Psalm 118: What is the Quality of Mercy?
“The quality of mercy is not strained, it falleth like the gentle rain from heaven,” Shakespeare tells us in the Merchant of Venice. But what is the quality of mercy? Is it simply compassion shown to an offender or victim of misfortune as Webster tells us? Or is it something more as we see in the Old Testament, especially the Psalms. Psalm 118 is an example of this.
Mercy in the Old Testament
The word mercy occurs 132 times in the King James translation of the Bible. If you count other forms of the word such as mercies and merciful, the total references are 210. The majority of these, 149, are found in the Old Testament and 72 of these are in the book of Psalms. Clearly the concept of God as merciful is an important one in the Old Testament. But this mercy is more than a forgiveness of wrong doing.
The Hebrew word for mercy, hesed, is translated as steadfast love in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Hesed implies more than mercy, it’s the covenant love of God for God’s people. It is God’s amazing grace, God’s crazy love for God’s people. Not because of any merit on our part or that we earned it. God gives it freely.
Psalm 118
The writer of Psalm 118 knows his need for mercy. He was in desperate straits and was saved by God’s love. Thus he pours out his words of praise and thanksgiving. Psalm 118 begins with a litany of praise: “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his mercy/steadfast love endures forever.” (1) The phrase, “his mercy/steadfast love endures forever,” is repeated four times at the beginning and concludes the psalm (verses 1-4 and 29).
The psalmist praises God for rescuing him, “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.” (5) We don’t know what caused his distress, just that he was rescued. In verses 10-14 he talks about being surrounded by enemies: “They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns, in the name of the Lord I cut them off.” (12) God kept him safe and gave him victory in battle.
In verses 15-18, he sings a song of praise. Even though he suffered, he was saved from death. “The Lord has chastened me sorely, but he has not given me over to death.” (18)
Verses 22-24 are recited triumphantly on Easter as we celebrate God’s victory over death and how Jesus, who was rejected, is the cornerstone of God’s church. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Raised Up by God’s Steadfast Love
The writer was rejected by others, among the lowly, yet he was raised up by God’s love and made part of the very foundation of God’s people. Just as the Hebrew people were once rejected, a nation of shepherds with no status in the eyes of the world, God, in his mercy chose them to be his people, a holy nation. And so the psalmist rejoices, this is the day the Lord has made!
Psalm 118 concludes with words of praise and thanksgiving: “You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!” (28-29)
This psalm is the last of the Hallel. A hymn of thanksgiving, it was a favorite of Martin Luther who claimed it as “his” psalm. This psalm can easily be claimed by all. All of us have been rescued by God’s great mercy. God’s steadfast love is reason to rejoice. His mercy extends to those who have been rejected; God’s love is for those who are lowly and downcast.
A World in Need of God’s Mercy
God’s mercy, like God’s love in Corinthians, is patient and kind. It pours out upon a thirsty world like a gentle rain, satisfying those who thirst.
In the midst of a pandemic, our world is thirsting. Our world needs God. May God’s mercy pour down like rain!
Have you experienced God’s mercy in your life? I would love to hear from you.
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
(Please note – in order to help ensure you receive email with link to new book, please add my email, patricia@patriciamrobertson.com to your contact list. Some servers are quick to send newsletters to spam or other boxes.)
Leave a Reply