Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
Rosh HaShana, September 11, 1999

Theme: The blast of the shofar heralds the coming of the Messiah, our King and the Judge of all!
Praise Him, our King and our Judge. Can you say hallelujah?
Praise Him, for His mercy triumphs over His judgment.
Praise Him, for His mercy triumphs over our judgment!

When you hear that God is coming to judge the earth, how does it make you feel?
Are you excited about it.... or maybe a bit worried?
Joel 2:1:

Blow the shofar in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand--a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.
Are you ready to hear this shofar?
Hey, Rob and Mark, blow the shofar. Let 'er rip!
The day of the LORD is coming--a day of darkness and gloom.
Do you feel comfortable with the idea that God will judge you...and your friends and family?
Daniel 12:2 tells us what to expect:
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Truth be told, there is a side of judgment that should fill all of us with dread and awe.
Good! The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
A little dread and awe of God is proper, especially at this time of year,
for Yom Teruah (which means Day of Blowing)
is the first of Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe,
the 10 days from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur.
During these days the Torah and the Ruach are calling us to make teshuvah, returning to God,
and to make tikkun olam, repairing the world, one relationship at a time.
But I also have good news for you: As James 2:13 says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment."

There is another way to respond to the coming judgment of God: with eager expectation and hope.
We find it again and again in Scripture, for example in the Psalms 9:7-9:

The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Why does the Psalmist desire the judgment of God?
Because his judgment brings mercy, a "refuge for the oppressed."
For the oppressors, His judgment is bad news, but for the oppressed it is good news!
Ps 76:8:
From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet--when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.
The land fears, because His judgment is an awesome thing, yet why is also good news?
Because when he rises up to judge, it is "to save all the afflicted of the land."
Are you beginning to see the necessity of divine justice? Even the mercy in divine justice?
Ps 96:12:
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest
will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth."
Judgment may be hard for a moment, but it also brings an end to human injustice.
Ps 94:2 says, "Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve."
What is God's answer to the injustice in Kosovo?
"Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve."
What is God's answer to the injustice in East Timor?
"Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve."
What is God's answer to the injustice in Moscow, in Washington, in Jerusalem, in Allentown?
"Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve."
"O God, rise up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land."
What is God's answer to all the injustice under heaven?
As Yeshua the Messiah says, in John 12:31, "Now is the time for judgment on this world;
now the prince of this world will be driven out."

Why is God's judgment finally necessary and even merciful?
Because it preserves order--without law enforcement, thugs and hooligans would wreak havoc
Because it encourages morality--without boundaries&consequences, children would grow wild
Because it shows that God really cares--without justice, who could believe in a God of Torah?
Because it allows him to show mercy--for what is mercy if there is no judgment?
And he delights to show mercy even at the moment of judgment.
When God judged Egypt, he was again and again offering mercy to Egypt.
And many responded respond to his offer,
for Ex 12:38 records that many other people, a mixed multitude, went up to them.
People tend to respond more to God's offer of mercy in times of trouble. Amen?
How many of you here have cried out to God when you were in trouble and found His mercy?
When God comes to judge the earth, it will bring much trouble and tribulation,
but many, many will cry out to God for mercy and will be saved.
In Revelation 9:9, John sees

a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb."
Who are all these people? Do you know?
The angel explains in 9:14,
These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
So you see, many will be saved, a great multitude from every nation, out of the great tribulation
I hope many of my friends and family will be saved, don't you?
It is true that more will be lost than will be saved, for narrow is the way.
Yet I believe more will be saved by the day of the Lord than in all the days before.
And how will they be saved? By the blood of the Lamb.
By the awesome mercy of God, revealed even in the awesome judgment of God.
For when He comes, his judgment will also reveal His glorious mercy.
As Malachi 16:17 says,
"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

Still, HaShem really wants to be known more for his mercy than his judgment. Ex 34:6-7:

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
The last part of this proclamation is God's judgment--"he punishes the children".
Sounds tough, doesn't it? Don't get me wrong, there is teeth to His judgment. He hates sin.
Still, I wouldn't want you to miss what goes before--the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.

When we studied this verse in our Messiah's Talmidim meeting a few weeks ago,
someone asked me to explain these Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.
So I did some research and found an explanation on the web. Do you want to hear it?
1. YHVH (many Bible translate this as the LORD, Jewish Bibles as Adonai or HaShem,
in reverence to His name). His very Name denotes mercy. For G-d is merciful
before a person sins, even though He knows the evil lies dormant in the person.
2. The LORD (again, a second time). For G-d is merciful after the sinner has gone astray
3. E-L (God). This Name denotes power. For G-d is merciful even with his awesome power.
4. Rachum. Compassionate. For G-d eases the punishment of the guilty.
5. ve-Chanun. And Gracious; even to the undeserving.
6. Erech Apayim. Slow to Anger; so that the sinner can reconsider long before it is too late.
7. Ve-Rav Chessed And Abundant in Kindness; even towards those who lack merit.
8.Ve-Emet. And Truth; G-d never reneges on His word.
9. Notzer Chessed La-Alafim. Preserver of Kindness for thousands of generations;
For his mercy endures forever! Much, much longer than his judgment!
10. Nose Avon Forgiver of iniquity; G-d forgives the intentional sinner, if he or she repents. 11.Va-Fesha and willful, rebellious sin; Even those who purposely anger G-d may repent. 12.VeChataah.and error; Even sins committed out of carelessness or apathy he forgives.
13 VeNake. And Who cleanses; for He wipes away the sins of those who repent.
Isn't this awesome? Isn't His mercy awesome? "Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped."

