I have done judgment and justice... deal with thy servant according to thy mercy...

It is time for Thee, LORD, to work; for they have made void thy law...

Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because they keep not Thy law.

Psalms 119:121, 124, 126& 136, KJV

Yesterday we looked at the simplicity of justice tempered with mercy, and the joy of living according to God's way. This type of simple life, and the joy that flows from living it, are nothing short of wonderful. It makes for an uncomplicated and contented existence, and this is certainly what God desires for His children. 

But there is another side to this simple way of living that is of paramount importance, and I was reminded of it just a few minutes after writing yesterday's article. In the news was a congressional hearing in which it was learned that research was being done with the tissue of aborted babies, and in such a way that it should make all people sad and angry at the same time. These "researchers" were taking the product of freshly aborted babies and injecting it into rats to see what their reaction would be. It was all done, they would no doubt claim, in the interest of learning and science.

The Germans performed their horrific experiments on people in their "laboratories" in their day. They, too, claimed to be interested in learning and science - and no doubt they were. But the world at that time was different, for when it was discovered what they had done people were shocked, appalled, and outraged. Justice was swift... in those days.

Fast-forward to our time. Are you at all shocked that people would be harvesting the parts of murdered, unborn babies in order that we can learn? Are you appalled that they would take tissue from these innocent lives in order to advance science? Do you not feel any sorrow for what was done to these children? Are you not outraged that this could be done in America? Do you not feel that it is time for "rivers of water" to flow from our own eyes? Do you not feel that God might be about to decide that it is time for Him to work, because we have made void His laws?

This is why justice and mercy are so important, and especially during times such as this. Many will feel that what is past is past and that we should just forgive them and go on. But we must understand this: As vital as forgiveness is, mercy without justice is not mercy - it is tolerance! So, do we just go out on a huge "bloodletting" purge in order to obtain justice? Again, we must understand another vital truth: Justice without mercy is not justice - it is revenge, and that is God's area, not ours.

So, what can we do? How about this for a start: We admit that we have sinned by permitting such heinous actions to occur in the first place. We find out just exactly what has been taking place and then we exercise the laws of God and of men to punish those who have transgressed these laws. We must do so with pity on the souls of those who are guilty, but we also must carry out justice on behalf of the innocent in order that nothing like this ever be permitted to happen again in our nation.

If we can hear of such evil and not be moved to sorrow and tears, then it is probably time to do a little soul searching of our own. For a people who can tolerate such a degree of wickedness without remorse are a people who are close to losing all hope, both for their nation, and for their eternal souls.

It is time for people everywhere to honestly face the sins that we have been tolerating, and to repent. It is time for us to see the importance of justice tempered with mercy for, if we do not, it might just be that God is poised to intervene. What do you suppose will be the outcome for us if we say nothing and just go on with our lives as if nothing has happened? What do you suppose needs to be done to a people who will not even lift a finger of help or a whisper of protest when they see the evil that is being done right before their eyes? I think it is something we all need to be thinking about, don't you?