Verse 7. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. We now enter on what may be called the second section of the Beatitudes. They are evidently divided into four and three—a division not uncommon in scripture. The first four are characterized by righteousness, or that which is due to God: the last three by grace, or the activities of grace towards others. There is great moral beauty, order, and instruction, in these two classes. The division is no doubt divine, and may well engage thy thoughts, Ο my soul, in happiest meditation. When the sinner is first awakened, brought into the presence of God, sees his true condition there, and learns the vanity of what man is, there must be humbling and breaking down. He will now side with God, and maintain His cause against himself.
Repentance is real. He is content to be nothing. Thus we see that the first blessedness is poverty of spirit, and introduces the soul to the other blessings. We will now look at the first of the last three.
“Blessed are the merciful.” No word within the compass of our language has a sweeter sound than mercy; and no other word could bring the character of God more fully before thy mind. This leads to thy deepest joy, and thy richest blessing—dwelling on the character of God. He is “the Father of mercies.” Mercy is not merely a resource of God, but He is its source— “the Father of mercies.” He is the wellspring of all the pity, compassion, tenderness, kindness, and charity, whether temporal or spiritual, which flow through this world of misery. And this mercy, blessed be His name, is from everlasting and to everlasting—without beginning, before time, without end, and when time is past. “The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him.” (Psalm 103:1717But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; (Psalm 103:17).) But in the meantime, on this “narrow neck of land,” this world of sin, between the incomprehensible past and future, mercy flows as a mighty river, and unites, as it were, the ocean of eternity. There is no interruption to His mercy; it is the active principle of His being in this world of sin and misery. “For his mercy endureth forever.” Who can speak of the transcendent blessedness of such a truth in such a scene of sorrow as this world is! But for the ceaseless flow of His mercies, it could only be like that place where His mercies are clean gone, and where He will be favorable no more forever. When the ear of mercy is closed, and the arm of mercy is withdrawn, nothing remains but the agonies of despair. But now He delights in mercy, and will delight in it.
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Rom. 9:1515For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Romans 9:15).) God only can say, “I will, I will,” and He only has a right to say so. No creature can say, “I will”—God only; but His “I wills” are mercy and compassion, and are all ours in Christ Jesus forever. Satan may deny it; the poor human heart may doubt it; but the word of the Lord standeth firm and sure, it cannot be broken. “I will sing,” says the psalmist, “of the mercies of the Lord forever.....For I have said, mercy shall be built up forever.” Psalm 89
How shall I meet those eyes? —
Mine on Himself I cast,
And own myself the Savior’s prize:
Mercy from first to last.
But tell me, my soul, is this rich, tender, everlasting mercy free to all who cry to God for it? Most surely! Are none now who hear of His mercy excluded? Only those who exclude themselves. The door of mercy now stands wide open, and the ear of mercy patiently waits to hear the cry, and quicker far than the electric spark is Heaven’s answer. Take a well-known example; and remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
When the poor blind beggar (Luke 18) heard that short sermon, “Jesus of Nazareth passeth by, he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” What was His answer? Could He say, I have no mercy for thee? Impossible! that would have been to deny the character of God, and the whole truth of the Bible. The fullness of divine mercy was his from the moment of his heart’s first utterance. The faithless multitude might rebuke the blind man, and seek to drive him back; but not Jesus. The moment the cry for mercy fell upon His ear, He stood still; and the vast procession stood still, and, if it had been necessary, the spheres too would have stood still. All must give place to this service of mercy. “And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him; and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.” Surely this is mercy, full and free; and such mercy is free to all, “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And these things are written, remember, that thou mayest believe. The same cry will bring the same blessing to day.
And here learn also, as a believer, how to show mercy. Give not thy alms to the poor as thou wouldst throw a bone to a dog. With what grace Jesus bends over the poor man, and asks, as if He were his servant, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” Far from taking a place of manifest superiority, and causing the poor man to feel as if in a far distant place, He gave him to know and feel that He was dealing with him in love and grace, and drew the heart of the helpless one entirely to Himself. The Christian must not only be merciful—most merciful, always merciful—but he must learn to show mercy after the manner of his Lord and Master. The way of the world is to patronize, and to be esteemed as benefactors; and many will give for the sake of this honor. But not so those on whom the Lord lays His hand and pronounces blessed. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Learn, then, I pray thee, from this narrative both the freeness and the style of divine mercy. He who cries to God for mercy, though physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually poor and blind—the weakest or most degraded of mankind—is instantly answered by Him, “who is rich in mercy.” God never has, never can, and never will, say to the cry of the dependent heart, I have no mercy for thee. Hence the absolute certainty of God’s mercy to everyone who feels his need, and looks to Him to meet it. There is nothing either in the heart or in the circumstances of the sinner that can hinder the flowing spring of mercy, if he only bows at the feet of Jesus in dependence on Him. But there is no possibility of salvation to a single soul, save through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, His blessed Son.
He! all ye heavy laden, come!
Here’s pardon, comfort, rest, a home,
Ye wanderers from a Father’s face,
Return, accept His proffered grace.
Ye tempted ones, there’s refuge nigh,
“Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.”
