Living In Anticipation Of The Kingdom Of God Course Introduction

SURVEY OF THE GRACE AND MERCY OF GOD

A.             Old Testament

I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. (^ESV Exodus 33:19 )

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  ⁷ keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (^ESV Exodus 34:6-7)

But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence. (^NIV 2 Kings 13:23 )

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. (^ESV Nehemiah 9:17 )

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!  ⁸ You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”  ⁹ Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. (^ESV Psalm 27:7-9)

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  ⁹ The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. (^ESV Psalm 145:8-9)

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.  ¹⁹ For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. (^ESV Isaiah 30:18-19)

Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (^ESV Joel 2:13 )

Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (^ESV Amos 5:15 )

O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. (^ESV Jonah 4:2)

This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.  ⁷ Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ (^ESV Zechariah 4:6-7)<