Lamentations 3: 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore, I have hope.
22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Everything God does, and everything He commands us to do should be viewed from the perspective of His love and mercy, for they form the cornerstones of all of His interactions with the human family.
It is a fact that mercy is not needed, where there is no transgression, such as with the angels who never sinned, and thus, it is because humanity is fallen by nature why God’s mercy towards the human family takes precedence.
Adam and Eve did not need mercy before they fell, because the very definition of mercy, from the Bible perspective, assumes that some violation has taken place, and thus, mercy, which is God’s unmerited grace towards us is offered, instead of strict justice that came due.
Some persons erroneously conflate kindness with mercy, because persons often administer kindness, benevolence, and good will, without being merciful. The willingness to treat others the way they do not deserve to be treated, after wrongs have been done to us is what constitutes the type of mercy, of which the scriptures speak.
Thus, in our first passage God’s mercy is mentioned in the context of us not receiving what we are really due, hence the reason why the passage states that we are not consumed. In other words, were it not for the manifestation of God’s mercies towards us, we would all be naturally “consumed”.
Therefore, from the perspective of us being sinners, everything God does, and everything God tells us to do should always be viewed in the context of mercy for some have erroneously concluded that The God of the Old Testament was severe while The God of the New Testament is love.
The fact is that it is The same God yesterday, today and forever, and He bids us to study with a humble heart and a teachable spirit, His providences in both the old and new Testaments, for we will discover a common thread of mercy running throughout the entire Bible.
The mercy seat in the ancient sanctuary system put the emphasis on mercy, because God directed that it be located strategically above the law, contained in the ark.
Not only was its location and its position strategic, it was definitely meant to send an ongoing message to all concerned, that The God of heaven deals, and communicates with us all in the language of mercy.
He sends His sunshine and rain on the just, and also on the unjust, and the “Just” are never to consider themselves as more deserving of mercy, because, guess what, it is God’s mercy that made them just in the first place.
God dealt with David from the perspective of mercy and He dealt with king Saul the very same way. God dealt with Sodom and Gomorrah mercifully for if He had let them continue to exist, the world would be led astray into false paths, the same as we are now witnessing in our day, as it pertains to the plethora of divergent views and practices, on marriage and gender.
In addition to this, If God did not stop them in their tracks, they would continue to live and pile up sins upon sins, which they would eventually have to pay for when crunch time comes around.
Thus, rather than let them live, and continue over -filling their account in the books of record He brings an end to their existence, thus mercifully shortening the time they would have to spend in the fires of hell down the road. It is always from a perspective of mercy.
Again, it was from the viewpoint of mercy, why God did not bring the last plague on Egypt first, for if He were to do this, then pharaoh would have gotten the message loud and clear. But God gives the king time to consider and rethink his position, if haply there might be a change of course.
Thus, in reading, and studying the scriptures, God’s mercy is a given, that must be juxtaposed with any and everything He does even at times when He may not give historical context, explanations, or reasons.
There are times, when like with Manasseh, the Bible reveals to us that God pleaded with that stubborn king, year after year, even sending His servants, and prophets to warn him of his course of action.
Then when all else failed, God mercifully permitted Manasseh to be incarcerated by his enemies and he finally came to himself as he suffered in the prison. Then, rather than rejoice over his much-deserved ill fortunes, God heard the king’s prayer, He forgives him, and then reinstates him to his office.
Thus, in His dealings, and in His communications to us, God does what He does from the position of the Mercy seat being above the strict justice of the law, and even if the scriptures might noy directly say so in every instance, the element of mercy could, and should be included for it is always there, sometimes apparent, and sometimes to be assumed.
Case in point is the fatal judgement which fell upon Uzzah, for him trying to prevent the ark from falling. To some persons, it would seem as if God’s action in that particular situation was rash and arbitrary, and even David was moved to voice his grave concern over the incident.
The reason for this is that in this instance, the Bible does not give any historical context, leading up to the incident, so that persons could reason logically and conclude that yes, Uzzah received his due. But the scripture is not to be understood through logic, it is to be understood through faith, and thus, what God did in this instance was naturally right, and long overdue.
Even though nothing is said of his prior offences, it is a given that God granted him mercy and grace on many, many occasions, before it finally culminated in his death.
The Bible does not have to always give us the fine print and details; all we have to do is to see God in His position upon the Mercy seat located above law, and all inserts, or omissions in scripture will become as clear as day in the context of His great mercy. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 6: 6 And when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark
of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
8 And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah.
9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day…
The same is true of the Amalekites, the people of Jericho, Eli’s sons, Achan, Judas, Nebuchadnezzar, and all those who even hated God. He has always dealt with us from that perspective, of the mercy seat being located above the law.
Therefore, from the very beginning when Adam and Eve fell God’s interaction with the human family has always been from the perspective of His mercy even when His judgments had to be administered.
