Celebrating a God of Compassion and Mercy

God is a God of compassion and mercy. His Hebrew name is El Rachum. I love all His names such as El Roi (the God who sees) and Yahweh Rophe (the LORD who heals), but El Rachum holds more meaning than our English words can translate. The word rachum does mean mercy and compassion, but it s root means “womb.” God’s compassion and mercy are like the womb of a mother, a place of nourishment, growth, and protection.

We find this name of God in the book of Exodus after the Israelites made a golden calf to worship. It wasn’t pretty. When Moses came down the mountain, and he saw their betrayal, he destroyed the tablets with the ten commandments. It was not a day without consequences. But God gave the Israelites mercy by giving them a second chance and a second set of stone tablets. As Moses and God met on the mountain to inscribe the second set, God met Moses with these words:

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate (rachum) and gracious God (EL), 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 parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:6-7 NIV addition mine

God of Second Chances

The day the Israelites lost their patience and their minds and made an idol, many who did not place their worship in God lost their lives. But the God of mercy and compassion did not forsake that nation. He did not leave the thousands who He’d brought out of Egypt. He promised to go with them, and He made a covenant with them. His covenant promised His presence and force to drive out their enemies as long as they obeyed His commands.

We know the rest of that story. Time and time again they would worship other gods and not obey YHWH, El Rachum, and they faced consequences. But God always extended mercy and compassion. For many of us the actions of God in the Old Testament seem brutal, but I must remind us this was the Old Covenant and what judgment looked like without Jesus.

The Compassion of Jesus

Surely, if we struggle with the Old Testament, we see God’s rachum demonstrated powerfully in the person of Jesus. As He walked the earth He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and restored sight to the blind. Scripture tells us he had compassion on the people. His heart was stirred.

 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Mark 6:34

Remember how He cried at Lazarus’s tomb, and how He refused to stone the woman caught in adultery. He also wept as He looked toward Jerusalem knowing what lie ahead of that city, and He longed to protect them:

 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Matthew 23:37

All three of these stories are the embodiment of rachum– compassion, mercy, and parental love and protection. The Bible is filled with promises of His eternal compassion and mercy for us. This Christmas as we buy presents, bake our favorite cookies, and spend time with loved ones, may we celebrate the compassionate and merciful El Rachum. He poured Himself into skin to  fulfill the demand of His law and to show us His heart.

A Prayer to the God of Compassion

None of us deserve this grace, yet it is who He is. He is El Rachum whose compassion is like a mother’s womb. Some of us need to close our eyes and let His warm, nurturing, protecting, mercy and compassion surround us. That only comes when we surrender our questions and worries and trust Him. I pray this article will help you trust Him and experience His rachum. Hold my hands, I’m going to pray us up.

Father,

We praise you and worship you. You are so faithful, loving, compassionate, and merciful. Wrap us up in your compassion and mercy and then help us extend that loving compassion and mercy to others as we’ve received it from you.  Life is hard, but you are so good. Bring your Word to life in us and through us. In Jesus we pray. Amen.

Andy Lee

Andy Lee is an event speaker, blogger, YouTuber, and award winning author of three books, A Mary Like Me: Flawed yet Called; The Book of Ruth Key-Word Bible Study: 31 Days to Hope and Promise,and Radiant Influence: How an ordinary girl changed the world.She passionately teaches how to find the life in God's Word in order to live abundantly. You can catch her life giving message weekly on Instagram and YouTube. She also provides monthly Bible reading plans on her website www.wordsbyandylee.com.

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