I have just a few words today about mercy and judgment

I have just a few words today about mercy and judgment. People today, including God's people, have gotten these two elements turned around backward in a whole lot of things. The spirit and mind of this world has influenced so many to show mercy to the unrepentant wicked, and decree judgment against anyone who condemns evil. To show what I'm talking about I'm going to use a Bible event that demonstrates how this takes place. Benhadad king of Syria had exalted himself against Israel and against God, and God determined to give the wicked king Ahab of Israel the victory over him in battle (I Kin. 20:1-14). In two battles over a period of a year, God gave Israel the victory over the Syrian army, but Benhadad managed to survive. When he sent word to Ahab to let him live, he was accepted by Ahab who received him into his own chariot, and made a covenant with him, and then let him go free (I Kin. 20:15-34). When God saw that Ahab dealt this way with Benhadad he sent a prophet to him who told him, "Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people" (I Kin. 20:42). Mercy was not what God appointed for Benhadad in this circumstance, but the wicked Ahab who did not know God, decided that mercy was the right thing to show him. He was wrong, and being wrong about mercy and judgment in the matter cost him greatly. It was time for the judgment of this man's arrogance and contempt for God and his people, and Ahab foolishly showed him mercy instead. People today have this idea of showing mercy and sympathy to the wicked who refuse to repent of their wickedness, when in fact God has NEVER forgiven anyone of anything that they did not repent of. Too many are void of understanding about the nature of God's love, and that his love is holy and requires us to be holy as well (I Pet. 1:16). Jesus came to this world and suffered, died, and rose again to make a way for us to be actual partakers of his holiness; so all are without excuse for disbelieving him and doing otherwise. A very large part of holiness is knowing when it is time for mercy and when it is time for having contempt for the pride of the wicked.

When God made his name known to Moses, he identified himself with the following: "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Exd. 34:6,7). Too many folks have failed to believe the last part of that passage, while clinging far too tightly to the first part. The result is showing mercy to the contemptible and condemning those who stand against the wickedness of the same contemptible. More than ever before we are living in a time that the prophet Isaiah described to the letter: "Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment" (Isa. 59:15). Another prophet gave us the reason for this perverse spiritual malady that plagues all of mankind: "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1). That's right, wherever judgment is failing you can be assured there is no true mercy in effect either, because there is no truth or knowledge of God in the land. It's as simple as that. I'll give you an up to date glaring example of this malicious turning of mercy and judgment backward. Recently in Ferguson, Missouri there was a white policeman who approached a young black man for walking in the middle of the road in a confrontational manner. The officer didn't even know that the man had just committed two crimes a couple of minutes previously, which are on a store video and have been seen by countless millions. The same criminal who was also young and very large and powerful, attacked the officer in his car and tried to take his gun away from him, and as a result was killed by the policeman. The policeman was found not guilty of any crime and so a large part of the racist black community rioted and destroyed many businesses and property owned by white people, "because justice was not done" in the matter. So the president of the United States who is black, along with his black attorney general and a popular black so called minister, have sympathized with the criminal and his family who helped incite the riot; and the latter two have continued to condemn the policeman and justify the arrogant criminal.

Well, nobody should be glad that the young man was killed, and if they are then there is something good missing in them. Nonetheless the wicked in the situation have done very wickedly, and have faced no judgment from "the powers that be" for their wickedness, but rather have been encouraged in an evil matter. Some of these same racist blacks also killed a Bosnian man yesterday in front of his family, simply for 'being white.' The man wasn't even from this country and has nothing to do with any supposed black-white issues. Meanwhile the police officer who was doing his job, and killed a man in self defense who was an eminent threat to his life, has to give up his career and relocate for fear of his and his family's life. Neither has there been any word of justification given to him from higher authorities for having his life on the line in a very stressful and dangerous profession, and for having been put in this position by a wicked, arrogant young fool. If you're still reading then let me say that as a son or daughter of God there is no black-white issue involved here. It is simply a matter of calling things what they are. It doesn't matter who is black or who is white, except for the evident fact that the 'racist' element of the situation has been turned completely around backward. The wicked in this particular matter are those who are "calling good evil, and evil good," regardless of what color they are. (Isa. 5:20). God is no respecter of persons, neither is he impressed by or intimidated by anyone's position or office. The racists in this issue are those who are using 'race' in an abominable effort to turn plain justice into racism, and racism into justice. A righteous person lives above the 'race' factor and other such things, and shows mercy to the repentant and the pitiful, and abhors the pride of those who stand proudly in an evil matter. There is no earthly element, whether 'race' or otherwise, that should ever factor into the determining of justice and judgment. The Bible clearly calls this 'partiality,' and says that partiality results in people being "judges of evil thoughts" (Jas. 2:4). So that is what we have seen in living color (no pun intended) in this matter in Missouri. "The thoughts of many hearts [have been] revealed," and many have been exposed to be "judges of evil thoughts." We have seen and will see many more such things in many arenas, and many issues will be twisted even as the 'race' issue has been perverted here. There is only one question that remains really, and I will ask it boldly: "Who is on the LORD'S side?" (Exd. 32:26) The answer is evident, and it is those who are like Jesus, to whom his Father said; "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Heb. 1:9). I don't know about you, but I'm on the Lord's side, and his side only. Amen.

P.S. If anyone would be foolish enough to suggest some kind of 'racism' on my part, the comment will simply be deleted without response. I do not entertain mindless bantering.