Desire Mercy Reflection 1 — “For I desire mercy…”
Reflecting on traditional beliefs about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, in light of the mercy of Jesus
I learned something new recently, about a Hebrew word that translates as ‘mercy’.
I noticed a highlighted sentence in my NIV Study Bible, then checked out the note for that verse in the study notes:
Hosea 6: 6
‘For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.’Note on Hosea 6: 6
“mercy. Hebrew hesed, a word that can refer to right conduct toward one’s fellow man or loyalty to the Lord, or both — the sum of what God requires of his servants.”
The note continues, suggesting in this verse that it, “… perhaps means both”.
So the take-home would then be that God wants us to have right conduct toward each other; our workmates, our friends, our children, our marriage partners, siblings, strangers, and so forth, and God also wants loyalty to the Lord, as the rest of the verse also indicates.
A specific area of right conduct that concerns a lot of people, is that which should be experienced between marriage partners. Some of us are particularly concerned about those marriage partners who find themselves facing the reality that their partner’s conduct is not right toward them or others, and has not resolved over time, when some traditional views of marriage, divorce, and remarriage appear to hold no mercy for their situation.
Hosea 6: 6 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, but God’s desire for mercy is also highlighted by Jesus in the New Testament book of Matthew. In Matthew 9: 9–13 and chapter 12: 1–8, we find accounts of Jesus responding to the Pharisees by quoting Hosea 6: 6, when the Pharisees questioned his actions toward those in need, and the actions of his disciples:
Matthew 9: 12–13
‘On hearing this, Jesus said, “… But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’
Matthew 12: 7
‘If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.’
Those of us who claim to follow Jesus, need to ensure our beliefs and our sayings match up with what God requires of us regarding people in need. God desires mercy, Jesus desires mercy. We also must desire mercy for those in need in their marriages.
For a closing thought, here is an image from Gretchen Baskerville, author of the book, The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships.
Gretchen Baskerville’s work can be found at:
lifesavingdivorce.com
Facebook: Gretchen Baskerville — The Life-Saving Divorce
Read more in the Desire Mercy series, or find all of them in one story, Marriage & Mercy:
Sharon Roberts-Radic is grateful for life, freedom, mercy, and Jesus.
