Mensa Otabil - Observe Mercy and Truth
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Proverbs chapters 3 and 4. Let not mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. So find favor and high esteem in the sight of God. In addition to the Word of God becoming our rule and our command, here we are instructed to observe mercy and truth. The word mercy, as it is used in this verse, refers to the kind of love we have for people that makes us loyal and faithful to them.
So mercy, in this context, is not talking about having pity on people but about being faithful and loyal to them. It is a statement about loyalty. Although the word is mercy, the Hebrew word means loyal and faithful. It is being good to people because you are committed to them. Then the word truth refers to being firm or trustworthy. Two things are mentioned here: mercy, which means faithfulness, and truth, which means to be trustworthy.
These are two components that God wants us to bind around our neck and write on the tablet of our heart. Why? Because they affect our relationships with people and our relationship with God. Every beneficial relationship we have will require that we are loyal and trustworthy. When people trust us, they commit much to us. The more they trust us, the more opportunity they give us.
The less people trust us, the fewer open doors we have. So if you want God to show you favor, and you want people to show you favor and be kind and generous to you, then the Bible says that you have to show loyalty and be trustworthy. Now the passage says that when you do that, you find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Not only does God show you favor, but man also shows you favor. That’s a great place to be when God likes you and people like you, and things are working for you because you are loyal and trustworthy to those you have relationships with. So, practically, how do we develop these two attributes of loyalty and trustworthiness? I’ll just give you two suggestions.
Number one is that you have to appreciate what people do for you. We must not take kindness shown to us for granted. Many times people do things for us that may not seem very big; they may seem very small, but they are significant, and we must learn to say thank you. We must learn to appreciate people, and if possible, do something for the person to show that what they did for you has been well received. Appreciate what people do for you. Don’t take goodness for granted. Don’t take people’s efforts to help you for granted.
Second, if we’re going to build loyalty and trustworthiness in our lives, we have to keep our word to people. When we make promises, we must keep them. I know that sometimes it’s difficult to keep your word, not because you don’t want to, but because circumstances change for all of us. However, we must endeavor that once we make a promise to somebody and give our word, we keep our commitment so that people can trust when we say something will be done.
When you tell someone, «I’m going to do it,» they should know you’re going to do it. When you tell someone, «I will be there,» they should know you will be there. We have to get to the point where our word is like money because when you give a promise, you honor it. It’s reliable, and you become trustworthy and loyal. When you do that, the Bible says you find favor with God and with men. May God make you such a person who has favor with God and men.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, you are faithful and dependable. Help me to be a faithful and dependable person in all my relationships, in Jesus' name. Amen.»