Have you ever mused over the thought of the mercies of God and really studied how important and thankful we should be for this marvelous attribute of God? It truly is a gift, a treasure for those who can see, grasp, and claim the truth of this deep and mighty work of our MERCIFUL Father.
In each of the twenty-six verses in Psalm 136 we are given A MULTITUDE of reasons to give thanks for the mercy God has given to all humanity. His mercies are to be appropriated and felt by all His creation. In this text we notice the word mercy is mentioned in each of the 26 verses.
The following is a message I preached while pastoring Temple Baptist Church, Newland, NC in the late 1990’s. We pulled this message out of the archives and thought it would be good to refresh our hearts on these thoughts: BEING THANKFUL FOR THE MERCIES OF GOD. Put this thought at the top of your “Things I am Thankful for list”, because in truth, the application of Mercy and Grace to our hearts was really when we started forever living.
I’ve often preached on the grace of God. I certainly, don’t ever think I have done a sufficient job. Sometimes I have preached on the mercy of God, but not enough. I don’t want to down play the grace of God by preaching just on mercy because I don’t think they can be separated: Grace and Mercy. I want to look at the mercy of God in this text. The word mercy and mercies are mentioned often in the word of God. I often ask the Lord to give me definitions of words in the Bible. I’ve been given a definition of faith and liberty. I use these often in messages, but I don’t have a definition to the word mercy. As I preach, I hope to get mercy to be more than a word upon your heart. This thought of mercy is as an umbrella over the saint as no sinner has. It is a protection against the continual wrath and judgment of God: Mercy. The word mercy is translated into the same word compassion, pity. The Lord’s mercy is looked at as that of one looking upon something in compassion and pity. It is translated many times as kindness. The kindness of the Lord. It is translated a couple of times as favor. It is also translated as goodness, or the goodness of the Lord. We can say that mercy is compassion, it is pity, favor, kindness, love, goodness, but here is one, a strange one. Mercy, in two places, is translated “womb” a mother’s womb: where a child is carried before birth. The idea here is Mercy is being compared to the feelings of a mother to a child that is carried in her womb. A mother has no feelings for any other person in this world like she has for her child in her womb. So, the mercies of God are his compassions, his love, his pity, his kindness, his favor, and goodness toward the child of His womb, the one He has birthed into His family. God’s mercies are not for everyone in this aspect, only for those where mercy has been applied. There is an everlasting mercy. It is not temporary nor short. Anywhere you read in the Bible of God’s mercy it is said to be plenteous. Mercy is full. In the text mercy endureth forever. The good thing about the mercies of God it is not like an insurance policy which must have monthly payments to keep the policy. There are the fine prints about the causes of termination. Sometimes you’re not sure if you have full coverage when something traumatic happens. When you’re talking about the mercies of God, if you have been birthed of God you have a divine policy, there are no payments, no loop holes, no hidden clauses, no termination. Once the mercies of God have been applied to you it is ever enduring and forever. When the blood has been applied it is not just for today but forever. I realized the mercy of God took care of the justice and demand of God upon my soul now and forever. The mercy of God is an umbrella over everything I am or ever hope to be. The wrath and judgment of God can never penetrate or dispose the mercies of God. Oh, mercy is an everlasting thing. But, it is a mercy for the child of his womb. I am a child of God and His mercy toward me and his affection toward me is what I’ve been feeding on and thanking Him for this week. The mercies and affections of God toward us are uncontrollable. We’re talking about a God who cannot control His emotions. His mercy toward us are uncontrollable. His mercy is so full, so free, so real, and so lasting and so forever. He feels toward us in comparison as a mother would the child of her womb. That child can never do anything to detour the mercies of that mother. How many times have we seen in the areas which we live or have heard of a young son mistreating a mother and doing a mother wrong, and that mother would have the power to put him away for his wrong doing. She has the power to punish him, but she would not do it. Why? Because her feelings toward that son was uncontrollable. She had mercy on the child of her womb and could do no other. She loved that child with an everlasting love. So are the mercies of God. God has an uncontrollable passion for His child. He has an unending, unceasing passion for you, so much so he has covered you with His divine mercies. There are the mercies of the blood of Christ, the mercies of eternal salvation. He has covered us so much that we will never ever feel the wrath of God. My, my, my, the mercies of the Lord toward us like we are the child of His womb. That doesn’t mean that the chastisement of God can’t get to you, or that the Lord can be displeased with us, but it does mean God can’t do anything but love you with an everlasting love. His mercy is on you, His mercy is on you. Have you ever seen a mom and dad and how their affection is toward their children? Now they like other children, but they have a natural affection toward the child of their womb like they have for no other child. God has this passion, an uncontrollable desire for me, a passion for me that is beyond my comprehension. I’ll tell you what, I have been enjoying it. I’ve been like a little spoiled child running around feeling the mercies of God on me and on my soul.
