The Full Range of God’s Music
I used to go out in the morning to get the paper when we lived in El Paso. Our house was a good four miles from the main parade ground at Fort Bliss. On most mornings, I could hear the whump, whump, whump of the thirteen-gun salute which was sounded every morning at seven o’clock. But on some mornings, I could hear the sound of the drum corps as they rolled their cadences.
However, if the morning was clear and still, as in the winter time when the air was crisp and cold, I could also hear the sound of the music of the army band, the blast of the trumpets, the wail of the clarinets, and the mellow tone of the horns.
But on the mornings I could only hear the cannon, I knew the drum and the horns were there, whether I could hear them or not.
Our fathers, in their theology, heard the cannon and the drum, the stirring of the wrath of God. Modern ears have heard the soft music of the flute and the horn, but have not listened for the cannon and the drum.
But the music of God’s message demands the whole gamut of sound. He is just, but He is also loving. He is strong, but He is also merciful. Kindness without justice is muchiness. Justice without mercy has no power to move or change the stubborn heart. The cross is the only place where the picture is in focus. God’s justice and mercy come together in His love for us sinners.
Getting Rid of an Enemy
In the days of the Revolutionary War, there lived at Ephrata, Pennsylvania, a Baptist pastor by the name of Peter Miller who enjoyed the friendship of General Washington. There also dwelt in that town one Michael Wittman, an evil-minded man who did all in his power to abuse and oppose this pastor. One day Michael Wittman was involved in treason and was arrested and sentenced to death. The old preacher started out on foot and walked the whole seventy miles to Philadelphia to plead for this man’s life. He was admitted into Washington’s presence and at once begged for the life of the traitor. Washington said, “No, Peter, I cannot grant you the life of your friend.” The preacher exclaimed, “He is not my friend—he is the bitterest enemy I have.” Washington cried, “What? You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. I will grant the pardon.” And he did. And Peter Miller took Michael Wittman from the very shadow of death back to his own home in Ephrata—no longer as an enemy, but as a friend.
Words on an Epitaph
As Copernicus, the great astronomer, was dying, a copy of his great book, The Revolution of the Heavenly Bodies, was placed in his hands. But it was not his brilliant work that was on his mind. Instead he directed that the following epitaph be placed on his grave at Frauenburg: “O Lord, the faith Thou didst give to St Paul, I cannot ask; the mercy Thou didst show to St Peter, I dare not ask; but, Lord, the grace Thou didst show unto the dying robber, that, Lord, show to me.” There is no one who cannot come to God under those terms.
The Highest Attribute
Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice. –Miguel De Cervantes
Thwarting Satan
Mercy imitates God and disappoints Satan. –St John Chrysostom
Forgiven and Pardoned
A young employee secretly misappropriated several hundred dollars of his business firm’s money. When this action was discovered, the young man was told to report to the office of the senior partner of the firm. As he walked up the stairs toward the administrative office, the young employee was heavy-hearted. He knew without a doubt he would lost his position with the firm. He also feared the possibility of legal action taken against him. Seemingly his whole world had collapsed.
Upon his arrival in the office of the senior executive, the young man was questioned about the whole affair. He was asked if the allegations were true and he answered in the affirmative. Then the executive surprisingly asked this question: “If I keep you in your present capacity, can I trust you in the future?” The young worker brightened up and said, “Yes, sir, you surely can. I’ve learned my lesson.”
The executive responded, “I’m not going to press charges, and you can continue in your present responsibility.” The employer concluded the conversation with his younger employee by saying, “I think you ought to know, however, that you are the second man in this firm who succumbed to temptation and was shown leniency. I was the first. What you have done, I did. The mercy you are receiving, I received. It is only the grace of God that can keep us both.” –Don Mallough