1 Kings 20:31 (KJV) Mercy? Not So Much

1 Kings 20:31 (KJV)
And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

God’s mercies are new every morning. They are some of the richest treasures we possess as His children. God extended tremendous mercy upon Ahab, giving him two great victories over Ben-hadad, king of Syria. But those mercies reached their end when Ahab extended mercy to Ben-hadad. Mercy is not always the appropriate response. 

There is a notable legal case going on in this day. A young woman approached the new pastor of the church she grew up in to say that she had been molested as a child by the former pastor. The new preacher heard her out, believed her account and supported her in reporting him to authorities. The process took many months, perhaps two years. All the days of the investigation both the woman and the pastor supporting her were maligned, accused, and mistreated as false accusers of this man. Eventually the former pastor, at the time a teacher in a Bible College, was arrested. Not too long ago in a plea bargain, he confessed to many but not all of the accusations. The debate among preachers now is about forgiveness, mercy, and restoration. The pastor of the church, the man who supported the victim, has been labeled unforgiving and vindictive. 

Here’s the thing, mercy is not always an appropriate response. It is always right to forgive, to release feelings of ill toward another. But it is not always right to show mercy. 

• The murderer must not be set free 
• The thief must make restitution 
• The abuser must be held accountable 

Forgive, always. Mercy? not so much.

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1 Kings 20:31 (KJV) Mercy? Not So Much

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