198. Mercy Trumps Anger
Jeremiah 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Though the Lord is justly angry with Israel for their rejection of the Lord, their idolatry and spiritual adultery, and punishment is surely coming, He is still merciful and will not keep anger forever. In this prophecy is included a message of promise for all of us believers: the mercy of God trumps His anger. Mercy is stronger than judgment. The Bible is full of the anger of God and His righteous judgment on sin, idolatry, and disobedience, but the Bible is even fuller of the mercy of God.
This is in line with God’s nature and character: in Exodus 34:5 the Lord appears to Moses and says to him, “The Lord the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” This essential formula is repeated several times in the Scriptures so that we know who God is and what He is like. What we learn is that God does get angry, slowly, and he will by no means clear the guilty, but we also learn that God’s overriding character is mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. We take this promise to heart: God’s anger is real, but He will be merciful. God died for sinners and because of Christ forgives them in mercy.
We take heart and comfort and have hope in the mercy of God. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” and we go to our home justified. We confess that God is right: He is right to be justly angry at our sin, and us, and He is also right to be merciful and gracious and forgive our sin. On the basis of this promise we can live, today and forever. God does not overlook sin and just ignore it; He is angry. God forgives the sin: He is merciful. We acknowledge and confess both truths. God is angry, but He will not keep it forever: Jesus will come and die for the sin that makes God angry. The mercy of God does last forever, and because it does so do we. The Lord proclaims this promise in His Word and we believe it.