PASTOR’S NOTES
You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
As we continue to work through the Book of the Covenant, we continue to see the connection between law and perfect parenting. God is the perfect Father and His perfection is shown in each and every law that He gives His people.
We began in chapter 21 by seeing that our perfect Father “cares about everything.” There is not one aspect of life God does not care about. God cares and provides a path for everything under the sun. In all of His care for our life, He calls us to remember the grace given in salvation. His grace changes and strengthens our weakness.
This week, our Father calls us to mercy. Mercy for those who are also walking on provided paths with us. Out of the mouth of Jesus in Luke 6, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
As we read through chapter 21, the chapter reads as if God is tackling as many issues as He can in one chapter. However, there is a theme that stands out in chapter 21, a call to mercy towards others.
Like the call to grace towards others, God calls His children to show mercy as they have experienced mercy. Mercy is the kindness towards those in great need.
Scripture assures us that there will be those who walk with us that are stronger and also weaker than we are. This truth applies to all areas of life. There will be those who have more, but also those who have less, much less. We will walk with those who are poor, heartbroken, fatherless, and sick.
God calls us to show great mercy to those in need.
At one point in our life, we were strangers in the world, distant from God and hope. We ourselves were poor and fatherless. Through Jesus Christ, we have been given life and a family. We have experienced grace and now have hope. We have been given and seen the fullness of everything we once didn’t have and longed for. We have been adopted by the king and become rich in the Holy Spirit! We have been made strong in salvation!
In our strength, we are called to help those who are weak.
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE MESSAGE
Read Deuteronomy 15:11 on the topic of caring for those in need.
HIGHLIGHT IN YOUR BIBLES
Highlight verses 21-25 in Exodus 22.
