In Exodus 34, the Lord revealed His glory to Moses by proclaiming who He is to Moses. The very first thing that He proclaimed to Moses was that He is “merciful” (Exodus 34:6). David rejoiced in that proclamation of the character of God in his hymn of praise, Psalm 103. He quoted it in Psalm 103:8. Our God’s mercy is a fundamental axiom of who He is. Mercy is what meets a person who is suffering. Psalm 103:13-14 proclaims His mercy when it says, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
Prior devotionals have stressed that God is not a compilation of various attributes. His character is unified and singular. Along those lines, mercy is not merely something that God has; mercy is something that God is. He is infinitely and eternally merciful. His mercy was equally demonstrated in the Old Testament as in the New Testament. In fact, the concept of God’s mercy is proclaimed 4x more in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. Mercy is God’s demonstration of His goodness toward suffering. Repeatedly, the gospels refer to Jesus as being “moved with compassion.” Mercy is not a mere thought or sentiment. It is active confrontation of suffering with goodness.
But mercy is never in conflict with righteousness or justice. Mercy does not cancel judgment against sin. Hebrews 2:17-18 says, “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” God meets the suffering of our sin with His goodness by the person and work of Jesus Christ. He died for us in order to take our sins on Himself. He became the object of the wrath of the curse of God so that God could meet the believer with infinite mercy.
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