Mercy and Truth

Driving home: The first thing I discovered was this, that mercy and truth, kindness and truth, again and again come to us in the Scriptures as Siamese twins.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'Siamese twins' or 'Mutt and Jeff' to illustrate how mercy and truth consistently appear together in Scripture, emphasizing their inseparable nature.

When he promises the result of this will be favor in God's eyes in man, understanding in the eyes of God in man, what is the thing that is conditioned prior to that promise? Well, it's obvious, I hope, that we cannot then penetrate the meaning of the passage unless we spare no pains in getting to the heart of the meaning of these biblical words. And the thing that interested me when I began my study, and as often I just started with the concordance, looking up all of the usages, if not all, many and most all of the usages of the particular Hebrew words for mercy or kindness and truth, the firs...

3:11 - 4:18 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The first thing I discovered was this, that mercy and truth, kindness and truth, again and again come to us in the Scriptures as Siamese twins.

The story of Abraham's servant in Genesis 24 is used as an example of God's providence and guidance, where the servant praises God for His 'lovingkindness and truth' in fulfilling His purpose.

All right? Turn, please, to Genesis chapter 4, which is perhaps the first reference in the Scriptures to these two virtues found in connection one with another. You remember the general setting of Genesis 24? It's that beautiful story, of how Jehovah guides the servant of Abraham to find a wife for Isaac.

4:48 - 5:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further establishes that loving kindness (mercy) and truth are essential to God's very character and ways, particularly in His covenant faithfulness, drawing from Jacob's…

Martin shares a personal anecdote of reading Psalm 117 nightly as an unconverted, deceived professing Christian, thinking it would 'pacify the deity,' to illustrate the depth of his former self-deception.

And I have a confession to make that this psalm is very familiar to me back when I was an unconverted, deceived, professing Christian. And knowing that Christians are supposed to read the Bible, my conscience wouldn't let me go to sleep at night unless I read my Bible sometime during the day. And this was the psalm I would turn to and read many, many a night to say I had read my Bible. I'm not fooling you.

13:58 - 14:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For we must never forget that the pattern of our holiness is always the character of God. Be ye holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's exposition of Psalm 25:10 to elaborate on God's truthfulness as His trustworthiness and faithfulness to His promises, emphasizing the substantial and solid nature of His mercy.

He is the God of mercy moving to us in mercy and then committing Himself to that mercy in His covenant promise. Spurgeon in his exposition of one of the psalms in which we have the phrase mercy and truth or all His ways are mercy and truth, states it this way. All of the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. That is to say, God all has shown the truth of His word.

18:26 - 18:58 Read in full sermon

Driving home: So we see that God, and I hope you can picture it this way, that which moves Him toward men is His mercy. In sovereign love, He comes to us as the God of mercy. Then He undertakes to meet our needs, enters into covenant …

Martin uses the metaphor of 'tracks' or 'ruts cut by a cart or chariot' to illustrate that wherever God's 'chariot' (His ways) has gone, the two consistent 'ruts' are mercy and truth.

All the paths of the Lord are loving kindness and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. The root of the Hebrew word all His paths is one which brings brings the idea of the tracks, the ruts that are cut by a cart or a chariot.

21:03 - 21:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: There is no grace and truth in us by nature. Sin has twisted us so that we are liars from the womb. And we're indifferent to human need.

Martin compares the graces in the human heart to plants in a garden, explaining that they need constant care to grow and flourish, otherwise weeds (remaining corruption) will choke them.

fruit of the Spirit, has begun to be made manifest in us, there is still remaining corruption so that these graces will not grow and flourish and blossom if they're not attended to. All the plans of God and the human heart are like plants in your garden unless they're cared for. The weeds will grow up with them and choke them. And the garden of the believer's heart must be constantly cared for if it is to bring forth lush, full fruit to the praise of God.

29:56 - 30:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Be like God in your home; let mercy and truthfulness mark the administration of your home as a Christian father.

Martin explains the cultural practice of men wearing a signet ring on a cord around their neck, using it to illustrate that mercy and truth should be constantly with believers and visibly displayed before men.

Now, as I've tried to trace this down to its, what we'd say its historical setting, what did Solomon have in mind? The most satisfying explanation I've had, and I've had it from enough sources that at the mouth of two or three witnesses it's been confirmed in my own mind, that what Solomon probably has in mind is a reference to something in the culture of that day which sounds very strange to us. The men were not given to wearing jewelry in Bible days. They would wear sometimes the ring, a signet ring, but it was basically a utilitarian thing.

31:06 - 31:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Be like God in your home; let mercy and truthfulness mark the administration of your home as a Christian father.

Martin uses the post-WWII phrase 'Kilroy was here' to illustrate how a signet ring served as a personal mark, signifying the presence and identity of the individual.

Implication being that the signet was upon the cord around the neck and he also gave the staff. So wherever the person went, his signet there in his ring was with him. Wherever he was, there it was bound with him. When he got up in the morning, went out to shave, went out to work, took the 707 into work and caught the 623 back home, wherever he was, there was his signet, which in a very real sense was the symbol of his person.

32:05 - 32:34 Read in full sermon