Daniel Hope

The chief must do something…and fast. A very devious thief is wreaking havoc in the camp, and the tribe is demanding that the guilty party pay. The chief instates a law that the next person who is caught stealing will be punished in the presence of the tribe with forty lashes. Several days later the crook is caught. And to everyone’s surprise this robber turns out to be the chief’s own mother. Quickly the angry crowd gathers, the woman’s arms are tied tightly around the large post in the center of the assembly…and all eyes turn to the chief.

What will he do? Will the chief—in order to keep the law and preserve justice—allow his own mother to receive forty lashes? Or will he—despite the punishment prescribed by the law—extend mercy to his mother and let her go? Seconds before the whip rips into his mother’s back, the chief does something totally unexpected…

You may remember the Old Testament story of Moses scaling Mount Sinai to have a meeting with his Maker. While he is there, God does not reveal His face to Moses, but He does reveal to Moses His law and His nature. Speaking in third person, God discloses His nature to Moses, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty,…" (Exo. 34:6-7).

The first thing we must notice in this verse is that God is—by His very nature—just. When you hear the word "justice" you may think of America’s judicial system. When a person is tried in court we, as Americans, want one thing and one thing only…we want justice to be served. In other words, we want the person on trial to get what he or she deserves. You see, justice is just that—when you get what you deserve. When God considers sin, His justice says, "Someone must die. Someone must pay for sin" (Gen. 2:17; 3:19; Rom. 6:23). If God were only a just God, we would be in deep trouble. Why? Because we sin and we deserve to die. Fortunately, God is not just just.

God is also merciful. In fact, the Bible says that He is "rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4). Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve. When God sees sin, His mercy says, "You don’t have to die. You don’t have to pay for your sins."

The question you may very well be asking yourself is, "How can God be both just and merciful?" And you may be asking this question because we humans have a very difficult time combining justice and mercy. Justice and mercy, like oil and water, don’t mix…until grace enters the picture.

God can be both just and merciful because God is also gracious. Grace, simply stated, is a gift. Grace is when you get what you don’t deserve. When God is confronted with man’s sin, His grace says, "My son will die for you. My son will pay for your sins." Christ’s cross satisfied and revealed God’s justice, mercy, and grace. Justice was served—The price for sin was paid. Mercy was extended—We didn’t have to pay the price for our sins. And grace was given—Jesus paid the price for our sin.

… Seconds before the whip rips into his mother’s back, the chief stands up. Everyone silently, motionlessly anticipates the chief’s next move. The criminal’s son then resolutely walks to the place where his mother is bound. He stands behind his mother…wraps his arms around her…and quietly says to the one with the whip, "Continue." The chief exposes his back to cover his mother’s. And in so doing he satisfies justice and extends mercy by granting grace.

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