Yeshua came into the world offering this mercy to all who will repent:
As I John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness."
If there is anyone here who has not received God's mercy, he is reaching out to you tonight.
Matt 8:2:

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Yeshua reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
To the one who has been made unclean by sin and says Lord, you can make me clean,
Yeshua the Messiah says, "I am willing."
If you will trust him, he will touch you, forgive all your sins, and make you clean.
He is reaching out to you tonight? Will you reach out to him?
He says, in Isaiah 65:2, "All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people."
Even to the obstinate and stubborn, He graciously holds out his hands to touch you.
But be warned, he will not, he cannot reach out to you forever. For that would be unjust.
He will come to judge the earth.

How shall we respond to the blast of the shofar, heralding the coming of the King, the Judge?
"Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near!"

If you have begun to repent, turning away from your sin and toward His mercy,
there is more that the shofar and the King and the Judge have to say to you as well.
He wants us to follow Him. He want us to follow his example, preferring mercy over judging others.
Amos 7:9:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Administer true justice: show mercy and compassion to one another."
According to the prophet of God, what is true justice?
Showing mercy and compassion to one another. Can we do this? I hope so!
The apostle Yaakov warns us in James 2:13,
Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
The apostle's words echo the words of his Master, for example in Luke 6:37,
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
This is a cardinal principle in the teachings and life of the Messiah.
He illustrated it with many parables, for example, the one about the unjust steward.
You remember, the one who was forgiven a big debt,
but couldn't bring himself to forgive a small one. Then happened to him?
What happens to people who do not forgive, but sit in judgment of others?
They become bitter.
Hebrews 12:15 warns us,
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
God, who is gracious, wants so much to forgive us.
But how can we receive forgiveness when we are hanging on to bitter unforgiveness?
God, who is gracious, wants so much to heal us.
Mercy and forgiveness is the key to inner healing and reconciliation.
God, who is gracious, wants so much for us to reveal His love and mercy to others.
But how can we show his love and mercy if we do not practice his love and mercy?

Between you and me, I would much rather trust myself to the mercy of God than anyone else!
Most people have been too beaten up by the unmercifulness of this world to show real mercy.
Listen to what Yeshua says to anyone who wants the justice of this world:
Matt 5:38:

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
Now this is the principle of revenge. What is God's answer? "Vengeance is mine, says the LORD."
So, what does He leave to us? Mercy! "Bless those who curse you."
Here is Yeshua's antidote to human justice based on vengeance, or self-justification:
39 "But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Is this hard for you? I have been meditating on this verse more and more lately,
and I've lately come to the conclusion that Yeshua really, really meant it!
And it really works. (Testimony of my relationship with my mother.)
In Matthew 7, we hear another hard saying of the Master, the Messiah.
Matt 7:1:
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
Can I be candid with you all? Most of the time when I mention this verse, what I hear is excuses.
He didn't really mean that.
When he said "do not judge," he really meant something else. After all, we really have to judge.
Well, do you?
The Greek word for "judge" here is the word from which we get word "criticize."
I think most of us could survive with a lot less judging and criticizing
and a lot more forgiving and turning the other cheek.
Yes, we do have to discern the difference between good and evil, sin and righteousness.
But we don't have to judge and criticize people.
Indeed, Messiah commands us: "do not judge."
He wants us to hate sin, yet love the sinner. Just as He does. Can you do this?
Is this hard for any of you? If so, then God has made this "appointed time" for you:
to repent, to make teshuvah, returning to God,
and to make tikkun olam, repairing the world, one relationship at a time.
What better time than Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe?
Matt 5:23:
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Note that He says, if your brother has something against you, go and be reconciled.
How much more so, if you have something against your brother or sister?
Go, and be reconciled.
For reconciliation and forgiveness and mercy are the ministry of Messiah. And his followers.

Once, not too long ago, I was really upset with someone, actually someone I love a lot.
I hurt so much because they had hurt me so much!
The Ruach of God reminded me of Yeshua on the tree.
There he said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Stinging, I said, Lord, how could you say this?
They knew very well what they were doing! There you were, hanging, tortured and naked,
and they were taunting you and humiliating you! They knew! It was intentional!
He said to me, the Father did not send me into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through me. I desire mercy. He said, I desire mercy.
O Lord, if it's mercy you want, than it's mercy I will give. With your help. Amen?
If only we could have as much mercy as Messiah! Then we would be rich! (Yubba-dubba...)

I will close by calling your attention to the shape of the shofar.
The sound of the shofar heralds the triumph of our King, the Judge.
The shape of the shofar says something quieter.
It is not straight, like an arrow or a silver trumpet.
It is curved, like a worshiper bowing, davening before the Almighty.
Before we blow the shofar again, we all might to bow and daven before Him. Hmm?
When you do, say to Him, forgive and I will forgive, be merciful and I will be merciful.
The sound of the shofar speaks of his judgment.
The shape of the shofar speaks of our humility.
For mercy triumphs over judgment.

Comments for the Rabbi?