God: Mercy of

When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.

So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.” …

But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.

So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God saw the Israelites and took notice.

With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

…but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.

…because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

And you are to construct a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.

So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.

Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”

“I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

…maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

But if they will confess their iniquity and that of their fathers in the unfaithfulness that they practiced against Me, by which they have also walked in hostility toward Me— …

‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’ …

He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”

For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.

…but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.

For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.

Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.

Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.

But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.

And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.

For we will surely die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.

David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

…and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.

Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not forever.’”

But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence.

For the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel,

…and since the LORD had said that He would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” And the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud

When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”

The priests stood at their posts, as did the Levites with the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD and with which David had offered praise, saying, “For His loving devotion endures forever.” Across from the Levites, the priests sounded trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

…and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Nevertheless, the LORD sent prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against them, but they would not listen.

For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place.

From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and subjected to the sword and to captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day. …

They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand.

They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them. …

So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies. …

…and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

“Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning. …

From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.

For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices. …

Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and loving devotion, for they are from age to age.

For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.

I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul.

Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.

You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds.

…and loving devotion to You, O Lord. For You will repay each man according to his deeds.

When iniquities prevail against me, You atone for our transgressions.

Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.

We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed. …

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah

You withheld all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.

Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed.

For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.

For great is Your loving devotion to me; You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.

But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever; in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”

I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him, and My covenant with him will stand fast.

O LORD our God, You answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their misdeeds.

For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.

He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. …

But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—

Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity. …

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens, and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever. …

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

The earth is filled with Your loving devotion, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.

Great are Your mercies, O LORD; revive me according to Your ordinances.

If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.

And He will redeem Israel from all iniquity.

For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His loving devotion endures forever. …

I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.

The LORD is good to all; His compassion rests on all He has made.

He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,

…the LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous.

By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.

He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.

And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.”

In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.

Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten—two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.

So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.

“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. …

Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and failed to remember Me or take this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me?

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me—the breath of life I have made.

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,

…bringing praise to their lips. Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal them.”

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in anger, yet in favor I will show you mercy.

All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,

This is what the LORD says: “As the new wine is found in a cluster of grapes, and men say, ‘Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,’ so I will act on behalf of My servants; I will not destroy them all.

Therefore, I will contend with you again, declares the LORD, and I will bring a case against your children’s children.

Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry forever.

“Return, O faithless children, and I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for You are the LORD our God.

For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction.

Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.

For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”

This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

You show loving devotion to thousands but lay the iniquity of the fathers into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of Hosts,

And I will cleanse them from all the iniquity they have committed against Me, and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.

…the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from captivity as in former times, says the LORD.

Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them, each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

…so you are to go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting, and in the hearing of the people you are to read the words of the LORD from the scroll you have written at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of all the people of Judah who are coming from their cities.

Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD, and each one will turn from his wicked way; for great are the anger and fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people.”

And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid, declares the LORD, for I am with you. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have banished you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.

For Israel and Judah have not been abandoned by their God, the LORD of Hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.”

Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

For the Lord will not cast us off forever. …

Yet, behold, some survivors will be left in it—sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and actions, you will be comforted regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem—all that I have brought upon it.

Then I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’

So I will lay to rest My wrath against you, and My jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no longer angry.

…so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Lord GOD.”

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or bring them to an end in the wilderness.

Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give your fathers.