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Mercy and Redemption in the Old Testament

The Hebrew Scriptures present mercy not as sentimental leniency but as a defining attribute of God's character, inseparable from His covenant faithfulness. When Moses ascends Sinai after Israel's apostasy with the golden calf, the LORD proclaims His name: "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" [4]. This self-revelation anchors Israel's understanding of divine mercy throughout the Old Testament—it is abundant, everlasting, and "new every morning" [2], yet never divorced from justice.

The Covenantal Framework of Mercy

Mercy in the Old Testament operates within the structure of covenant. God's mercy is "sure" and tied to His promises to the patriarchs [2]. The psalmist declares, "Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other" [1], capturing the tension and harmony between God's compassion and His holiness. This is not mercy that overlooks sin but mercy that provides a way through judgment. The prophets repeatedly call Israel to "break up your fallow ground" and "seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness" [15], linking repentance to the reception of mercy.

The concept of redemption emerges from Israel's legal and social structures. When a kinsman could not free himself from bondage, a near relative might redeem him [13]. This kinsman-redeemer pattern becomes the theological foundation for understanding God's redemptive work. He visits His people "in order to redeem" [8], returning after long silence to fulfill ancient promises. The prophets speak of this redemption as both rescue from exile and deliverance from sin's consequences [9].

Mercy in Judgment

The Old Testament refuses to separate mercy from God's righteous judgment. His longsuffering is "part of his character" [7], exhibited in forgiving sins and exercising patience toward both His people and the wicked. Yet limits are set to this forbearance [7]. The prophetic literature repeatedly shows God remembering mercy even in the midst of judgment. When Israel faces the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, the promise remains: "I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land" [3].

Matthew Henry observes that Israel's punishments under the old covenant were themselves "means of repentance" [14], designed not merely to punish but to restore. The cycle of rebellion, judgment, and restoration in the historical books demonstrates that God's mercy is "his delight" [2], even when His people "obstinately stood it out against the judgments of God" [12]. The prophetic name Ruhamah—"having obtained mercy" [6]—signals the reversal of judgment and the restoration of covenant relationship.

The Blood Sacrifice and Redemption

The sacrificial system provided the mechanism through which mercy could be extended without compromising justice. Christ's blood, prophesied under the Old Testament as the means of redemption [11], was "shed for the remission of sins that were past, and for the redemption of transgressions under the first Testament" [9]. The writer to the Hebrews explains that Christ's death secured "forgiveness for the sins not covered by the former imperfect covenant" [10], demonstrating that the old covenant anticipated a fuller redemption.

Easton's Dictionary notes that "by the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness" [5]. The Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to this reality, showing that mercy required a mediator and a substitutionary offering. God's mercy is described as "high as heaven" and "filling the earth" [2], yet it finds its concrete expression in the shedding of blood—first in the Levitical system, then definitively in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice.

