Psalm 28

“Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.” Psalm 28:3-5 (NKJV)

Grace is a gift. It’s getting something we do not deserve. Mercy is more closely attached to punishment. Mercy means we do not get what we deserve, at least to the extent that the law says we should have gotten it. Mercy is always at the discretion of the judge or the person offended. Often, after having arrested a perpetrator in a domestic dispute, the police will ask the person offended if they want to press charges. Whenever the person offended says “no,” the perpetrator has received mercy. Whenever a jury recommends a life sentence for a convicted felon, and the judge reduces that sentence, the felon has received mercy. Neither the judge nor the person offended is under any compulsion to extend mercy, and neither would be at fault for demanding the full extent of the law to fall upon an offender. Still, the law allows for mercy. When our eternities are on the line, with God’s standard being perfection and us falling short, I am certainly glad God is willing to extend His mercy toward us through Messiah Jesus!

David’s psalm combines both his personal plea for mercy, “...Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity...”, and his demand for his enemies’ justice, “...give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors...”. That’s pretty much where we live: in need of mercy yet demanding justice. What separated David as a human from his enemies, i.e., what separates sinners like us from sinners like them? David faithfully believed the Lord’s Word and received salvation by grace, in addition to God’s mercy. David acknowledged that it was the Lord who had established him and glorified Him.  David’s enemies refused to “acknowledge the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands.”  We are reminded of Peter’s response to Jesus’ provision of the “great haul of fish,” even though Peter cast the net. The difference between believers & unbelievers is how believers know Who deserves the credit for their salvation.

“Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Luke 5:3-8 (NKJV)