What is Mercy?

Have you ever thought about what the word mercy means in the biblical sense? To be honest, I really didn't until a few days ago. But since then I can't seem to stop thinking about it.

The long and short of it is that when mercy appears in Scripture, one of its Hebrew translations is hesed. The problem with this is hesed does not actually mean mercy. In fact, it cannot truly be translated into a single English word. Other definitions of hesed include loving-kindness and covenant loyalty.

My friend tells me that mercy is simply got getting what we deserve in terms of punishment. But in my mind I somehow feel that it means so much more. I tend to believe mercy is a tireless, limitless expression of God's love for man which He has extended and will continue to extend forever.

Mercy is a hard concept to grasp. It does not mean Christians will not suffer in this life or that suffering is even unjust (though it can be). But perhaps just like there is no real English equivalent to the word hesed maybe the true meaning of mercy goes beyond the scope of the limited human imagination.

Even so, let us open our hearts to its broadest and best meaning and do our best to live according to it. You can't go wrong walking in love.