A Plea for Mercy

In the exercise of showing mercy, God did not choose to bind Himself to a covenant for the sake of expression of interest. It is an invitation to mankind to take advantage of the conditions of a covenant and be a beneficiary of the full compliments of the His comprehensive redemption plan embedded in the covenant. The unequivocal expression of this intent is an indication that God has already committed to appending His signature on this deal because “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19). Now, God Himself has sent out the invitation to you to partake in this covenant. It is your sole responsibility and duty to accept by making a plea for mercy.

5.1 THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID

So many monumental things and events have been recorded in the bible about David. Apparently, David is the second most talked about character in the Old Testament. Almost every kid who has ever attended Sunday school knows about the famous story of David and Goliath. David has been described as the young shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath with a simple one stone slingshot without sweat. It is common knowledge that this brave young shepherd boy has gone down history to register his name as one of Israel’s greatest kings. We know that Jesus Christ is a descendant of the house of king David. Just to mention a few, did David achieve all these feats by fluke? Certainly, not and that is what this topic seeks to unravel.

One would easily presume the above description to fit a perfect man running a perfect life as in the case of Job whom God Himself testified about as “a perfect and an upright man”. Was that the case of David? Certainly not. In fact, David himself testified of what said about him in 1 Chronicles 28:3; “But God said unto me, Thou shall not build an house for my name, because thou has been a man of war, and hast shed blood”. God never testified of David as “a perfect and an upright man” but guess what, God described him as a “man after mine own heart” (Acts 13:22). One would have thought that God would rather make “a perfect and an upright man” a “man after mine own heart” and not otherwise, considering the fact He is a holy and an upright God himself.

David had a covenant with God which was not peculiar to him alone because most of the men who attained great heights and feats in scriptures also had a covenant with God. What made David’s covenant with God outstanding amongst the others was the fact that it was underpinned by the mercy of God. The difference was spelled out clearly by the mercy of God.

Now, consider this scripture; “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” (Isaiah 55:3). The expression “the sure mercies of David” makes an impeccable description of the kind of covenant God had with David. In succinct terms, this kind of covenant could never fail under any given circumstance beyond human capacity and comprehension. Yes, God never breaks His covenant because He is a faithful God but man is liable to do so. If any covenant between God and a man failed, it is simply because man could not hold on to honor his commitment of the covenant. However, with this kind of covenant God made with David, it was impossible for it to fail because it was underpinned by the mercy of God. Anytime David in his own human frailties breached any of the terms and conditions of the covenant, God’s mercy acted as a buffer system to adjust these terms and conditions and keep it running.

God, in this scripture extends an invitation to man to have a taste of the sure mercies of David. The key factor that is required of you to establish this covenant is your ability to hear His voice. However, this scripture prompts us that you cannot live within any locality and expect to hear God’s voice. There is a certain angle of inclination within which you can attain that frequency modulation of hearing His voice and it is always important to locate yourself within that catchment area because it enhances your chances of hearing His voice crystal clear. Your tendency to survive depends on your ability to hear and obey God’s voice.

God doesn’t just desire to make a regular covenant with you but the one that is up to the standards of the sure mercies of David. Hearing God is critical a factor here because it is easier to obey God when you can hear His voice. That notwithstanding, in this kind of covenant, even if you fail to honor your commitment to the terms and conditions because of your inexplicable human frailties, you are still covered by his mercies.