Chapter 4: Abundant Compassion
已更新：10月12日
Bible Reading:
Ephesians 2:4
Nehemiah 9:18-19, 26-27
Psalm 16:5
Isaiah 30:18
James 2:13
A person’s knowledge of God determines the depth of his experience of God, and naturally his spiritual life grows in proportion to that knowledge. Likewise, the measure to which he draws upon God’s salvation depends on how well he knows God. Therefore we must earnestly pursue the knowledge of God. We must remember that knowing God depends on the revelation of the Holy Spirit. We must ask God to grant us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may truly know Him. We have already said that God is a rich and abundant God. He has abundant forgiveness, abundant grace, and abundant lovingkindness. Now we must also speak of His abundant compassion. God’s riches are manifold—so manifold that we cannot finish experiencing them in an entire lifetime. No wonder someone once said that the riches of God require the combined experience of all believers throughout history, and the span of eternity itself, in order for us to understand together His width, length, depth, and height—and to know that His riches are beyond human comprehension.
The Bible Declares That God Possesses Abundant Compassion
Psalm 116:5 says, "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful." This tells us that God’s heart is filled with mercy. Luke 1:78–79 says, "because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Here again we see that God has a heart of tender mercy. James 5:11 says, "how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." showing us that the Lord’s heart overflows with compassion.
First Peter 1:3 says, "According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" It says here that His mercy is great. Nehemiah also speaks of God’s great mercy (Neh. 9:19, 27). Second Samuel 24:14 says, "For His mercy is great" describing God’s mercy as overflowing. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." These passages all shows us that God truly has abundant compassion.
Shows Forbearance Toward the Backslidden to Win Them Back
Nehemiah 9 tells us that after the wall was rebuilt and the people gathered as one, the Levites stood and blessed the Lord, declaring what kind of God Israel served. They recalled how God dealt with His backsliding people with remarkable patience and restoring mercy. They spoke of Israel’s journey through the wilderness: how God brought them out of Egypt with signs and wonders, led them through the Red Sea, and sustained them day by day. When they thirsted, He brought water from the rock. When they hungered, He sent manna from heaven. Everywhere His love and provision followed them. Yet when they reached Sinai, they bowed before a golden calf, committing a sin so great that they deserved immediate destruction. But God, though provoked, still bore with them. He did not abandon them. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night continued to guide them—proof that His mercy had not departed. In the wilderness their clothes never wore out, and their feet never swelled. God preserved them, watched over them, and shepherded them. In the end He brought them into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, rich with every good thing for their flourishing. All of this reveals a God overflowing with mercy, grace, and steadfast love. Though Israel worshiped the golden calf and deserved judgment, God astonishingly showed forbearance. Toward His backslidden people, He manifested patient, forgiving love that sought to restore rather than destroy.
In the latter portion of Nehemiah 9, we read that after Israel entered the land of Canaan, they once again abandoned the Lord and bowed down to the idols of the land, greatly provoking His anger. Because of this, the Lord delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. Yet when hardship humbled them and they cried out to God, He again showed great mercy and raised up deliverers—judges—to rescue them. But before long, they returned to idolatry, once more stirring up the Lord’s anger. God sent prophets to admonish them, but they killed the prophets. Therefore God handed them over to their enemies again. In their suffering they cried out to the Lord, and the Lord once more poured out His mercy, forgiving and saving them. Even after all this, they again bowed to the idols of Canaan. Yet the Bible says the Lord did not utterly destroy them. Instead, He continually bore with them, again and again extending mercy and patience. His repeated forbearance toward His backsliding people reveals how rich His mercy truly is.
When we reflect on our Christian experience, we see that after we were born again and saved, we loved the Lord for a time. But soon after, we turned away, left the Lord, loved the world, and even fell into sin. Though we did not worship physical idols, we worshiped invisible ones—loving the world and replacing the Lord with other "gods". Yet God, who is rich in mercy, lightly disciplines us when we sin to turn us back. He continually treats us with His abundant mercy, repeatedly showing forbearance and forgiveness toward His backsliding people.