Mercy is so vital and so important. I can think about several people in the Bible in which mercy has been applied to. I think about what the Bible says concerning David in Psalm 51:1. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness…” Now why is David praying that prayer. He has sinned with Bathsheba, a horrible sin. Even worse, he has had her husband slain to try to cover-up that sin. Therefore, he cried out for the one ingredient that God has, or the one attribute God has to offer. The one solution to his eternity is to pray for the mercies of God. He doesn’t play upon the love of God. He certainly doesn’t call out for the justice of God. But He calls out, “Oh God have mercy on me.” I think about Israel in Nehemiah 9:18, 19. “Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, this is thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations: Verse 19 says, “YET thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness…” What he is talking about is the children of Israel and how ungodly they lived and all that they did, yet God in his mercy would not forsake them. He had manifold, MANIFOLD, many blended, many colored mercies. In every form and fashion in every way you could think of mercy. Nehemiah was reminding them that the bountiful mercies of God was on the children of Israel who sinned so wretchedly against the Lord.
Numbers 14:19 “Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” I wonder how long Israel would have made it if it hadn’t been for the manifold mercies of the Lord, if there hadn’t been great mercies, if there hadn’t been plentiful mercies. My, my, you think about the modifiers that describe mercy. PLENTIFUL MERCY, MANIFOLD MERCY, GREATNESS OF THY MERCY. David realized if it hadn’t been for the mercies of God, the law would have him killed on the spot because of the sins he had committed. The law demanded death for David. Moses realizes in Numbers 14, that the children of Israel would never have made it. In another place Moses said they were led by the mercies of God. The children of Israel would never have made it had it not been for one thing, the mercies of God.
Psalm 86: “For thou Lord are good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” You think about that, the mercies of God
Psalm 119:124 “Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy…” The Psalmist didn’t say Lord give me justice. He didn’t even say give me grace. He said oh God I need mercy; God I need mercy.
In Daniel 9:9 “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness though, we have rebelled against him.” We’re living in rebellion, but unto the Lord belongeth mercies.
Daniel 9:18 Listen to this verse. “Oh my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.” Daniel said, I’m praying about Jerusalem, but I don’t have a thing to say about our righteousness, because I know we don’t have any, but I’m praying because I know you have mercy. We’ve got mercy, the mercies of the God of Heaven, isn’t that amazing.
Even the apostle Paul talks about how even he obtained mercy. I Peter 2:10 “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God; which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” He’s talking about every Gentile that’s ever been saved. We have obtained mercy.
What about Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”
Lamentations 3:22,23 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Halleluiah! You’re not here, at the end of this day, because of anything good about you. While we sit here at our best, we need all the mercy God will give to us. Oh, but it is good mercy, great mercy, plenteous mercy there is plenty of it. What humbles my soul is when I realize and know that the mercies of God have been applied to my heart when there are multitudes who do not know it. The Bible lets us know this in Romans 9:16. You let this sink in: “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Verse 18 says “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” Think about that. If God almighty had wanted to, my heart would have been hardened as an old rock and stoney and I’d be headed right into hell and might have already been there. But, God almighty had mercy on me and softened me up. He didn’t have to. There was nothing about me that demanded he do so. But God, for whatever reason had mercy, great mercy, upon this wretched vile sinner who had nothing to offer God.
Now, there is something about mercy that is vital and important. We know, of course, mercy is connected to people. Mercy is of God. Only God can show mercy to a sinner who is lost and wants to be saved. An old sinner on the road to hell is certain to go there unless the Holy Spirit reveals, to him or her, how lost and how hopeless and vile they are and that they have no right to Heaven at all. This sinner will certainly go to Hell unless they throw themselves upon the mercies of God. Without this, all man-kind will be lost and eternally lost. If you are desiring mercy it is a good sign God is desirous to give mercy.
Mercy is of God. The great truth about mercy: it is for people who have offended. Always in the Bible, anywhere you find this word mercy, compassion, or pity, it has to do with a person or people who has been in rebellion against God and hatred for God and sinned against God. The text I read to you from Daniel talks about the sin of Israel against God and their great sinfulness. All the way through the text it is talking about Israel and all their sin and on down the line. What about David and all his sin. But did you see, the God that demands justice is the same God who is plenteous in mercy. It is manifold, multiplied. I’m glad his mercy, plenteous mercy, outweighs his justice. The Bible doesn’t say the great and plenteous justice of God and judgment of God. It is not there, but oh, it has much to say about the great and plenteous mercies of God. Friend, that means no matter how far down in sin you have gone or how far away from God you’ve gone, if He wants to show mercy He’s always got enough to take care of the sin.
Now I want to come to this text, Psalm 136.
In these 26 verses, the psalmist talks about the mercies of God after each phrase. In doing so he is emphasizing that whatever God did, or does it was his mercy: nothing deserved. Listen, whatever God does spiritually or physically, it is because of His mercies. We are all low down and deserving of Hell, every one of us. If God did what we deserved, He would open Hell and we’d all go there. This self-righteous religious crowd who think they live good enough to deserve Heaven will sadly find themselves in Hell. We all better plant our feet firm on the mercies of God because His mercy is the only thing that is going to get you through.
Let me title this and then give you three final thoughts: HE SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT, BUT HE DID!
