DAILY TEXT, From today Friday January 13, 2023, For that compassion, the light of a dawn will visit us from above (Luc. 1:78).

Let's examine the Scriptures every day 2023

Saturday January 14

God was merciful: he forgave their mistakes and did not exterminate them (Ps. 78:38).

Jehovah shows mercy out of love. The apostle Paul wrote by inspiration that God "is rich in mercy." In this context, Paul was referring to the fact that God gives his imperfect anointed servants the hope of life in heaven (Eph. 2:4-7). But God does not show mercy only to anointed Christians. David said in a psalm: “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is seen in all his works” (Ps. 145:9). Because Jehovah loves humans, he shows mercy whenever he finds a reason to do so. Jesus knows better than anyone that Jehovah loves to show mercy. For thousands of years, he was with his Father in heaven before coming to Earth (Prov. 8:30, 31). On many occasions, he saw how he showed mercy to sinful human beings (Ps. 78:37-42). When teaching others, Jesus often highlighted this beautiful quality of his Father. w21.10 8, 9 pars. 4, 5.

What parable did Jesus tell to help us see that his Father is merciful?

As we saw in the previous article, Jesus told the moving parable of the prodigal son to teach that Jehovah loves to show mercy. The son in the parable ran away from home and “wasted his inheritance leading a riotous life” (Luke 15:13). In time, he repented of the immoral life he had led, humbled himself, and returned home. How did your father react? The young man did not have to wait long to find out. Jesus said: “While he was still a long way away, his father caught sight of him and was deeply moved. He ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him tenderly. Instead of humiliating him, the father showed him mercy, forgave him, and accepted him back into his family. The son had committed many sins, but his father forgave him because he had repented. The merciful father in the parable represents Jehovah. With this moving example, Jesus taught that his Father desires to forgive sinners who are heartily repentant (Luke 15:17-24).

What relationship is there between Jehovah's wisdom and his mercy?

For his incomparable wisdom. Jehovah's wisdom is more than just a cold, intellectual quality. The Bible says that “the wisdom from above” is “full of mercy and good fruits” (James 3:17). Like a loving father, Jehovah knows that his mercy benefits his children (Ps. 103:13; Is. 49:15). It gives them hope even if they are imperfect. Out of his infinite wisdom, he shows them mercy whenever he finds a reason to do so. But it exercises this quality in perfect balance. Because he is so wise, he never goes to the other extreme and becomes permissive.

What is necessary to do sometimes, and why?

Now, suppose a servant of God deliberately decides to lead a life of sin. So what should be done? By inspiration, the apostle Paul wrote: “Stop associating . . . with that person” (1 Cor. 5:11). Unrepentant sinners are expelled from the congregation. It is necessary to do so to protect faithful brothers and to reflect the holiness of Jehovah. But some think that the expulsion is not a sign of God's mercy. Let's see if that's true.

CAN EXPULSION BE A SHOW OF MERCY?

According to Hebrews 12:5, 6, why can we say that the expulsion is a show of mercy? b) Which example helps us to understand it?

When it is announced in a meeting that someone we love is “no longer Jehovah's Witness,” we feel a deep sadness. We may wonder if it was necessary to expel him. Is expulsion really a show of mercy? Yes it is. If someone needs discipline, the wisest, most merciful and loving thing to do is to give it to them (Prov. 13:24). Can disfellowshipping help an unrepentant sinner change his attitude? Yes. Many who have committed serious sin have found that the firm steps the elders took were the jolt they needed to come to their senses, change their behavior, and return to the arms of Jehovah.​—Read Hebrews 12:5, 6 ).

Let's think about this example. The shepherd of a flock notices that one of his sheep is sick. He knows that to treat this particular disease he has to isolate the sheep from the rest of the flock. But sheep are social beings. They want to be with the others and tend to get upset when taken out of the herd. So if the shepherd isolates a sheep to treat it, does that mean that he is being cruel to it? Of course not. He knows that if he allows the sheep to stay with the flock, the disease will spread. So isolating the sick one protects the whole flock (compare Leviticus 13:3, 4).

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