The Merciful-1

By Clifton Angel     Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). In other words, “Blessed are they which give forgiveness, for they shall receive forgiveness.” It is much easier to preach than it is to practice. In our series on this subject, let us consider the Biblical examples of Jonah, Saul, and Jesus.     God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach to them. However, Jonah tried to flee to Tarshish (Nineveh was much closer than Tarshish; it is amazing the lengths we will go to avoid forgiving another). We can easily shame Jonah, but if we are honest, we are more like him than we would like to admit. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. The Assyrians were the world power of the time, a9 Jonah did not want to go preach to them. Therefore, when God commanded him to preach to Nineveh, he sought to flee in the opposite direction.     A great storm arose, and eventually, by his request, Jonah was cast out of the ship. I believe this was another attempt to escape the responsibility God placed on him.     At this point, he was ready to die instead of having to face the responsibility of preaching to the ungodly, Gentile barbarians of Nineveh. God had other plans. He prepared a great fish that swallowed Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, and it was there that he acknowledged his wrongdoing, repented, and sought God’s help. The fish expelled him onto dry land, and Jonah did as God had commanded him to do. He preached, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). “So the people of Nineveh believed God” (Jonah 3:5).     “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” (Jonah 4:1). “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil” (Jonah 4:2). Job was so enraged with disgust for other sinful people, and so unmerciful to their sins, that he wanted God to take his life (Jonah 4:3).     Our natural and societal inclination would be the same toward anyone considered morally depraved and disgusting in our eyes. However, Jesus has shown us a better way: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

- Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ in Coldwater, MS. He may be contacted through that congregation's website: http://www.coldwatercofc.com/