Anytime that you find the mercies of God, you find God doing something that He shouldn’t have done, but he did it anyway. David went in to Bathsheba and had her husband brutally murdered. God almighty came in behind him and forgave his sin even before he asked. The Bible said concerning David, He brought forth his son, Solomon, the second son of Bathsheba, to be the king. Through that descendance came the Lord Jesus Christ. He said to David, your son is going to reign on the throne. Who was the next king on the throne of David? Where did Solomon come from? He came from the adulterous act of David and Bathsheba. Honey, God shouldn’t have done that, but He did. If God had done what the law said to do, David and Bathsheba both would have been stoned to death. Somehow, God had mercy. He shouldn’t have done it, but he did. Now don’t you go out and enter into sin expecting to find the mercies of God. I can’t promise the Lord to show mercy. He knows the heart as to whether it is truly sorry for wrongdoing. You think about the children of Israel and everything God did bringing them out of the land of Egypt. They were ungrateful, rebellious, and constantly murmuring. God should have left them to find their own way, but he had compassion and shewed mercy. He showed mercy. It would do us good even in our own lives dealing with people. We get fed up and aggravated at the whining and mistreatment, and the antagonism church members have toward a pastor and fellow church members and toward God. We feel justified in wanting the wrath of God to come down on those folks for doing what they do. But thankfully, God will allow mercy and kindness to rise in our hearts toward those who do not deserve mercy and let us shed aboard kindness instead of revenge. This whole chapter, in each verse, the psalmist talks about everything God shouldn’t have done and didn’t have to do, but because He is a merciful God he did it for our sakes. God shouldn’t have saved me, but He did. God shouldn’t have kept me the way I’ve acted, but he did. He shouldn’t have given me a good wife and children, but he did. He shouldn’t have given me a house, but he did. He shouldn’t have allowed me to pastor these people who I know loves me and I love them. But he did. I deserved none of this, but in His great mercy He gave it all to me.
Now the mercies of God are vital and very important. Let me mention three things.
HE SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE IT, BUT HE DID:
I. WHEN WE CONSIDER WHO HE REALLY IS in verses 1-4
We’re talking about the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the creator of the sun, moon, stars, galaxies, constellations and everything in this world, the creatures on the earth and in the depths of the sea, all vegetation, and the angels and host of heaven. Why would we EVER think he needed us? Why would He EVER take out time to put up with our own stubborn way? He would never have had to paid me any mind. He would never have had to call my name. He would never have had to deal with my heart. I wouldn’t have known anything about the wonderful life I have had in Christ. He could have just let me drop off into Hell just like the multitudes and millions. He shouldn’t have done it, but He did. Being the God He is taking out time for somebody like me and you, undeserving of anything, but He showed me mercy. He does It because He loves to show mercy. He loves to find those rebellious creatures they are, change their hearts and show mercy to them. The fact He can build worlds, and planets, and heavens and earth wouldn’t help us at all, if He were not a God of mercy. But because He is plenteous in mercy, I, a little speck on this great planet, can know Him and experience His great kindness toward me.
II. WHEN WE CONSIDER WHAT HE HAS DONE in verses 4-9
What about the great handiwork of God. He shouldn’t fool with you and me.
All that God has done in this world, if He were not a God of mercy it would all be in vain. He wouldn’t have sent his darling son to Calvary. When Adam sinned, God could have ended it there. What if God hadn’t had mercy. His total creation would have been made for nothing. Mercy is the most important work of God almighty. Without it His Son would not have atoned for our sins. God loved us and had mercy on us. How terrible it would be to have been created of God and He not shown us mercy first in salvation, and then all the rest.
III. WHEN WE CONSIDER WHO WE REALLY ARE verses 23
I ask you tonight, who would have the audacity to stand up and say you deserve what the God of Heaven has done and has given to you? If there would be one, I would fear for you to drop off into Hell at any moment. None of us deserve even the lest of mercy from God. We live in a realm of demands on others and on God. We demand the respect of others. We demand the comforts. We need to be thankful for the mercies of God. Have you lived this day where you could say, Preacher, “As far as I know I have lived this day to perfection? I can face God without a mark against me.” No, the mercies of God are more enduring than your efforts. It is the mercies of God we are not consumed. What the mercies of God does, it takes all the staggerings, failures, and sins. God almighty knows we live in our human righteousness which falls far short of His glory. Who we are has no meaning unless we live in the experience and realm of His mercies. To know and live in God’s mercy sets you for eternity and all the amenities that comes along with knowing God. If you have not experienced the mercies of God, I don’t care how big your name is, Hitler, a senator, the President of a country, a movie star. Your life means nothing unless you know the mercies of God.
Now, He said, “His mercy endureth forever”. I have been feasting on the fact that I have experienced the mercies of God. They are an umbrella for all I am and ever hope to be. The best verses to close out is Ephesians 2:1-4. These scriptures talk about our condition before mercy and salvation.
Verse 1: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
Verse 2: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
Don’t classify yourself, don’t classify sinners, we ALL are in need”
Verse 3. “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past” There’s not good sinners and bad sinners,
“in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind: and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
Now verse 4 covers all that sin,
“But God who is,” HERE’S OUR WORD “rich in mercy, wherewith He loved us.”
Verse 5: “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;)”