The strict administration of justice often appeals to man’s carnal nature, whereas the dispensation of mercy to one’s enemies goes against our natural grain. And it is easier hold grudges than to let go and let God. It’s not that there is anything inherently wrong with our sense of justice, but the Bible shows us a better way of dealing with our fellow men, instead of pursuing justice to the letter.
There is a strictly fair way of dealing with others and then there is a royal way of interacting with others. The reason why God instructs us to choose the royal way is because this is what He delights in, because it is an integral part of His character. However, mercy does not cause God to be insensible to strict justice, for the two characteristics are perfectly blended in His Person, into one indivisible whole.
And we must always remember that when God sent Jesus to die for us, God did not deal with us fairly, He dealt mercifully, and therefore, having saved us from the consequences of our own sins, He asks us to do the same in our dealings with individuals who may have wronged us. These instructions in no way make us blind to justice; instead, it allows mercy to be one of the preeminent traits of character, just as it is with God. Let’s read:
Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.
Psalms 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Psalms 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
If God was to deal with us only from a strict sense of justice, we would all be dead men, for the wages of
sin is death, and nothing but human life can atone for sin. But, by sending Jesus to die on the cross, He was able to blend mercy with strict justice, so that the requirements of the broken law could be met, while at the same time He could save us from the consequences of our actions.
Thus, the ruling trait of character which motivates God is love, from which springs His mercy, kindness long-suffering, and a delight in seeing the repentant sinner go free. To take pleasure in knowing that a wrongdoer is pardoned, is essentially another level of Christianity, to which too many are foreigners. It is one thing to breathe a sigh of relief when justice is being served but it is another matter to rejoice when mercy is granted.
Therefore, as we study the Tit for Tat laws written in the Bible, it should be from a perspective of being merciful, even in situations where showing mercy may seem wrong. Indeed, when mercy is granted to the undeserving, the one who was wronged must of necessity absorb at least some, or all of the cost, and there are times when we’ll discover that mercy can be quite expensive.
It is not natural for the unconverted heart to show mercy, and therefore, as we study, we should keep in mind that we must allow God to dwell within us, so that grace, mercy, and long-suffering may come from our hearts, and not merely the ritualistic, rigid form that savors more of regret or resentment. Let us remember that God not only shows us mercy, He takes pleasure in doing so.
The tit for tat laws were given to the Hebrews after they were freed from Egyptian bondage, and even though it wasn’t God’s ideal, yet it represented, at least in kindergarten form, the beginnings of some sort of justice, whereby fair judgments could be administered in governing the people. Laws of strict justice must be written, because mercy, even when it is enjoined upon persons, is optional.
Some may choose to show mercy, while others may not, but justice between fellow citizens, neighbors, and friends must be written down as a road-map for judges to follow. In most cases, the Hebrew judges were not left to dispense mercy at their discretion, because there would be great temptation to show favoritism. This is one reason why it was necessary to write the laws of justice in stone, as it were. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 16: 18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 21:24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Numbers 35:33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
This last passage is important for it delineates in no uncertain terms, that when innocent life is taken by a person, he must pay with his own life, or else the land would suffer as a direct result. But, in dealing with His people God demonstrated that there is a royal and merciful way to deal with the very same situation. Mercy could be granted by God, because Jesus Christ would absorb the natural backlash on the cross.
This administration of mercy has perplexed some to the point where they are tempted accuse to God of injustice, or favoritism in some instances. But this is absolutely not the case, because there was some provision for mercy included in the instructions that were given to Israel. The provisions always included the sacrifice of innocent life pointing us to the great fact that Christ would pay for all the injustices done. Let’s read:
Leviticus 4:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord: and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord.
20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.
26 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
There are times when God’s mercy was granted to an individual, and it may seem to some that such a person got off free. But there is no such thing as free mercy, because every sin and injustice would be reconciled in Christ. Thus, the legal basis for the administration of mercy is Christ. At times, persons may have borne some of the cost, but at the end of the day, it’s Jesus who bears the brunt of our sins.
In the case of David, when he sinned by ordering the death of Uriah, the cost was partially deflected to the child of the adulterous relationship, yet, he himself avoided death because he complied with the provision upon which mercy is granted. In the 51st Psalm we read of his confession, and his plea for grace, and because his repentance was genuine, he was accepted by God. Let’s read:
Psalms 51: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
9 Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities.
But even with the death of his newly born child, we must not conclude that absolute justice was served, for the letter of the law specifically states that David and not the child should suffer. Thus, the remaining penalties that were due, were transferred to Christ on the tree, and thus, David, together with all of us could be saved in God’s kingdom if we repent and turn.
