The Tempered Wind

God's mercy has always astounded me. Time and time and time and time and time and time again He has shown His excellent mercies. 

He has shown them to Israel as a nation: 

Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness... 

according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, 

who saved them out of the hand of their enemies...

many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies...

for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, 

nor forsake them; 

for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

-Nehemiah 9:19, 2-28

He showed David mercy in his sin:

"And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: 

let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; 

for very great are his mercies:" -I Chronicles 21:13

The psalmist wrote of His mercies (many times, just one is here): 

"Remember, O Lord, 

thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; 

for they have been ever of old."

-Psalm 25:6

Again, a psalmist writes a whole chapter on God's mercy, and we are reminded in every chapter that His mercy endures forever! (Psalm 136) We're going to look at this chapter bit by bit. It's not that long and it has some wonderful passages. Every aspect of mercy is represented in this chapter.

Firstly, we are to thank Him for Who He is: (vs.1-3)

 "O give thanks unto the Lord; 

for he is good: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

- Psalm 136:1

We are to praise Him for the great things He has, can and will do. (vs.4)

"To him who alone doeth great wonders: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

And also for His work of Creation: (vs.5-9) 

"To him that by wisdom made the heavens: 

for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: 

for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that made great lights: 

for his mercy endureth for ever:

The sun to rule by day: 

for his mercy endureth for ever:

The moon and stars to rule by night: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

For His deliverance of Israel throughout their entire history: (vs.10-22)

"To him which smote great kings: 

for his mercy endureth for ever:

And slew famous kings: 

for his mercy endureth for ever:

And gave their land for an heritage:

 for his mercy endureth for ever:

Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

-Psalm 136:17-18, 21-22

For His willingness to always remember us: (vs.23)

"Who remembered us in our low estate: 

for his mercy endureth for ever:"

For His redemption from enemies; in war or even our own selves: (vs.24)

"And hath redeemed us from our enemies: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

And for His merciful provision: (vs.25)

"Who giveth food to all flesh: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

And, lastly, we are exhorted to once more give thanks: (vs.26)

"O give thanks unto the God of heaven: 

for his mercy endureth for ever."

In the middle of his horrible grief, Jeremiah recognized God's mercy:

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

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.

For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 

But though he cause grief, 

yet will he have compassion 

according to the multitude of his mercies."

Lamentations 3:21-23, 31-32

Daniel knew that mercy was something that could be always asked for:

"To the Lord our God 

belong mercies and forgivenesses, 

though we have rebelled against him;"

-Daniel 9:9

And God will even send mercy toward Israel again in the future, at His second Coming:

"Therefore thus saith the Lord; 

I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: 

my house shall be built in it, 

saith the Lord of hosts, 

and a line shall be stretched 

forth upon Jerusalem." 

-Zechariah 1:16

For more, read the inspired book that contains all these quotes, written by the Author of Mercy itself.


Here is what human authors have to say of mercy in secular writings:

"God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb." -Lawrence Sterne

"The quality of mercy is not strained; 

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven 

Upon the place beneath.

 It is twice blessed- 

It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes."

-William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

When all thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view I'm lost, In wonder, love and praise.-Joseph Addison, "Hymn"
"God tolerates even our stammering, and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us - as, indeed, without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray."
-John Calvin 
"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: 
freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."
-Sir Winston Churchill 
I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice. -Abraham Lincoln

 And on that note, I ask you a question: 
How has God showed Mercy to YOU this week?
Let me know; I'd love to hear from you.