Mercy Refused

Music and Lyrics: David Baroni

This is a very nice choral arrangement, with a unique title and message. The title is explained by the primary message of the song — "death wanted payment for sin, but Mercy refused and Love took my place...there on the cross where justice met grace." Christ gave his life so that proper justice for our sins would not be carried out.

Read Psalm 103:1-14.

As Americans, we come from a long heritage of personal rights, going all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Our rights and freedoms as citizens of the United States have been hard won and paid for with a very high price, and consequently, these rights are something we cherish and cling to. We have rights of free speech, freedom of worship, the right to bear arms, the right to protest, the right to privacy, and the list goes on. The world tells us we should have the right to do what we want, where we want, and when we want. Maybe you have had one of your rights refused you. Have you had your picture taken by photo radar lately?...or maybe there is pressure at work against expressing your faith in any form. Whatever the situation, having your rights refused is rarely considered a benefit.

And how do our rights stack up when placed next to the standard of God? We really don't have any, do we? Except for one. The only thing anyone is rightfully entitled to is the judgment of death as the wages for our sin. It's not a right we will claim for ourselves, and yet we have no choice. Our holy and just God can not allow His laws to be broken and sin to go unpunished. And yet Jesus, the embodiment of mercy, refused to allow our rightful punishment to be placed upon us. Psalm 103:10 tells us, "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." Jesus refused us a rightful death for sin by stepping in and claiming that right for Himself in our place. By loving us so much He exhibits the ultimate act of kindness and mercy by claiming our death which then separates us from our sin — not by a few steps or a few miles but as far as is divinely possible. He separates us from our sin with eternity. (Psalm 103:11-12) Now that is a right refused that is eternally beneficial!

The rights of the here and now in our lives are important. They were hard won and should be carefully guarded. But in the eternal scheme, only one right matters. For Christians, it is a right that should also be cherished, because this is the right that Mercy refused and in doing so bought and paid for our eternal life.

Food for Thought:

Read Psalm 103:10-12. What do these verses mean to you personally?

According to Psalm 101:1, Micah 6:8, Hosea 6:6, and Luke 6:36, how does the Lord expect us to respond to the mercy He has shown us?

What will you do this week in response to the mercy the Lord has shown you?

Cross References:

Leviticus 26:43…For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees.

Deuteronomy 4:31…For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.

Nehemiah 9:31…But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Psalm 9:8…He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice.

Psalm 49:8…The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.

Psalm 78:38…Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities, and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath.

Psalm 101:1…I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing praise.

Psalm 103:10-12…He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Isaiah 63:9…In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up an carried them all the days of old.

Hosea 6:6…For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.

Micah 6:8…He has showed you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Luke 6:36…Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Romans 4:25…He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Romans 6:23…For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:4…But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Hebrews 2:17…For this reason He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.

James 2:13…because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

I Peter 1:3…Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

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