DAILY TEXT, Today Thursday, December 21, 2023, Jehovah's mercy is seen in all his works (Ps. 145:9).

DAILY TEXT, Thursday, December 21, 2023, The mercy of Jehovah is seen in all his works (Ps. 145:9).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2023

Thursday December 21

Jehovah's mercy is seen in all his works (Ps. 145:9).

When we think of a merciful person, we may imagine someone who is kind, compassionate, and generous. The Good Samaritan from Jesus' parable may come to mind. This foreigner treated with compassion a Jew who fell into the hands of thieves. The Samaritan “was deeply moved” by the Jew, and love moved him to see that he was cared for (Luke 10:29-37). This parable highlights a beautiful quality of our God, a facet of his love that he shows us every day and in many ways: mercy. This quality can also be demonstrated by not punishing a person when there is a basis for doing so. Jehovah has been very merciful to us in this regard, for one psalm writer said: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins” (Ps. 103:10). However, there are times when Jehovah must firmly discipline someone who has sinned. w21.10 8 paras. 1, 2.

WHY JEHOVAH SHOWS MERCY

Why does Jehovah show mercy?

For 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 human beings, he shows mercy whenever he finds a reason to do so.

How did Jesus learn that Jehovah is merciful?

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 he taught others, Jesus often highlighted this beautiful quality of his Father.

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 left his house and “wasted his inheritance by leading a riotous life” (Luke 15:13). In time, he repented of the immoral life he had led, humbled himself, and returned to his house. How did his father react? The young man didn't have to wait long to find out. Jesus said: “While he was still far 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 repent from the heart (Luke 15:17-24).

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

For his incomparable wisdom. The wisdom of Jehovah is more than a cold, intellectual quality. The Bible says that “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). This gives them hope even if they are imperfect. Because of his infinite wisdom, he shows them mercy whenever he finds a reason to do so. But he exercises this quality in perfect balance. Because he is so wise, he never goes to the other extreme and becomes permissive.

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