He here refers to the covenant which He made with His servant
MERCY
a DESIRED mercy, and not sacrifice," said God through the mouth of His prophet Hosea (Hos. vi. 6). That is, rather than sacrifice, and insisted upon the knowledge of God more than upon burnt offerings. Mercy here is the same word which is rendered ''goodness'' (verse 4), chesed, piety, sanctity. It is put for all practical religion. It is the same with charity in the New Testament, the reigning love of God and our neighbour; and this, accompanied with, and flowing from, the knowledge of God, as He has revealed himself in His word, a firm belief that He is, and is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, a good affection to divine things, guided by a good judgment, which cannot but produce a very good conversation. This is that which God, by His covenant, requires.
1. COVENANTED MERCY He here refers to the covenant which He made with His servant Moses (Exod. xxxiv. 5ff.). When God is about to publish a second edition of the law he prefaces it with a proclamation. For it is God's grace and goodness that gives the law, especially the remedial law. The pardon of Israel's sin in worshipping the calf was now to pass the seals, and God by this declaration would let them know that He pardoned '"'merely out of His own good pleasure'', not for their merit's sake, but from His own inclination to forgive. The proclaiming of it notes the universal extent of God's mercy. He is not only good to Israel, but good to all, let all take notice of it. He that hath an ear, let him hear, and know, and believe.
(a) That the God with whom we have to do is a great God. He is "Jehovah", "the Lord'', that hath His being of Himself, and is the fountain of all being; '"'Jehovah-el'', "'the Lord, the strong God", a God of almighty power Himself, and the original of all power. This is prefixed before the display of His mercy, to teach us to think and to speak even of God's grace and goodness with great seriousness, and a holy awe, and to
Mercy 163 encourage us to depend upon these mercies. They are not the mercies of a man that is frail and feeble, false and fickle, but the mercies of "'the Lord, the Lord God"', therefore sure mercies, and sovereign mercies, mercies that may be trusted, but not tempted.
(5) That He ts a good God. His greatness and goodness illustrate and set forth each other. That the terror of His greatness may not make us afraid, we are told how good He is. That we may not presume upon His goodness, we are told how great He is. Many words are here heaped up to acquaint us with, and convince us of, God's goodness, and to show how much His goodness is both his glory and His delight, yet without any tautology.
(i) He is "merciful". This speaks His pity and tender compassion, like that of a father to his children. This is put first, because it is the first wheel in all the instances of God's good will to fallen man, whose misery makes him an object of pity (Judges x. 16; Isa. Ixiii. 9). Let us not then have either hard thoughts of God or hard hearts towards our brethren.
(ii) He is "'gracious"'. This speaks both freeness and kindness. It speaks Him not only to have a compassion to His creatures, but a complacency in them, and in doing good to them—and this of His own goodwill and not for the sake of anything in them. His mercy is grace, free grace. This teaches us to be not only pitiful but courteous (1 Pet. iii. 8).
(iii) He is 'longsuffering'. This is a branch of God's goodness which sinners' badness gives occasion for; Israel's had done so—they tried his patience and experienced it. He is "longsuffering"'. He is slow to anger and delays the executions of His justice; He waits to be gracious, and lengthens out the offers of His mercy.
(iv) He is '"'abundant in goodness and truth''. This speaks plentiful goodness, it abounds above our deserts, above our conception and expression. The springs of mercy are always full, the streams of mercy always flowing. There is mercy enough in God, enough for all, enough for each, enough for ever. It speaks promised goodness, goodness and truth put together, goodness engaged by promise, and His faithfulness pawned for the security of it. He not only doth good, but by his promise He raiseth our expectation of it, and even obligeth Himself to show mercy.