Mercy and Truth

Psalm 85:9-10 “Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.”

Today, I read a small lesson of "mercy and truth" based upon verses where the words appear together. So, please let me share that the words “mercy” (Hebrew “checed”, also often translated by “kindness” or “lovingkindness”) and “truth” (Hebrew “emeth”) occur more often in the psalms than in any other book. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “mercy” That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. Truth is defined as: (1) Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. (2) True state of facts or things. (3) Conformity of words to thoughts, which is called moral truth. (4) Veracity; purity from falsehood; practice of speaking truth; habitual disposition to speak truth. (6) Fidelity; constancy. 

Psalm 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

In fact, “mercy” occurs more in the psalms than in all the rest of the Old Testament put together. Though at first these two concepts seem opposed to each other (for how can God’s truth, which abhors sin, be compatible with His mercy, which forgives sin?), nevertheless they are “met together,” for “his salvation,” according to the previous verse, “is ear to them that fear him”.

Proverbs 16:6 “In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.”

“Mercy and truth” (or “lovingkindness and truth”) are brought together at least 16 times in the Old Testament, including 10 times in the psalms. And when God’s eternal truth can be united with His loving mercy, both mediated through His Holy Word, there is great blessing indeed! “I will worship toward thy holy temple and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2).

Psalm 25:10“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”

God’s mercy and truth, of course, are really met together only in Jesus Christ, through whom God can both “be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” – Romans 3:26. He is “the truth” and will show in the ages to come “the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”.

Mercy and truth in Christ.