Fear In The Balance

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.” (Pr 16:6 AV)

This is one of my favorite verses.  Partly because it is so poetic and succinct.  But what really speaks to me is the beautiful simplicity coupled with the hope it brings.  It is right and common to read the verse as a rebuke or challenge.  But being a simple statement of fact with little to no emotion contained therein, the truth above can be taken in several ways.  One of them is hope.  There are two ingredients to holy living and the definition of those two combined into one.  There is mercy and truth.  Combined they become the fear of the LORD.  Working backwards, the fear of the LORD is not mere terror at His greatness and our vileness.  Rather, to fear the LORD here means to understand Him in such a deep and profound way that we become undone, yet full of faith all at the same time.  To have the fear of the LORD as stated above, one must hold mercy and truth as equal in quantity and application.  In other words, if iniquity is to be purges and evil to be departed from, then the saint must understand God as a God of both mercy and truth.  He must understand it far more than academically.  He must understand it practically and in its fullest.

Mercy and truth, while at first seem opposed, cannot exist without each other.  Truth may seem like an independent construct with no need for mercy.  It is plain to see that mercy cannot exist without truth.  If there was no truth, then there wouldn’t be a violation of that truth.  If there is no violation of truth, then mercy need not exist.  Herein we see the dependent relationship between the two.  When God alone existed without any created universe or beings in that universe, truth was inactive.  God is truth.  Truth is God.  God and truth remained possessed within the Godhead, yet not reaching the fullest potential of truth.  For truth to reach its fullest potential, there must be objects upon which to apply truth.  The concept of gravity exists with or without celestial bodies.  But it took God to create the universe for gravity to be active.  This is true of all truth.  Truth needs application.  If truth is applied to creation, then there must of necessity be mercy.  Truth is not always followed by virtue of self-determinate beings dwelling in God’s creation.  Therefore, truth and mercy are dependent upon one another for their application.

Now that we got our theology in order, let us consider the real-time application to the saint.  Both mercy and truth must be seen as equally important.  We often err toward one and away from the other.  Balance is the key.  It is hard for some to accept God’s mercy and live in the reality of truth.  We are overly condemned and do not give God the fear that comes from exercised humility and mercy.  We live in the truth and, at times, being condemned through it.  Because we are constantly condemned, we have no motive to purge iniquity.  However, if we are the saint who abuses God’s mercy, then we see no reason to change.  After all, God forgives and forgets everything, right?  Keeping these two in balance is what is needed.  God possesses all of His attributes equally and infinitely.  Because He does, truth cannot be seen as more important that mercy, nor mercy more valuable than truth.  But are equally indispensable.  As we strive toward Christlikeness, the fear of the LORD (holding truth and mercy equally) is the only way to attain it.