Mercy is one of the attributes of God. And the Bible has much to say about showing mercy to those in need. One of the best-known passages about this is Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (KJV). How challenging to see that He has said that not only are we to “do” mercy, but actually to “love” mercy! As an attribute of God, we see it in the way He acts with such patience and kindness to those in need. Mercy is not only a divine quality that is at the very heart of God in His grace; it is also a quality which we should be cultivating. For example, think of the way Isaiah so often points to the treatment of the widow and the orphan as evidence of the way He expects His people to respond to those who are hurting. And in Hosea 6:6 we read that without a heart of mercy, our rituals of worship are displeasing to the Lord. “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” And we read the same thing in even stronger terms in Isaiah 1:13-15.
Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;