and to love mercy

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

My last post was what I learned about the phrase, to do justly or to do judgment. My next search was the phrase, to love mercy. Wow!

The Hebrew word for mercy is chesed. It is usually translated mercy, lovingkindness, or kindness. I learned some interesting things about mercy.

† it is linked with a variety of interesting words. (chesed is in italics)
mercy and truth, mercy and favour, longsuffering and mercy, grace and favour, life and favour, goodness and mercy, tender mercies and lovingkindnesses, mercy and judgment.

† there are other Hebrew words for mercy, and they are sometimes used with chesed (again, in italics).
Psalm 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

I noted these other words but did not study them. But it looked interesting

† mercy is used most often in reference to God. In fact, in the Psalms it is only used of God.

Nehemiah 9:17 …but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness…

Psalm 86: 15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Psalm 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

And it is God’s lovingkindness that serves as the motive and model for our showing mercy.

† And here is the main point: chesed (mercy, lovingkindness) is not so much an attitude as it is the action that flows from that attitude. “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Chesed is that compassion, grace, and longsuffering in action. God has compassion on me and shows me mercy. Even so with us, mercy is doing something for another.

Joshua 2:12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
 14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

Rahab was not interested in their compassion. She asked for chesed – save my family.

So, how do we love mercy? How do we show mercy to people around us? Clearly it is the kindness we show to people. Even though Jesus did not quote this verse, he obviously taught the truth of this verse.

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. Matthew 7:12

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  
This is the first and great commandment.  
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40

And Jesus illustrates this loving your neighbor as yourself in Luke 10:30-38. To love mercy is to treat people the way I wish they treated me, to do for them what I would want done for me.

This is big. This is really big! Mercy is acts of kindness, compassion in action. Giving, doing, helping. Even little things like a kind word. Amen.

What doth the Lord require of thee but to do judgment and to love mercy

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Psalm 86:5

O Lord, help me to fully know your mercy toward me, fill my heart with your love and teach me to love mercy.


Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea 12:6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

Zechariah 7:9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

Amen.