Romans 9-11 summarises God’s salvation plan for both Jews and Gentiles.
Romans 11:28-36 NLT
[28] “Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [29] For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. [30] Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. [31] Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. [32] For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”
Paul’s conclusion led to this outburst of praise.
[33]” Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! [34] For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? [35] And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? [36] For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”
Mercy! What is mercy? Sometimes we learn more from what the Bible doesn’t say than from what it does say.
Let’s go back to the Ark of the Covenant where the dimensions of the Mercy Seat, the gold-covered lid of the box which housed the Ten Commandments, are given. The Ark of the Covenant was the central point of the Tabernacle, God’s visual aid to teach His people the truth about mercy and to show them mercy because of the blood. The Mercy Seat was the place where Israel’s sins were atoned for by the application of blood.
I am indebted to Pastor Ken Legg for drawing my attention to this detail.
God gave Moses instructions for each piece of furniture in the tabernable including the Ark and its covering.
Exodus 25:17 NLT
[17] “Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.”
Strangely, there is one measurement missing – its height. How was Bezalel to know how high to make the lid?
Exodus 37:1 NLT
[1] Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.
[6] Then he made the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.
Once again, no measurement for the height.
So, how high did he make the lid? We can only guess that he used the same measurement as for other articles of furniture in the Tabernacle.
Does the Bible give us an answer to this puzzle? Yes, it does.
Psalms 103:8-11 NIV
[8] “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. [9] He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; [10] he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. [11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love (mercy) for those who fear him;”
The Hebrew word “chesed”, here translated “love” or alternatively, “mercy”, is untranslateable in English. It takes in every facet of God’s love within His covenant, towards His people.
Think of God’s love expressed in His mercy towards Jew and Gentile alike… all equally rebels and guilty before God. What does He do? Confine them all to hell forever? No! He shows them equal mercy because of “chesed”.
David writes, in Psalm 36
Psalms 36:5-9 NIV
[5] “Your love (chesed), Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. [6] Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. [7] How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. [8] They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. [9] For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
Only the incalculable dimensions of the universe can somehow, yet inadequately, describe God’s mercy….as big as God Himself.
How can we ever understand this “chesed” outside of one great event?
Sometimes a songwriter captures in words, the Father’s heart and conveys to us a tiny glimpse of what His mercy has provided for us…
Listen to the words of Keith and Kristen Getty’s song, “The Power of the Cross”…
“Oh to see the dawn
Of the darkest day
Christ on the road to Calvary
Tried by sinful men
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood
Oh to see the pain
Written on your face
Bearing the awful weight of sin
Every bitter thought
Every evil deed
Crowning your blood-stained brow
This, the power of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh to see my name
Written in the wounds
For through your suffering I am free
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live
Won through your selfless love
This the power of the cross
Son of God slain for us
What a love, what a cost,
We stand forgiven at the cross”
Only through the cross can we glimpse the dimensions of God’s mercy. This is the height of God’s mercy expressed in one crowning act.
1 John 4:10 NLT
[10] “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT
[19] “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. [20] By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. [21] And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, [22] let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
This is God’s word to us today. Mercy always awaits us at the Mercy Seat. We have access to the Father through the Son. We have the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness. Our weakness qualifies us to receive God’s mercy that is as high as the heavens that are above the earth.
Our response, captured in the words of another beautiful song written by Jarrod Cooper…
“King of kings, Majesty
God of Heaven living in me
Gentle Saviour, closest friend
Strong Deliverer, beginning and end
All within me falls at Your throne,
Your Majesty, I can but bow
I lay my all before You now
In royal robes I don’t deserve
I live to serve Your Majesty
Earth and Heaven worship You
Love eternal, Faithful and True
Who bought the nations, ransomed souls
Brought this sinner near to Your throne
All within me cries out in praise.
Your majesty, I can but bow
I lay my all before You now
In royal robes I don’t deserve
I live to serve Your Majesty.”