Mercy

David ordered that his soldiers be counted.

Joab tried to persuade David not to do this as it would bring judgment from God.

David’s edict held and the soldiers were counted.

This offended God.

David confessed his transgression and asked God to remove his guilt.

When God spoke, He did not speak to David.

Rather, He spoke to the prophet Gad.

1 Chronicles 21:9-10 (NET) - The LORD told Gad, David’s prophet, “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: “I am offering you three forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them.”’”.

The prophet Gad then delivered God’s three options to David.

David did not choose three years of famine.

Nor did he choose three months being chased and struck by his enemies.

Instead, he chose three days of plague.

He chose this in hope that the Lord would be merciful.

So, God sent a plague through Israel and 70,000 men died.

God was merciful as David had hoped.

1 Chronicles 21:15 (NET) - God sent an angel to ravage Jerusalem. As he was doing so, the LORD watched and relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was destroying, “That’s enough! Stop now!”

This was not the only time God spoke through a prophet.

It was certainly not the only time God was merciful.

In Acts 15, the apostles and elders met concerning the Gentiles.

They listened to Peter and Barnabas as they spoke of the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles.

It was James who laid the matter to rest when he spoke of how the prophets of old agreed with this.

Acts 15:15-18 (NET) - The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, namely, all the Gentiles I have called to be my own,’ says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.

The words God spoke through these prophets is true.

God is firm, but He is also merciful.

Just as He showed mercy to David, He also showed mercy to the Gentiles.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, February 3, 2017.

I will be back here on Friday, February 10, 2017