It was always in the context of Him being merciful, for as we have stated previously, if God did not in mercy destroy certain nations, we would’ve ceased to exist long ago as we can all see what the brutality of man towards his fellow man produces in the likes of Ukraine. Let’s read:
Exodus 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Another critically important point for us to consider is that shewing mercy does not come free, for it has to be justified. God will not just forgive a person just for forgiving sake, because shewing mercy requires a legal basis by which it can be shown that such and such a person can be dealt mercifully with.
If president Putin, like Manasseh were to repent of his deeds and God were to forgive him, then folks would be in an uproar, if God does not show a legal basis for doing so. Persons who have lost their lives prematurely, and the relatives of the deceased will be hard pressed for the justification of mercy in this instance.
Manasseh was no different than what is currently on display; he just did not have modern weapons at his disposal, to carry out his atrocities, but when the historical context is reviewed, we would see that he committed grave crimes against humanity and thus, there must be a legal basis for mercy towards him to be granted. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
2nd Chronicles 33: 10 And the Lord spoke to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not listen.
11 Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.
Question: What about all of those innocent people who were slaughtered by Manasseh? What about the family members, the single parent families that were the result of him taking the life of fathers and mothers prematurely? How is God going to justify mercy towards such a soul as Manasseh?
And we can go on and on, because the question can also be asked of David. How could God legally show mercy to David when all of Uriah’s family have been bereft of their brother, uncle, or nephew? There has to be some way that such mercy towards us can be justified. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 12: 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Exodus 21: 23 And thou shalt give life for life.
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Leviticus 16: 14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.
16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins.
Very often, when we read in the scripture that God cursed this one or that one, we might erroneously conclude that the mercy seat was not present in the circumstance. The curses written in the Bible are in most cases, not something that God will do unto an individual or nation.
Instead, it is God just stating the natural outworking of a wrong cause of action, following those laws of cause and effect, of sowing and reaping, that are in Galatians chapter 6. If one jumps off a skyscraper in New York city, they will most likely die, not because God did something to that person, but because the natural laws of sowing and reaping takes effect.
Case in point was the curse stated against Cain after he had taken the innocent life of Abel his brother in cold blood. What God then said to him wasn’t some evil thing that God was going to do unto Cain. It was the natural out working of sin which would produce the stated results.
Thus, when you hear people asking where is God in such and such adverse situation, or blaming God for doing things to them, in very many cases it is merely the natural laws of cause and effect occurring, with no interference from God whatsoever.
In fact, God often mitigates to a very large extent, the results of the errors folks commit, as we would clearly see as we seek to understand the nature of the exchange with Cain. Let’s read:
Genesis 4: 9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood cries unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that finds me shall slay me.
Very critically important questions need to be asked and answered, as it pertains to this exchange which took place between God and Cain. Our views of God and His character would depend heavily upon the conclusions drawn, because some may see A God of strict justice, or conversely, some may see A God on the mercy seat, positioned above the law.
And the reason why it is important to harbor only the correct view, is because in our day, and in our own experience, our understanding of the exchange between God and Cain would color our interaction with God, and ultimately, the views about Him that we will project to others. So, let’s begin with the first issue:
Did God actually put a curse on Cain, or was God just stating facts as they were, as it pertains to the natural results that would follow such a course of action as Cain took?
The first part of the curse stated that the ground would not produce as it should, when Cain would plant it. Is that a statement of fact, or could it be something that God was going to do unto Cain?
Is it true that when a person sheds innocent blood that such an act adversely affects the ability of the earth to produce? For instance, will those who shed innocent blood in Ukraine, cause the earth that they farm on, to be negatively impacted? These are just a few of the grave questions to be answered.
Answer: It was a statement of fact that God uttered, and not something that God would directly do unto Cain. Sin, in all of its forms will adversely affect the production capabilities of the earth, wherever such sins are being committed. Hence the reason why we have stated on several occasions, that the problem we face is not global warming, it’s global sinning. Let’s read:
Isaiah 24: 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting
covenant.
6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 61] In humility and unutterable sadness they {Adam and Eve} bade farewell to their beautiful home and went forth to dwell upon the earth, where rested the curse of sin. The atmosphere, once so mild and uniform in temperature, was now subject to marked changes, and the Lord mercifully provided them with a garment of skins as protection from the extremes of heat and cold.
As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing.
Therefore, several false charges are made by Cain in the above passages taken from Genesis 4, and these statements and conclusions are too often harbored and repeated in our day.
Cain states: [1] That he was being punished. [2] That he is being driven out from the earth, and from the
Presence of God. [3] That God has made him into a fugitive. [4] That God has made him a vagabond.
Let’s start with the first charge, that he was being punished. If as Cain claims, he was being punished, then the mercy seat was located above the law, as far as so-called punishment goes, because the law of God states that if any person deliberately sheds innocent blood, he or she would have to pay with their own life, in order for justice to be served.
Pun·ish·ment: Noun: The infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.