Reduces the Punishment for Those Who Have Sinned
If God were to investigate our sins according to the full measure of His righteousness, none of us could remain standing before Him. Psalm 130:3 declares, “Lord, if You should mark iniquities, who could stand?” In other words, God does not treat us by rigidly applying justice to every sin we commit. Rather, He continually responds with His rich mercy. Toward those who sin, He softens the punishment, tempers judgment with compassion, and deals with us in forgiving grace—all with the purpose of leading us to repentance and a reverent fear of Him.
Second Samuel tells us that after David sinned by numbering the people, his conscience struck him, and he pleaded with the Lord to remove his guilt. God sent the prophet Gad with a solemn message: David must choose one of three judgments—seven years of famine, three months of fleeing before his enemies, or three days of plague. Gad urged David to consider carefully. But David, a man who knew God’s heart, did not need time. He responded at once: “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is abundant; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (2 Samuel 24:14). The Lord honored David’s understanding of His character. He sent a plague, and seventy thousand died. Yet when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem, the Lord relented. He commanded the destroying angel, “Enough—stop now.” Jerusalem was spared. (2 Samuel 24:15-16) By strict justice, the plague should have last for three days. Seventy thousand had already died; Jerusalem should have fallen next. But God reduced the punishment. He tempered judgment with mercy. He spared the city. This entire account shines a spotlight on the richness of God’s mercy.
The prophet Habakkuk was a man who understood God’s heart. When he prayed for God to revive His people, he cried out, “O Lord,...and your work, in the midst of the years, revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2). When God revives His work, His holiness requires Him to judge sin. And once God judges sin according to strict righteousness, no one can stand. So the prophet pleaded, “In Your wrath, remember mercy”—that is, “Lord, lighten the punishment.” This is the plea of someone who truly knows God. Oh, how our God reduces the severity of punishment; He remembers mercy even in wrath. From this alone we see how rich His mercy truly is.
Listens to the Cry of Those Who Plead
Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.” This means that God waits for us so that He may show us grace, because He delights in showing mercy. God’s compassion is abundant, and Him waits for us to come and receive it. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals one consistent truth: everyone who comes before God with earnest pleading is heard by Him. God’s willingness to hear the prayers of those who cry out displays the richness of His mercy. From the New Testament, we can point to several examples that illustrate this.
The Lord Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). He reveals God in living reality; whoever has seen the Lord Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). From His life we see that He listens to the prayers of those who cry out to Him.
When the Lord Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanite woman came out from that area and cried out, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” (Matthew 15:22) In her plea she said, “Have mercy on me!” What does it mean? It means: I am unworthy of the Lord’s love; I do not deserve His grace. Yet I ask only for His mercy. But Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The woman then came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Seeing that she humbled herself, taking the place of a dog and pleading for mercy, Jesus said to her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And from that very moment, her daughter was healed.
Another time, a man came to Jesus, knelt down, and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” Jesus said, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and from that moment the boy was healed. (Matthew 17:14-18) Here, the father of the son pleaded for the Lord’s compassion. The Lord in His mercy listened, cast out the demon from the boy, and healed him. This shows the Lord’s compassion in listening to those who plead with Him.
Another day as Jesus was leaving Jericho, two blind men were sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. (Matthew 20:29–34) Is this not yet another clear testimony that the Lord has mercy on those who cry out to Him, and that He listens to their earnest pleas?
In Luke 17, it is recorded that as Jesus entered a certain village, ten men with leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed — for it was necessary for the priests to certify that they had been healed. Our Lord truly is a God full of mercy. All who come before Him and plead for His help receive His compassion.
The apostle Paul also understood that God is rich in mercy. Speaking of Epaphroditus, his fellow worker, he said: “For he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” (Philippians 2:26–27) Epaphroditus’ illness, by all natural reasoning, should have led to death. Yet he was healed because God had mercy on him. Among us as well, how many have experienced God’s mercy — being delivered from life‑threatening sickness and restored to health? From all these accounts of God hearing the cries of those who plead with Him, it is not difficult to understand how abundant His mercy truly is.
Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
James 2:13 records: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Here it speaks of God’s mercy triumphing over judgment, and this further expresses that God has abundant mercy.
In the universe, God has established His throne to carry out His authority, and it is upheld by righteousness. If God did not have righteousness, His throne could not stand. For example, in a nation, if there are no just laws to uphold it, the government of that nation cannot stand and may even be overthrown. God’s throne executes righteous judgment, and on the other hand, He also uses righteous judgment to uphold His throne. Yet God is full of mercy. Therefore, when God judges, He often treats judgment with mercy. Although He has judgment, He delights to end His judgment with abundant mercy. For mercy triumphs over judgment; we can present several proofs of this.
First, we must look at the example of Adam. The Lord God commanded Adam, saying: "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Later, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, provoking the righteous judgment of the Lord. The Lord had no choice but to drive them out of the Garden of Eden. Yet Adam did not end in misery, because the Lord God is rich in mercy. He prepared a lamb for them, made atonement for their sin, and then clothed them with garments of skin. Though they were temporarily judged, they received eternal salvation — for mercy triumphs over judgment.
David’s life story is an even clearer example of how mercy triumphs over judgment. After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, he then arranged for Uriah to be killed by the sword of the Ammonites and afterward took Bathsheba as his wife. What David did was a grievous sin against the Lord. Therefore, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to say to David: "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house…Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.” (2 Samuel 12:10–11) David immediately confessed his sin. God forgave him, yet he still had to bear the consequences of his wrongdoing. Indeed, Absalom rebelled, and David fled for his life, suffering many hardships—fulfilling the words spoken by Nathan and experiencing the righteous judgment of God. But God’s dealings with David did not end there. The Lord then caused Bathsheba to bear Solomon. Because David had shed much blood, God did not allow him to build the temple; instead, He appointed Solomon to build it. Solomon was born to Bathsheba. Humanly speaking, among David’s wives there were many who seemed more suitable than Bathsheba. For example, Abigail—who followed David during his flight—was a wise and virtuous woman. One might think God would choose her to bear Solomon. Yet God did not choose Abigail. The Lord chose Bathsheba to give birth to Solomon. This reveals to us that God’s mercy truly triumphs over judgment.
When Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, the Bible records something remarkable: “And the Lord loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:24–25) Although David had many other sons—men who, from a human perspective, seemed to have a cleaner background than Solomon and perhaps possessed other strengths—The Bible never says that the Lord loved them in this particular way. Only Solomon is singled out as the one whom the Lord delighted in. And Solomon was born to Bathsheba, the very woman connected to David’s sin. This fact again shows that God’s mercy truly triumphs over judgment. Through these experiences, David came to know deeply that God is rich in mercy.
After this, when David again sinned against the Lord by numbering the people, God declared that He would send one of three judgments and allowed David to choose. David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (2 Samuel 24:14) So the LORD carried out His righteous judgment, and a plague came upon Israel for three days. David confessed his sin once more, yet God’s dealings with him did not end there. That same day Gad came to David and said, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” David went and built an altar there to the Lord, offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, and the plague was stopped in Israel (2 Samuel 24:18–25). Later, Solomon built the temple of the Lord on that very threshing floor. Was there not a better piece of land in Jerusalem on which to build the temple? Certainly there was. Yet the Lord chose to use the land that came into David’s possession after his sin. Once again, this shows us that God’s mercy truly triumphs over judgment.
Once the temple had been completed, the people of Israel ought to have devoted themselves wholeheartedly to serving the Lord. Yet before long, they abandoned the Lord and worshiped the idols of Canaan, greatly offending Him. Although God raised up prophets throughout the generations to warn them, they refused to listen. Thus the Lord had no choice but to judge them. In the end, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem, burned the temple with fire, tore down the city walls, and carried the people of Israel away into captivity in Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–20). But God did not allow the destiny of the nation of Israel to end there. When the appointed time had come, God stirred up the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to issue a decree for the rebuilding of the temple. God even used Cyrus to provide the materials needed for its construction, and in the end the temple was rebuilt. Is this not yet another repeated demonstration that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment? Beloved brothers and sisters, our God does not possess only a small measure of mercy. He is full of mercy—abundant, overflowing, and all‑embracing.
