Visceral Reaction

The more I learn about God, the more I feel awed with respect for Him, and the more joyfully I think and crave to learn more about Him. Correcting weak or faulty perceptions of God in my life gives me a fuller picture, a deeper love, and a stronger bond. For instance, when I used to think about God's mercy, I thought of something He had to do. After all, when given the option to be merciful or vengeful, I typically crave vengeance a lot faster than I crave the chance to act mercifully, and if I act mercifully, then there's a constant reminder that I am doing this because I should. In frequent human fashion, I assigned the same logic to God's thinking patterns; since He's a much better being than I, He does as He should more often, but it's still because it's what He should do.

Then David said to Gad, 'I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.' - 2 Samuel 24:14

David, in sinful mis-focus, took a census of how many fighting men he had. God got mad at David's mis-focus and gave him three excruciating options for punishment. David decides to let God decide since His mercies are great. The indication is clear that God has designed to punish David, and that David deserves it. God picks the shortest punishment and stops it short of hitting Jerusalem (v. 16). Why? Doesn't David deserve punishment?

Enter the Hebrew word for "mercies": rahamim. We translate this word as mercy or compassion, but it has a third meaning - bowels. Why connect these? The implication that arises is that God's mercy isn't something He drags His feet to do, it's a gut reaction. When God looks upon His people and they are in distress, He has a visceral feeling of mercy, it's His natural response. God isn't a God begging for vengeance and retribution, He's instinctively merciful, inherently compassionate. From the very depths of His being He wants to act mercifully towards us, and will so long as we show a repentant heart and a willingness to obey.

Now, it's one good thing to sit here and praise God for His beneficial gut reaction that saves us. However, mercy is one of the communicable attributes. So, while it's true that God has rahamim mercy, it is also true (and very convicting) that God wants me, as His child, to enact rahamim mercy. I need to learn to love people enough that seeing their distress or misfortune enacts a visceral mercy from me. Now, instead of me placing my flaws on God, God is convicting me to have His character, quite the turnaround! But, perhaps that's exactly why rahamim is possible, because God had it first.

I pray God will show you His instinctive, deep-rooted mercy in your times of trouble. When the sun breaks through the clouds, may you remember that God is the one who brightened your day. And - in time - may we all come to grant the same mercy to others that God has so generously granted us. Amen.