Sermon Tone Analysis

COMPASSION 4

THE BENEFITS OF GOD'S COMPASSIONATE FEELINGS

(cmpas4.doc)

*"THE QUEEN SAID NOTHING!"*

 

        Queen Victoria expressed sympathy when she heard that the wife of a common laborer had unexpectedly lost her baby.

Having experienced deep sorrow herself, she called on the bereaved woman and stayed with her for some time.

After she left, the neighbors asked what the royal visitor had said.

"The queen said nothing," replied the grieving mother.

"She simply put her hands on mine, and we silently wept together."

Compassion is an understanding of and a deep feeling for the misery of another, with an accompanying desire to relieve that misery.

Compassion is not always demonstrated through saying the right words.

It is sometimes demonstrated through sharing an experience!

This is study number four in our series on the biblical doctrine of compassion.

We are presently studying the magnificent compassion of God.

Three messages ago we embarked on a long expedition through the uses of various Hebrew and Greek words translated "compassion," "compassions," and  "compassionate."

We are presently looking at all the Scriptures where the Hebrew word /racham/ (raw-kham'), 7355, is translated "compassion" in relationship to God.

After observation and interpretation, I drew from these Scriptures various propositional statements or principles.

The particular principle that we are still working on is

 

*Principle #1:*  Jehovah God, as to His nature, is love.

He consistently demonstrates His love by being compassionate.

/(As we look at how each of these principles concerning God's compassion is represented in the Scripture, we have been making specific observations in each individual passage of Scripture.

Although these observations will, in many cases, include an observation, an interpretation and an application, for the sake of brevity we have been calling these statements "observations".

We have been numbering them with a double number.

The first number indicates the principle that is being applied and the second number indicates the particular observation with respect to that principle.

Let's continue our present study with:)/

 

 

\\ Isaiah 49:15, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, And have no *compassion* on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, but I will not forget you."

*Observation 1.14:*

The truth that is taught by this particular Scripture is very, very deep!

God is speaking to the Children of Israel through the prophet Isaiah.

He begins by asking them a question, "Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb?"

The answer to the question, from my perspective, is:  it is highly unlikely, though possible!

Last summer we studied the phenomenon of bonding.

During that series of messages we studied the tremendous bonding that occurs between a mother and her child when that mother chooses to breast-feed the child.

We studied the fact that the bonding of mother to child is equal to or greater than the bonding of child to mother.

In the light of that information, we can say that a mother who nurses or breast-feeds her children will have a tremendous attachment to them and will certainly have compassion upon them!!!

But we must admit that we are human beings with a plethora of problems and it is possible for a mother to breast-feed her children and still have no compassion on them.

God helps us out by stating, "Even these may forget!"

To not have compassion on a person is likened to forgetting him~/her.

Well, God likens himself to this nursing mother and says, "But I will not forget you!"  What a promise!!!  A mother has internal, God-given, compassionate instincts.

These instincts should be energized by the inception, carrying and nursing of the fruit of her body, but God's very nature is love and He will not forget us or withhold compassion from us.

Perhaps God uses this illustration and comparison, because He wants to highlight His own motherly nature.

Where does the concept of motherhood come from?

*From God!!!*

        The illustration of a nursing mother is very interesting in the light of the fact that in the Old Testament one of the names of God is El Shaddai.

It is translated:  The Almighty, but the literal meaning is much more instructive.

The Hebrew word /shad/ is literally the nursing breast of a mother.

/Shaddai/ is the plural of /shad/.

The Hebrew word /El/ stands for God and is seen in the important name of God /El/ohim.

Therefore, this name of God, El Shaddai, is literally God, the double-breasted One!  What a tender picture of the Almighty God!

        We serve a God who loves us and has compassion on us like a perfect mother!

\\ /(Let's move on to the next occurrence of this Hebrew word.)/

Isaiah 54:10, "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the Lord who has *compassion* on you."

*Observation 1.15:*

In this particular passage of Scripture, God reveals Himself to Israel as the One who has compassion on her.

We should know God as the One who has compassion upon us.

He is the Lover of our souls!!!

And He displays that love through His tender, merciful, gracious, compassion.

Therefore, God is revealing Himself to Israel as the One who has a deep feeling for their suffering; as The One who has an understanding of their suffering; and as the One who will ultimately relieve their suffering!

I can hear somebody say, "But how can God understand the suffering of the human Israelites?"

The answer is, "In the timeless event of the crucifixion!

The crucifixion has always been a fact of eternity.

The Bible /implies/ that God and Jesus made a contract in eternity past.

Jesus promised to die for the world and God promised to save the world through His death.

The Bible explicitly states that Jesus was the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

The Bible also explicitly states that God was in Jesus reconciling the world unto Himself.

So, God has always felt and understood human suffering through the *timeless* death of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, upon the cross!

Once again we see the unconditional, eternal lovingkindness of God.

His lovingkindness is described as being more steadfast than material creation.

God contrasts His compassion with the mountains being moved and the hills being shaken.

When this was written, some 3,000 years ago, who could conceive of the mountains being removed?

The mountains were considered steadfast.

Who could consider the hills being shaken except in an earthquake?

God says even though the mountains may be removed, He would not remove His lovingkindness from His people.

He says even though the hills may be shaken, His covenant of peace with His people could not be shaken.

Here is perhaps indirect evidence of the inspiration of Scriptures.

God says that the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake and today mountains are removed for highway construction and the hills shake in a number of instances (nuclear explosions, at the lifting off of rockets around Cape Kennedy, etc.).

But He assures the Israelites that even though these tremendous phenomena may take place, His lovingkindness and His compassion cannot be ultimately removed or shaken!!!

        Praise God because His promise is just as sure to us!

 

Hebrews 13:5, "Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, `I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.'"

Hebrews 13:28-29, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."

/(Let's move on to the next Scripture.)/

Isaiah 55:7, "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have *compassion* on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."

*Observation 1.16:*

We have observed in our study so far that there are temporal conditions for retaining God's temporal compassion.

The one summary condition that we have discussed is repentance from sin.

Here we find additional, important information on the temporal condition of repentance for the restoration of God's compassion, after sin.

This repentance is seen in its various elements:

 

(1) the sinning Israelite was to forsake His way of living;

 

(2) forsake His way of thinking; and

 

(3) return to Jehovah.

We actually see the two sides of genuine faith or conversion:  repentance and faith, i.e. turning from sin and turning to God.

        Turning from sin and to God are also put in juxtaposition, i.e comparison, to forgiveness.

One reason to turn from sin to God was that He would have compassion upon the guilty person.

The second reason was that He would pardon or forgive the guilty person.

Therefore, we could say that another effect of God's temporal compassion, when the conditions are met, is forgiveness of sin!

This will help us understand Scriptures that condition God's forgiveness upon our demonstration of forgiveness.

These Scriptures refer, no doubt, to temporal forgiveness.

We know that God's eternal forgiveness is built upon grace, faith and repentance, not works!!!

        We should rejoice in the fact that the immutable God still forgives sin today.