THE MERCIFUL MESSIAH

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Psalm 23)


The book of Psalms is the longest book of the Bible and is filled with testimony and doctrine. It is also a collection of 150 songs of  Israelite hymns praising the God of Israel. Seventy three of these psalms are attributed to David with the central theme of mercy. His psalms are a guide for any penitent sinner who repents with sincerity of heart and seeks forgiveness. David's psalms are a clear indications that David knew the nature of the God of Israel and His infinite mercy. He appeals to this mercy which he knows is central to the Saviour's character because of his loving kindness. David repeatedly uses these two attributes hand in hand helping us see the Saviour in a much softer light than as the vengeful God of the Old Testament. In the hymnal sense, his appeals to the Saviour's merciful nature, become a voice of praise, such as: "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindness..." (Psalm 25:6) and "Hear me, O Lord; for thy loving kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies" (Psalm 69:16). If we did not know that the Lord was a possessor of loving kindess, we could never believe that He was merciful and could as such, grant us forgiveness of our sins.

David knew that the only place for his forgiveness was in the Messiah of the world, who had through his righteousness achieved perfection. He knew that his reward for his imperfect mortality, like ours, should be less than perfect, if it is based solely on our earthly performance. David therefore shows us through his bold request, "Deliver me in thy righteousness....." (Psalm 71:2) a doctrinally appropriate and essential way to importune the Saviour of all mankind if we are to inherit "more than we deserve" (Philip Allred, Lesson 25, "Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord, Meridian Magazine).  This is exactly how Elder Dallin H. Oaks defines mercy: "To achieve my eternal goals, I need more than I deserve...If justice is exactly (the punishment) one deserves, then mercy is more benefit than one deserves....The Atonement is the means by which justice is served and mercy is extended" (Sins, Crimes and Atonement, address given to CES, 7 Feb. 1992, Philip Allred, Lesson 25, Meridian Magazine).

Like David, we should all desire the righteousness of the only sinless person who died that we might be saved, weighing in on our side of the scales of justice. He should be the person we would want standing by our side at the judgment bar when we account for our sins. It is only in this way that we will be able to receive all our inheritance as children of God for our merits alone will not guarantee this reward. It is imperative therefore that we are convinced of His loving kindness and His infallible and infinite mercy. Without it we will blindly wander through this mortality without hope for this life is but a drop in a bucket before we face the vastness of eternity. To deserve this miraculous mercy, it is required of us to give the Lord the only thing we can truly give, "a broken spirit: a broke and a contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). In return the Lord will "blot out our transgressions" and "wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).

The scriptures are replete with examples and declarations of Saviour's mercy that he extends to us through his loving kindness. To know Him is to know that He is The Merciful Messiah. He who has numbered all his sheep and has layed down his life for them, extends mercy when mercy is sought, "...for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 10:4). To know the God of Israel is to know that He will one day gather us and because of our willingness to have Him be our God, 'lead us unto living fountains of waters: and He shall wipe away all tears from our eyes' (Rev 7:17). Is this not a God who deserves our utmost devotion? Is this not a God who inspires in us a longing to 'sing redeeming love' in praise of Him who has delivered us from the bands of death? (Alma 5:9, Alma 26:13, D&C 138:12).  What happens when we sing the words of praise to God whom we love, is as real as what happens when we are on bended knee, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads" (D&C 25:12).  The scriptures repeatedly admonish true disciples of Christ to sing praises to Him and other members of the Godhead for one day we will join that heavenly choir to sing eternal praises to Him who has bought us with a price (1 Cor 6:20), 'a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief' (Isa 53:3), yet a God who is 'merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth' (Exodus 34:6). Mormon attests to this truth when he says: "And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end" (Mormon 7:7).

The Saviour desires to 'encircle us in the arms of His love' (D&C 6:20). It is because of His love that He is merciful. Even though He is a God of majesty who 'has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding' (Alma 26:35), 'Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord....the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world' (D&C 19:1), yet 'He is a merciful Being' (Alma 26:35) worthy of praise for his loving kindness and infinite sacrifice for the sins of the world. May we worship Him with the voice of praise and in Him find the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that we might be one day worthy to be in his presence for ever and ever.


Praise ye the Lord. 
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power. 
Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. 
Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 
Praise him upon the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. 
Praise ye the LORD. 
(Psalms 150:1-6)