Psalm 71

I can’t tell you how many times in my adult life I have heard someone say that God is merciful, but… Why do we always have to include a big but when we talk about God’s mercy? What usually follows the but is the idea that God is also just, and that somehow, His justice is in opposition to His mercy. Thus, in Christ, He devised a way to satisfy His justice so He could be merciful to us.

About that idea, may I politely say… hogwash! I think Paul Young, author of The Shack, summed it up best when he said that the traditional understanding of the cross makes it sound like God said, “I’ve got a problem with you. So, in order to get over my problem with you, I’m going to take my son out behind the shed and beat him to death. Then you and I will be okay.”

That doesn’t make sense.

And the idea that God’s mercy is somehow opposed to His justice didn’t make a lot of sense to David, either. Thirteen times in this psalm, David pleads with God to help him, to rescue him, to be merciful to him. He cries out for salvation and deliverance.

But here’s the interesting thing. With all those pleas for help, how many times did David appeal to God’s mercy? Zero. Not one. He never even mentions God’s mercy.

Instead, he appeals to God’s justice:

In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me. (vs 2)
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts. (vs 15)
I will proclaim your righteous deeds. (vs 16)
Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens. (vs 19)
My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long. (vs 24)

Here, David reveals that God’s mercy and justice are not two opposing attributes of His character, but two sides of the same coin. God delivers us, helps us, and saves us because He is righteous. He is merciful because He is just. He is not merciful in spite of His justice!

So, the next time you talk about God’s mercy, make sure your big but doesn’t get in the way! God is merciful to us because it’s the right way to be. He is justly merciful. He is mercifully just!