Undeserved Pardon!
When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he
said to
the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home,
and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men
will dine with me at noon.”
Genesis 43:16
Two theological words often get used interchangeably,
grace and mercy.
They are different, as evidenced by
their use in the same sentences in the New Testament
(1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4).
Grace receives something good that we don't deserve,
while mercy is being spared something bad that we do
deserve.
When Jacob prepared his sons to return to Egypt to get food
for their family, he hoped that
“the man”—meaning Joseph—
would grant them mercy. That is, that they would be spared
the wrath of the Egyptian official for apparently stealing his
silver in their previous trip to Egypt.
For more than one reason, Joseph’s brothers deserved judg-
ment. But when they returned to Egypt, instead of judgment
they were shown mercy. Joseph prepared a banquet for them
to celebrate their return. They were spared judgment
(mercy)
but were shown an undeserved welcome (grace).
Thank God for the grace and mercy shown
to you and look for opportunities to show
them to others.
"Every time you draw your
breath you suck in mercy."
Thomas Watson