Luke 15’s account of the prodigal son is no exception. The younger son received his share of the inheritance from his father and went to a distant country, where he lived recklessly and squandered his wealth. When he had spent everything and a severe famine arose, he was forced to hire himself out to feed pigs. Later, he came to his senses and returned home. He confessed to his father, saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:21) But the father commanded his servants to bring out the best robe and put it on him, to place a ring on his finger, shoes on his feet, and to bring the fattened calf to slaughter so they could eat and rejoice (Luke 15:22–23). The father restored his son’s status and position. This signifies that when God’s children confess their sins, He not only forgives but also restores their standing as sons. It is a display of God’s mercy triumphing over judgment. Faced with the richness of God’s mercy, we truly cannot comprehend it fully.
Our Attitude
When we speak of God’s abundant mercy, it is absolutely not to make us take sin lightly, nor to encourage us to depart from the Lord and love the world. Rather, it is so that, having recognized that God indeed possesses such rich mercy, we would all the more cherish and align ourselves with the compassionate heart of our Father. Not only would we refrain from wounding His heart, but we would also seek to satisfy His heart and bring Him delight. Therefore, we must present several points to explain the attitude we ought to have.
Approach the Throne of Grace in Christ
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” This means that Christ, having ascended into heaven as our exalted High Priest, has taken His seat upon the throne of grace. He is waiting to pour out mercy, so we ought to draw near to Him at all times and in all places to receive that mercy. There are many prayers that the Lord does not necessarily answer, but there is one kind of prayer that He surely hears and fulfills: the humble cry for His mercy. Because God delights in showing mercy and in giving grace. We are not without transgressions, not without failures, not without weaknesses; but the Lord has grace and mercy. And there is a throne of grace, so that we may come before Him at any time to receive mercy and find grace as timely help.
Fear God
Luke 1:50 records: “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” If the descendants of Christians do not love the Lord, it is not because God refuses to show mercy; rather, it is because the parents themselves have failed in the matter of fearing the Lord. God shows mercy to those who fear Him, and this mercy extends from generation to generation. As long as we fear the Lord, He will show mercy to us from generation to generation.
Confess and Forsake Sin
Proverbs 28:13 says: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Mercy means compassion. Whenever we fall into sin, we must never hide it out of fear. We must repent before God, confess it, and forsake it — and in doing so, we will surely receive God’s mercy. We have spoken of David and of the prodigal son; both stories confirm this truth.
Show Mercy to Others
James 1:13 says: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” This tells us that those who refuse to show mercy will themselves face God’s judgment without mercy — therefore we must show mercy to others. Although we are not worthy to show mercy to others, nor worthy to receive God’s mercy, yet God, who is rich in mercy, has graciously made us His children. Thus we ought to let the merciful nature of our Father flow out from within us, learning to show mercy, to sympathize with others, and to be considerate toward them.
The Lord Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven being like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. There was one who owed ten thousand talents. He fell down and pleaded with his master for patience, and the master, moved with compassion, forgave his debt. But that servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him ten denarii. He seized him by the throat and demanded repayment. His fellow servant fell down and pleaded for patience, but he refused, and instead threw him into prison. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and reported the matter to their master. Then the master summoned him and said to him, "Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?" The master became furious and handed him over to the jailers until he had paid back all that he owed (Matthew 18:23–34). This shows that those who refuse to show mercy will themselves face a judgment without mercy. May we all learn to become people who show mercy.
Dear brothers and sisters, God’s abundant mercy has already been fully revealed in many ways — in His patience and restoration toward the backslidden, in His reduction of judgment toward those who sin, in His hearing of the cries of those who plead with Him, and in mercy triumphing over judgment. May the Lord keep us, that we may be the recipients of His mercy and His gracious favor.
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