Justice And Mercy

To show partiality in judging is not good:Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”—peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,and rich blessing will come upon them.

Proverbs 24:23-25 (NIV)

As we know, God is a kind and a merciful God, but he is also just and righteous. When he created man, he hardwired into our souls a desire for things to be right and true. Even a hardened criminal is outraged when there is no justice against someone who has done him wrong.

For there to be justice, it must be impartial. Let’s apply this. As mothers, we can sometimes hold different standards for each of our children. This is not fair, and this is really not good for their souls either. Lenience is not the same as mercy. Too much lenience can cause a child to feel he or she is excused from doing the right thing when it’s hard or inconvenient. So when your child has cheated on a test, or lied about Internet use, or stolen, and you know it, now both of you are accountable. If you both pretend that all is well, it’s like leaving an elephant in the room and pretending it will not make a mess.

Here’s a Scripture from 1 John1:8-9 that applies: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [But] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify [cleanse] us from all unrighteousness” (NIV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Justice is one side of the coin, mercy is the other. When there has been a wrong done, are we always supposed to mete out the penalty? In most cases, no. We need to be careful, lest we play the role of traffic cop looking for what Jesus called the “speck in our brother’s eye.” There are many times when grace is the appropriate response. Mercy does triumph over judgment, and love covers a multitude of sins.

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 4:19–6:15; Colossians 1:18–2:7; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 24:23-25