Sources

  1. Psalms “Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. -- Psalms 85:10”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Mercy of God, The — Is part of his character -- Ex 34:6,7; Ps 62:12; Ne 9:17; Jon 4:2,10,11; 2Co 1:3. Described as Great. -- Nu 14:18; Isa 54:7. Rich. -- Eph 2:4. Manifold. -- Ne 9:27; La 3:32. Plenteous. -- Ps 86:5,15; 103:8. Abundant. -- 1Pe 1:3. Sure. -- Isa 55:3; Mic 7:20. Everlasting. -- 1Ch 16:34; Ps 89:28; 106:1; 107:1; 136:1-26. Tender. -- Ps 25:6; 103:4; Lu 1:78. New every morning. -- La 3:23. High as heaven. -- Ps 36:5; 103:11. Filling the earth. -- Ps 119:64. Over all his works. -- Ps 145:9. Is his delight -- Mic 7:18. Manifested In the sending of Christ. ”
  3. Jeremiah “I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land. -- Jeremiah 42:12”
  4. Exodus “Exodus 34:7 (Geneva1599) — Reseruing mercy for thousands, forgiuing iniquitie, and transgression and sinne, and not making the wicked innocent, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon ye children, and vpon childrens children, vnto the third and fourth generation.”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Mercy — Compassion for the miserable. Its object is misery. By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness (Gen. 19:19; Ex. 20:6; 34:6, 7; Ps. 85:10; 86:15, 16). In Christ mercy and truth meet together. Mercy is also a Christian grace (Matt. 5:7; 18:33-35).”
  6. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Ruhamah — having obtained mercy”
  7. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Long-Suffering of God, The — Is part of his character -- Ex 34:6; Nu 14:18; Ps 86:15. Salvation, the object of -- 2Pe 3:15. Through Christ's intercession -- Lu 13:8. Should lead to repentance -- Ro 2:4; 2Pe 3:9. An encouragement to repent -- Joe 2:13. Exhibited in forgiving sins -- Ro 3:25. Exercised toward His people. -- Isa 30:18; Eze 20:17. The wicked. -- Ro 9:22; 1Pe 3:20. Plead in prayer -- Jer 15:15. Limits set to -- Ge 6:3; Jer 44:22. The wicked Abuse. -- Ec 8:11; Mt 24:48,49. Despise. -- Ro 2:4. Punished for despising. -- Ne 9:30; Mt 24:48-51; Ro 2:5. Illustr”
  8. Luke (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Luke 1:68: There is not a word in this noble burst of divine song about his own child; like Elisabeth losing sight entirely of self, in the glory of a Greater than both. Lord God of Israel--the ancient covenant God of the peculiar people. visited and redeemed--that is, in order to redeem: returned after long absence, and broken His long silence (see Mat 15:31). In the Old Testament, God is said to "visit" chiefly for judgment, in the New Testament for mercy. Zacharias would, as yet, have but imperfect views of such "visiting and redeeming," "saving from and del”
  9. Luke (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Luke 1:72: To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,.... By "mercy" is meant salvation by Christ, which springs from the mercy of God; the promise of which was an instance of mercy to the Jewish fathers under the Old Testament, and also the performance of it; for they were saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus, even as we: his blood was shed for the remission of sins that were past, and for the redemption of transgressions under the first Testament: and to remember his holy covenant; which was made between him, and his Son from all eternity; and was, at various times, dispens”
  10. Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 9:15: for this cause--Because of the all-cleansing power of His blood, this fits Him to be Mediator (Heb 8:6, ensuring to both parties, God and us, the ratification) of the new covenant, which secures both forgiveness for the sins not covered by the former imperfect covenant or testament, and also an eternal inheritance to the called. by means of death--rather, as Greek, "death having taken place." At the moment that His death took place, the necessary effect is, "the called receive the (fulfilment of the) promise" (so Luk 24:49 uses "promise"; Heb 6:15; ”
  11. 1 Peter (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Peter 1:19: But with the precious blood of Christ,.... Christ was prophesied of as a Redeemer under the Old Testament, Isa 59:20 and the Jews frequently ascribe redemption to the word of the Lord God (f); and which the apostle here attributes to the blood of Christ; whose blood is the same with ours, only not tainted with sin; the blood of an innocent person, and of one who is God, as well as man, and was freely shed in the room and stead of his people, and so a sufficient price for their redemption: and it may truly be said to be "precious": as it is to God, to whom it is a swe”
  12. Leviticus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Leviticus 26:40: Here the chapter concludes with gracious promises of the return of God's favour to them upon their repentance, that they might not (unless it were their own fault) pine away in their iniquity. Behold, with wonder, the riches of God's mercy to a people that had obstinately stood it out against the judgments of God, and would never think of surrendering till they were reduced to the last extremity. Yet turn to strong-hold, you prisoners of hope, Zac 9:12. As bad as things are, they may be mended. Yet there is hope in Israel. Observe, I. How the repentance which ”
  13. Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 1:7: In whom--"the Beloved" (Eph 1:6; Rom 3:24). we have--as a present possession. redemption--Greek, "our (literally, 'the') redemption"; THE redemption which is the grand subject of all revelation, and especially of the New Testament (Rom 3:24), namely, from the power, guilt, and penal consequences of sin (Mat 1:21). If a man were unable to redeem himself from being a bond-servant, his kinsman might redeem him (Lev 25:48). Hence, antitypically the Son of God became the Son of man, that as our kinsman He might redeem us (Mat 20:28). Another "redempti”
  14. Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 78:40: The matter and scope of this paragraph are the same with the former, showing what great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, how provoking they had been, what judgments he had brought upon them for their sins, and yet how, in judgment, he remembered mercy at last. Let not those that receive mercy from God be thereby emboldened to sin, for the mercies they receive will aggravate their sin and hasten the punishment of it; yet let not those that are under divine rebukes for sin be discouraged from repentance, for their punishments are means of repentance, and shall”
  15. Hosea (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hosea 10:12: Continuation of the image in Hos 10:11 (Pro 11:18). Act righteously and ye shall reap the reward; a reward not of debt, but of grace. in mercy--according to the measure of the divine "mercy," which over and above repays the goodness or "mercy" which we show to our fellow man (Luk 6:38). break . . . fallow ground--Remove your superstitions and vices, and be renewed. seek . . . Lord, fill he come--Though not answered immediately, persevere unceasingly "till He come." rain--send down as a copious shower. righteousness--the reward of righteousnes”
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