Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
What does it mean to be merciful?
Mercy in Hebrew is racham meaning to love or have compassion; to have a disposition of mercy. It also means chesed meaning goodness, kindness or mercifulness.
In the New Testament Greek there are two groups of synonymous used for mercy. The word eleemon is used, meaning to have pity on, to show compassion, or to be merciful; and the word oiktirmos is used that also suggests compassion or pity.
Matthew 9:10-13 (MSG) Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and misfits?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”
Mercy consists of treating people better than they deserve from us. Forgiveness is a type of mercy. So is aiding someone whom we have no obligation to help or forbearing to exploit someone’s vulnerability.
Psalm 145:8-9 (NLT) The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
One of God’s most dominant characteristics in dealing with mankind is His mercy. Mercy is a part of everything He does.
God is merciful. God wants us to grow in this important characteristic as well.
Micah 6:8 (NKJV) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Mercy includes being kind and compassionate to someone who offended you when it’s in your power to do otherwise. It refers to a conscious effort to see events through the eyes of another individual—to feel what he or she is feeling. Mercy is not just about forgiving people but identifying with them and, as closely as possible, understanding their experiences.
Proverbs 11:17 (NKJV) The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
Experiencing God’s mercy demands that we show mercy in return.