Mercy and Justice

     Continuing on the Lord's list of do's and don'ts in Matthew 5, He said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." More directly, according to Luke 6:36, He said, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." ( And aren't we really, really glad He is?!)  Even longer ago, we are admonished, "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother" (Zech 7:9) and, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8) This can be just a little tricky for us because we all know someone who has been judged or has judged totally unfairly. So how are we to react? We have been given the direction to forgive 70 times 7 and told that the Lord is the only true judge. However, we also know there are judges appointed in Israel whose duty it is to resolve difficulties. The authority to make judgments on another individual is a heavy responsibility and no one can take it upon themselves. Yet every day we do and must make judgments in who to trust, how to stand in "holy places", what to accept and believe, and how to make even small decisions. Just as it is impossible to talk about truth without talking about lies, if we refer to mercy, we are also recognizing judgment.     James (2:13) warns, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." Alma (42:24,25) also explains, "For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God." Jesus Himself said, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24) In Leviticus 19 we read, "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment.....but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor." Near the end of 1 Corinthians 5 and the beginning of 6 Paul talks about judging the unrighteous and casting them out of the company of the believers. We know we must limit our interactions with those who might lead us away from obedience to God's commandments. We know we are subject to Satan's influence and the weaknesses of the natural man in each of us. It is important for us to determine what is right and what is wrong. Moroni (7:15-18) probably sums it all up best: "For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God