These are the reasons why we read certain passages of the Bible which demonstrate the strict justice of God. At times some people may wonder if it is the same God of mercy who delights in love that caused His wrath to fall so heavily upon His own Son.
Bolts of lightning seemed to be hurled against Christ on the cross, and the weight of our sins upon Him resulted in tremendous mental anguish, that caused Him to die of a broken heart, long before the other two thieves passed.
Let us then beware, lest we fall short of His grace, and the same recompenses become our lot, for if we neglect so great salvation and mercy, there will be nothing else He could do to save us from the full consequences of our sins. God’s grace and mercy is free to all, but very expensive to Christ. Let’s read:
Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Therefore, seeing that mercy was provided at such a cost, with Jesus suffering the recompense for our deeds, let us turn to the royal law, the royal way of dealing with those who may have done us wrong. A man owes a king a certain sum, the king, like all of us, tries to collect on his debt, but the man doesn’t have the wherewithal to pay, so, he asks for mercy and mercy is granted, full and free. Let’s read:
Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will
pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest.
29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.
There are several important issues to be observed from this parable.
[1] The unmerciful debtor had good intentions, for he planned to repay the debt. The only problem is that he couldn’t. Let’s read:
Matthew 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Thus, he went out, and in a desperate effort to collect all that was owed him, he tried to make up the sum that he owed to the king. He either forgot, or didn’t really believe that mercy had been freely granted him. This attitude often stems from a heart of distrust, because if we truly believe that God has forgiven all our debts, there will be no need for us to try to repay God.
[2] Nothing was wrong with him trying to recover that which was owed, because the king in the parable had also made attempts to collect on his debts. Let’s read:
Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The problem is the way in which the unmerciful debtor tried to shake down his fellow man. If one is owed a debt, there is nothing wrong with trying to collect, but there are certain things we must not do, in our efforts at recovery, certain lines we shouldn’t cross, as Christians who represent Christ.
We are a spectacle unto the world, unto angels and to men, and thus, if we adopt un-Christlike methods or practices, we thereby cause folks to view God in the same light. In the parable, Christ says that the unmerciful man took the other by his “throat”.
God would have us understand there are many, and different ways, we too may try to take our debtors by the throat. Some may launch a flurry of harassing phone calls late at night, with verbal assaults, when debtors need to sleep. Some resort to threatening legal action; and others may even stalk the one who owes, at home, at work, and even at church.
And there are some others who may even resort to violence. All of these actions constitute taking one by the throat, for the unforgiving spirit which drives the various deeds is what God is against. There isn’t anything wrong per se in the pursuit of strict justice; all God is saying is that if we choose that route, He will have to deal with us in the same currency, for justice begets justice, and mercy begets mercy.
[3] When mercy is to be granted to one, a conscious decision must be made to absorb some, or all loss. Let’s read:
Matthew 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
When it was determined that there was no other way for us to pay our debts to God, Jesus made a deliberate, conscious decision to absorb the entire debt, and thus, the king in the parable made that decision too.
There are times when Christians would be severely tempted to adopt tit for tat methods in dealing with perceived, or real injustices. No one should expect that showing mercy will always come naturally, for Christ must be formed within us, in order for such decisions to come from the heart.
Therefore, Christ’s emphasis to us is not so much on the doing, as on the being. Yes, it will call for stern self-denial in some instances, and yes, it may hurt, or may cause some to be financially compromised, for mercy carries a cost, yet, to show mercy is God’s royal way, and we too should be willing to follow in His footsteps. This method of dealing with injustices is enjoined in several passages of scripture. Let’s read:
Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
21 Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.
1st Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you.
In what some refer to as The Lord’s prayer, we ask God to forgive us “As we forgive our debtors” which means that we ourselves state the terms by which we expect to be treated. But many do not know the extent or importance of this prayer, and that’s why many who claim to believe in Jesus may still be in an unforgiven state.
If we put a limit on our forgiveness of others, God will also put a limit on His forgiveness to us. If we allow forgiveness to be open-ended, mercy will be open-ended towards us. And if we draw a red line in the sand which others should never cross, a similar red line will be drawn in our sand which we should never cross.
That is exactly what the phrase “As we forgive our debtors” means. Therefore, we are encouraged to take the high road, to live according to the royal law, and to always keep in mind, the sacrifice that was made by Jesus to set us free, because, in the contemplation of his great act of mercy that we can never repay, our own dealings with our fellowmen will reflect our gratitude for the cancellation of our debt.
We therefore close with a gentle reminder that God says what He means, and His words to us on these matters will be fulfilled exactly as they are written. Let’s read:
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
God bless!