Three stories from the Bible on God's mercy

Mercy means to sympathize, show compassion or offer kindness to someone. In the Bible, God's greatest merciful acts are manifested towards those who otherwise deserve punishment. This article will examine three exceptional examples of God's will to make his mercy triumph over judgment (James 2:13).

Nineveh
Nineveh, at the beginning of the eighth century BC, was a large metropolis in the Assyrian Empire still expanding. Various biblical comments state that the population of the city, at the time of Jonah, was anywhere from 120.000 to 600.000 or more.

Research conducted on ancient populations suggests that the pagan city, in the fifty-six years before its destruction in 612 BC, was the most populated area in the world (4000 years of urban growth: a historical census).

 

The wicked behavior of the city attracted God's attention and invoked his judgment (Jonah 1: 1 - 2). The Lord decides, however, to extend some mercy to the city. Send the minor prophet Jonah to warn Nineveh of his sinful ways and imminent destruction (3: 4).

Jonah, although God had to convince him to fulfill his mission, eventually warns Nineveh that his judgment was rapidly approaching (Jonah 4: 4). The city's immediate response was to induce everyone, including animals, to fast. The king of Nineveh, who also fasted, even commanded the people to repent of their evil ways in the hope of receiving mercy (3: 5 - 9).

The extraordinary response of those of Nineveh, to which Jesus himself refers (Matthew 12:41), brought to God extended more mercy to the city by deciding not to overthrow it!

Saved from certain death
King David was a grateful and frequent recipient of God's mercy, writing in at least 38 Psalms. In one Psalm in particular, number 136, praise the merciful acts of the Lord in each of his twenty-six verses!

David, after longing for a married woman named Bathsheba, not only committed adultery with her, but also tried to hide his sin by organizing the death of her husband Uriah (2Samuel 11, 12). God's law required those who committed such acts to be punished with the death penalty (Exodus 21:12 - 14, Leviticus 20:10, etc.).

The prophet Nathan is sent to face the king with his great sins. After repenting of what he had done, God extended mercy to David by asking Nathan to tell him: “The Lord has also put away your sin; you will not die ”(2Samuel 12:13). David was saved from certain death because he quickly admitted his sin and the Lord's mercy took into account his heart of repentance (see Psalm 51).

Jerusalem spared destruction
David requested another large dose of mercy after committing the sin of censoring Israeli fighters. After facing his sin, the king chooses a three-day deadly epidemic across the earth as punishment.

God, after an angel of death has killed 70.000 Israelites, stops the massacre before he enters Jerusalem (2Samuel 24). David, seeing the angel, begs the mercy of God not to lose more lives. The plague is finally stopped after the king has built an altar and offers sacrifices on it (verse 25).