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19 September 2015

Psalm 6: Mercy



Mercy is "the compassionate treatment of a person, greater than what is deserved, and it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. ... Every blessing we receive is an act of mercy, more than we could ever merit on our own. (Source)"

Mercy is a necessity.


O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me...
-Psalm 6:1-2





 I struggled for several weeks to understand this chapter, reading and re-reading it. Then, one afternoon I re-read it after my five year old and I had spent an afternoon in conflict. It started with him not feeling 100%, escalated when he was asked to do his chore, and gradually engulfed our whole afternoon. I did not always keep my cool like I should have. That night after bedtime, I read these verses: 


O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in they hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
~Psalms 6:1-3


Then, I was able to liken it unto myself, and I finally understood.

O Mom, rebuke me not in thine anger... have mercy on me, for I am weak...

David is pleading for mercy. His sin, and the effects of his sin, are vexing him and he is crying out for relief. He needs healing, and he craves mercy.

Mercy is "the compassionate treatment of a person, greater than what is deserved, and it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. ... more than we could ever merit on our own."

Mercy is a necessity - and our Savior specializes in mercy.



 

1 comment:

Anne Chovies said...

I like this one. It brings new depth to the beatitude on mercy (Matth 5:7). I've come to feel it's always better to err on the side of mercy but sometimes that's so hard because we humans so often crave what we perceive as justice. It's good, I think, to be merciful whenever we can be, especially with the defenseless.

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