But if you still His call refuse,
And all His wondrous love abuse,
Soon will He sadly from you turn,
Your bitter prayer for pardon spurn.
“Too late! too late!” will be the cry—
“Jesus of Nazareth has passed by.”
Having thus spoken of mercy in a general way, we will now notice more particularly its true character, and how it is to be manifested by all who have found mercy of the Lord.
Mercy and Grace.
In what way, we may inquire, does mercy differ from grace? Clearly they are not the same thing, though they may come very near to each other. They are carefully distinguished in scripture, and we will best learn their meaning by the use made of them there.
Both words, we find, are prominent in the character of God, as proclaimed to Moses—“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious.” He is merciful to forgive, and gracious to help in every time of need. The distinction is also maintained in the most marked way by the apostolic writers. When addressing the church, they wish “grace and peace;” but when writing to individual Christians, they say, “Grace, mercy, and peace.” The reason of this significant change not only marks the essential difference of the two words, but it reveals the peculiar position of the church. It is viewed as raised up in Christ, and in the same place of privilege, blessing, and acceptance as Himself. Hence the word “mercy” is never introduced when she is addressed in this relationship. The blessed Lord Jesus, though in this world as the lowly Son of man, never was, and never could be, the object of divine mercy; but “Grace was poured into his lips,” and the richest gifts of heaven surrounded the path of the perfect One. The church is now seen as one with Him. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” The last clause of this verse is a truly remarkable one—“so also is Christ.” It shows the perfect oneness of Christ and the church. But for this unity, the apostle must have said, “so also is the church.” He is speaking about the church, not Christ; why then say, in apparent violation of the ordinary rules of language, “so also is Christ?” Because the whole body, Head and members, are here viewed as “one body,” and in the same place of privilege and blessing. Surely this should be rest, eternal, perfect rest, for the heart; and also the complete settlement of every question as to the heavenly character and relationships of the church. The Lord grant it! But to return.
On the other hand, individual Christians are looked at as men in the body, and as encompassed with infirmities, passing through conflicts, and constantly needing mercy—and grace too, of course. Hence the apostle says to Timothy and Titus, “Grace, mercy, and peace;” and in writing to the Hebrews, he says, “Let us, therefore, come boldly unto a throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4.
The term grace evidently conveys the idea of free gift, favor; without obligation on God’s part, without claim on ours; or without raising the question of the condition of the one so favored; it may be called the indulgence of love. (See John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Cor. 8:9, where we have grace in its divine fullness.) But mercy always marks the receiver as a wrong-doer. To be “merciful” is to be ready to overlook or forgive a wrong, at the same time conscious that he to whom mercy is shown deserves a contrary kind of treatment. It answers to what is called among men a tender, forgiving disposition; only it is to be exercised by believers on the higher ground of having obtained mercy of the Lord themselves, and looking forward to obtain it more fully, they are “merciful” to their fellow men.
But thou mayest yet inquire, my soul, what is the promised reward here assured to the merciful—“They shall obtain mercy?” We cannot need mercy in heaven. Surely not. Nevertheless, the promise is future, whether strictly applied to the Jew, or morally to the Christian. Onesiphorus was no doubt a Christian, and Paul prayed for him, “that he might find mercy of the Lord in that day”—the time of future rewards. So filled with gratitude was the heart of the apostle for the special kindness of Onesiphorus, when he risked his own life in finding him out, and in ministering to him in prison, that he prayed for a reward that would be the reflection of, and that would commemorate forever, that noble service of love. This, we doubt not, is the way of heaven, but especially during the millennium. Every service of love, from a cup of cold water and upwards, shall not only be rewarded in that day, but the reward will characterize the service, and thus be held in everlasting remembrance. This is clear from many passages of scripture; we quote one of exquisite beauty. “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great” (Rev. 11:1818And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18).) The small as well as the great will be remembered on that blessed day. What grace! What a day that will be! May we think of it now in all our service for Him!
But thou mayest say with many, what can I do? If I am only there myself, I shall not think of a reward. Stay, my soul, see that thou venture not on wrong ground here. Many may speak thus as an excuse for spiritual indolence and worldliness. What is the teaching of the Lord in these beatitudes? Surely that the vital principle of each feature here pronounced “blessed,” is in every soul that is born of God, though they are not alike prominent in all. We see poverty of spirit in one, and great activity in another. But those who mourn shall be comforted; the meek shall inherit the earth; the merciful shall obtain mercy.
May the Lord lead thee, and all who read this paper, to abound more and more in this heavenly, this Godlike, grace of mercy. In the exercise of mercy towards others, thou shalt taste afresh the sweetness of God’s mercy to thine own soul. A gracious eye, a tender heart, an open hand, carry with them their divine reward. Who abhors not the character of the steward who was forgiven ten thousand talents by his master, but would not forgive his fellow-servant a hundred pence? On the other hand, who admires not the mercy that shines in the good Samaritan, who did the neighbor’s part? This is the mercy of the gospel, seek especially to shine here—in the mercy that would—seek to save the lost sinner; but forget not the mercy that shines in words, looks, and deeds. Mercy is the great need of mankind—sinners need it, saints need it, all need it. God in Christ Jesus is its source. May we be the channels of its many streams, both to the bodies and to the souls of men.