Mercy. Me.

There are lots of frightening things in Scripture. One of the things that seems scary to me is the oft-repeated theme of “judge not, that ye be not judged” (Mt. 7:1), not just because it is hard to obey, but because of the penalty that is pronounced.

Look here. (That’s somewhat modern English for, “Lo, and behold!”)

“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

“With the measure you use it will be measured to you.” That’s scary!! Do I want to be measured in the same way I measure others?

Just how literally do we need to take that? For example :  We all know people who judge dishonestly, that is, they accuse falsely, or make dishonest evaluations of the motives of others, from either malice or ignorance. Maybe we do that.

So will God make false accusations or pretend ignorance of motives when He judges those people? God forbid! If we judge others ignorantly or with false charges, God does not treat us that way (for which we thank Him fervently). So what did He mean by, “With the measure you use it will be measured to you”?

When Scripture presents us with a puzzle, we can usually find the solution to the puzzle in another Scripture or many other Scriptures.  God says, in Luke 6:37, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” And James 5:9 adds, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

So, all we need to do is just not think judgmental thoughts toward others, and we will not have to worry about being judged and we will automatically be forgiven. OK?  Good luck with that. Do you know anyone who never has a critical thought toward others? Are you that one who never has a critical thought toward others, never judges others' motives or actions? I’ve got a feeling this one comes under the “there is none good but God” principle.

My “Aha!” moment on this came when I read James 2:12 and 13. “Remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others, but if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.”

Mercy. Forgiveness. The key is not that God will be a judge like us if we are dishonest, malicious, or ignorant. The key is that God will be a judge like us if we are merciful and forgiving. But, no, God will not be like us. We can only show these traits if we are like Him. We can show mercy and forgiveness only if we understand the mercy and forgiveness that He has extended to us.

Poet Robert Frost nailed our need. “Ultimately, this is what you go before God for: You’ve had bad luck and good luck and all you really want in the end is mercy.”

God nailed our need, too.