Back to the Basics – Session 2 - Love Mercy

READ THE PASSAGE

Micah 6:6–8

"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

INTRODUCTION & Review

In Micah 6, God is confronting the people’s drift—abandoning His standard and hiding behind performance. The Lord calls them back to the basics.

We will not withdraw from God’s standard.

We will not perform empty religion.

Instead, we will live faithfully in every domain of life.

Yesterday, we focused on doing justice—aligning our lives with God’s righteous design. Today, we turn to loving mercy—cultivating a heart disposition that longs for the wellbeing of others.

DISCUSS THE PRINCIPLE

What does it mean to LOVE MERCY?

The Hebrew word is hesed—steadfast love, covenant loyalty, kindness. At its core, mercy is an obligation to the community—a commitment to the wellbeing of others.

Mercy means that anyone in a weakened position—through misfortune, hardship, or struggle—should be delivered, not reluctantly, but with generosity, grace, and loyalty.

BALANCE, NOT TENSION But notice: Micah does not just say do mercy—he says love mercy.

To love mercy is to breathe after it, to long for it, to be dispositionally oriented toward others’ wellbeing.

LOVE MERCY IS DISPOSITIONAL. Acts of mercy will follow, but the prophet is pressing us deeper: to want mercy, to delight in it.

THE AIM OF TRUE JUSTICE IS WELLBEING.

WE DO NOT SET ASIDE THE DOING OF JUSTICE IN THE NAME OF MERCY.

Parenting as a powerful example: We discipline our children because that is our duty. But, we take no joy in the discomfort that discipline causes.

Biblical Examples of Mercy Across the Domains

Private Domain – The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33)“When he saw him, he had compassion.” The Samaritan’s heart was moved before his hands were. Mercy begins privately, inside, when compassion rises up and shapes how we see others. Even when no one is watching, love for mercy orients our spirit toward another’s wellbeing.

Personal Domain – Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 45:1–5)“Then Joseph could not control himself… he wept aloud… ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves… for God sent me before you to preserve life.’” Joseph’s mercy flowed from a heart softened toward those who had betrayed him. His tears and words reveal not just a choice to forgive, but a heart disposition of mercy for his family.

Public Domain – Jesus and the Crowds (Mark 6:34)“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”

Mercy says: I want everybody to flourish.

Food for the hungry

Clothing for the naked

Shelter for the homeless

Comfort for the lonely

Encouragement for the downcast

Education for the uneducated

Work for the unemployed

EXAMINE THE PERSON

Take a few minutes to reflect and write:

Am I indifferent about anyone’s flourishing?

Am I tempted in any way to corrupt justice for what seems like mercy?

PRAY A PRAYER

God of steadfast love, You do not delight in sacrifice but in hesed. Form in us a heart that loves mercy—teach us to breathe after it, to long for the wellbeing of others. Guard us from performative pity and from cold duty; grant us, oh God, a just mercy in which order serves flourishing. Where hold to righteousness with conviction, and yet take no joy in another’s pain.

Make us merciful in private when no one sees, merciful with those nearest to us, and merciful in public toward the weary and wandering. Let our words and work flow from a heart remade by Your compassion, and may many come to flourish under Your care.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.