As part of my preparation to preach this Sunday on 2 Samuel 6, I re-read a portion of R.C. Sproul's book, The Holiness of God. I want to go on record as saying I believe that this book is one of the most important books for Christians to read, and that chapter 6 of this book is exceptionally helpful in teaching us about divine mercy and divine justice. Here is a small taste:
Sproul says, "We often blame God for the injustices done to us and harbor in our souls the bitter feeling that God has not been fair toward us. Even if we recognize that He is gracious, we think that He has not been gracious enough. We think we deserve more grace. Please read that last sentence again: We think we deserve more grace. What is wrong with that sentence? Grammatically it is fine. But there is something seriously wrong with the content, with the meaning of the sentence. It is impossible for anyone, anywhere, anytime to deserve grace. As soon as we start talking about deserving something, we are no longer talking about grace; we are talking about justice."
Hopefully that will whet your appetite enough so that you run out and buy this book. R.C. Sproul's writings have had a profound influence upon my understanding of mercy and justice. You will benefit (I hope) from this influence this Sunday as we take a much closer look at divine mercy and divine justice in the life of David.
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