard, or task.  But not as a single ‘go-to’ to achieve compliance.  At some point, obedience has to be rewarded with an explanation.  The ‘why’ of a truth is a stronger way to gain obedience than constant threat.  When I see the word ‘teach’ above, it reminds me that the things God teaches, expects, and conforms me to is out of His love.  He doesn’t have to.  He is God.  He can lay down the law, demand compliance, and punish or destroy if we fail.  But He doesn’t.  How do I know?  Because I have His word.  His word, the Bible, is a book of law.  But it is also a book of principles that teaches the ‘why’ of the law.  His word is an instruction manual of step-by-step instructions so that we might have the most blessed life possible.

I don’t see a tyrannical God.  I see a loving Father who wants us to have a great life.  There will be hardships.  These hardships are part of being human.  Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world, and we have been suffering sense then.  It continues because of our sin.  God allows freedom of choice.  He does not do so cruelly.  If God allowed for freedom of choice but then kept us ignorant of how to make better ones, that would be cruel.  But He doesn’t.  Because God is merciful and gracious, He teaches sinners in the way.  He sends us truth by which we might live and enjoy the blessings of God.  He opens our minds to greater truths.  He has given us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we might understand.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers us to follow what we have been taught.  Our God is a wonderful God!  He is a loving God.  Why?  Because he teaches me in ‘the way’.  He shows me the right way.  His patience allows for a learning curve.  He is my loving Father.  Patient and longsuffering is He.