Question: Did God “Inflict” or “Impose penalties” as retribution for Cain’s crime? Or, could it be that God was simply stating the natural consequences that will accrue, as a direct result of the laws of sowing and reaping? Let’s read:
Numbers 35: 30 Whosoever kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death, by the mouth of witnesses.
31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
Genesis 9:6 Whosoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
The second charge Cain brings against God is that God is driving him out from the face of the earth, and from the presence of God. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the two following verses clearly state. Let’s read:
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Genesis 6:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
The third false charge Cain makes is that God has consigned him to being a fugitive.
Fugitive meaning: A person, such as a suspect, who is involved in a criminal case, who tries to elude law enforcement especially by fleeing the jurisdiction.
Did God deliberately turn Cain into a fugitive, as he insinuates, or is this just the natural outworking of the laws of cause and effect, without interference of any kind from God? It’s a very weighted question which deserves a correct answer. Let’s read:
U.S Sun News: By Danielle Cinone.
The case surrounding Brian Laundrie's death has captivated people across the U.S, however, seven questions remain after the fugitive's bones and notebook were found in a swamp. The remains of Brian Laundrie were found in October of 2021, after a lengthy search, following the death of Gabby Petito.
On the 15th of September, Laundrie was officially named a person of interest in the case of Gabby Petito, who was still missing at the time. The search for Laundrie continued for over a month. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation. And on September 27, Dog the Bounty Hunter announced he will lend a hand and help search for Laundrie.
God did not punish Cain, neither did He drive him out of his presence, neither did God make him into a fugitive and a vagabond. All that God did was to allow the laws of cause and effect run their natural course. And, unless we come to grips with this view of God, we will continue to draw wrong conclusions about His character, and His dealings with us.
The perspective of the mercy seat being above the law was extended to Adam after He had sinned, for when the scriptures are read carefully, we discover that God never cursed Adam. God simply stated the facts in the case, because the curse is located in the sinful act in most cases, not something that God will do to persons.
Furthermore, the Bible states that instead of giving strict justice to Adam, God did His best to mitigate the adverse effects of Adam’s sin, and the toil, labor and sweat that would be required to till the soil was a blessing, not a curse, because one of the greatest curses that can come upon us is to be idle, and have nothing to do. Let’s read:
Genesis 3: 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
What God did for Cain is what He does for you and me, and for every person who has walked contrary to His laws; God does not treat us as we deserve, but rather looks for ways and means through Christ, to lessen the adverse results of our wayward course of action. This is what God has always done even when He knows persons like Cain will never repent. Let’s read:
Genesis 4:15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore, whosoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
[Youth Instructor 1906 par 9] God does not stand toward the sinner as an executor of the sentence against transgression; but he leaves the rejecters of his mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown.
(That is, after God has done everything possible to save persons to the uttermost.)
Therefore, those of us who have been tasked with the preaching of the everlasting gospel ought to be very careful to project to the masses of people, the right perspective of God, for if incorrect views of His character are harbored, there will be triggered the animosities and hatred we see in many instances.
Diseases, hurricanes, global warming, violence, war, cancers, bird flu, and covid, are in very many cases the natural results of a violation of either spiritual or physical law, for there is a very close symbioses between both, where one will directly, or indirectly affect the other.
Take for instance when the Bible predicts that in the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars with perplexities, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places; these adverse conditions should never be viewed or interpreted as God doing something evil unto earth’s inhabitants.
Instead, the laws of cause and effect, together with the violation of spiritual and physical law, where it occurs, with the collateral damage that often takes place are to be touted where warranted as the main causes for our self-inflicted wounds, and thus God is to be seen, and presented as The One who is trying His very best to save us from ourselves.
If this isn’t done, persons would be hard-pressed to accept A God who is presented as dealing in strict justice with sinners, and as a result, every adverse consequence of one’s wrong course of action would be viewed as God taking revenge, or “punishing” us for what we have done, while satan and his demons sit in the shadows and get off scotch free.
It's funny, that hurricanes and tornadoes are now listed as acts of God, while the one who brought the tornado upon Job’s children, while they were having a birthday party, and destroyed their home, is never even considered as the real culprit.
Thus, Job’s wife in response says curse God and die. Thus, adverse circumstances that come our way are blamed on God and a personal responsibility for our actions is effectively removed. Thus, questions such as “Where is God” and “Why me” are asked by folks and often answered with the erroneous conclusion, that God is somehow doing these evils unto us.
God’s character is to be fully vindicated as we draw closer to earth’s final crisis, and even though we are to warn others that His judgment will be meted out at some point after the close of probation, the evils, calamities and perplexities which are upon the land are to be understood to a great extent, as being the results of man’s own doing.
Let us therefore always remember that it is because of His mercies why we are not consumed and as the everlasting gospel may threaten wrath to the finally impenitent, it also opens the gates to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ advocates on behalf of all who would believe.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to harbor correct views of God, and in so doing the sunshine of His love, His mercy, and grace would radiate in and through us, in all of our interactions with our fellowmen. Let’s read:
Psalms 103: 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
God Bless!