The following Report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Elizabeth G. during the 2007-2008 League.
Word Study: God's Mercy
There are those days when you walk in to school and you don't feel prepared to hand in your homework. You just spent all last night trying to get to sleep after you went out with your friends. You knew you had homework to do, but you just didn't get to it. Now, Friday morning, you don't have a speck of the required homework done. The question is: Will your teacher show you mercy?
Mercy compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power
Exodus 25:22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
The mercy seat is the lid or cover of the Ark of the Covenant and was the place where the presence of God dwelt. It is often referred to in the first few books of the Bible. The Greek word for mercy seat means exactly that - the lid or covering. The Hebrew word literally means cover and is connected with the covering of our sins. That could be the reason for calling it the mercy seat - God showed us mercy by covering our sins with His blood.
Romans 9:15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."
The Greek word in this verse means compassion. So the end of the verse is a repetition of the beginning. Secondly, this verse shows God's authority over us. He can be compared to a judge. He has the authority to either give or withhold mercy.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
Eleos, the Greek word used in this verse, means compassion or "tender" mercy. This verse really expands on the great love God has for us. God had compassion on us! When we were dead he looked at us and saw us for what we were, sinners. And even then, he showed tender mercy and saved us from our sin. Now, your teacher may or may not show you mercy. One thing is for sure - you surely don't deserve for your teacher to let you go without a penalty of some sort. But, surprisingly enough, when you arrive in class, your teacher shows mercy to you. God has done that exact same thing for us. He gives us mercy when we don't even deserve it. Because of our sin we deserve death. But, because he has compassion on us, he showed mercy to us. Not only did he take away all the penalties, but he took them on his own shoulders and bore our sins. He paid the the price for our sin with his life!
