The Lord Mercies

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by David Wilkerson

In ancient Israel, the ark of the covenant represented the mercy of the Lord, a
powerful truth that came to be embodied in Christ. We are to receive his mercy,
trust in the saving blood of his mercy, and be saved eternally. So, you can
ridicule the law, you can mock holiness, you can tear down everything that
speaks of God. But when you mock or ridicule God’s mercy, judgment
comes—and swiftly. If you trample on his blood of mercy, you face his awful
wrath.

That’s exactly what happened to the Philistines when they stole the ark.
Deadly destruction came down on them until they had to admit, “This isn’t
just chance or happenstance. God’s hand is clearly against us.” Consider
what happened when the ark was taken into the heathen temple of Dagon, to mock
and challenge Israel’s God. In the middle of the night, the mercy seat on the
ark became a rod of judgment. The next day, the idol Dagon was found fallen on
its face before the ark, its head and hands cut off (see 1 Samuel 5:2-5).

Beloved, this is where America should be today. We should have been judged long
ago. I say to all who mock and challenge the mercy of God: Go ahead, try all you
want to bring Christ’s church under the power of secularism or agnosticism.
But if you mock the mercy of Christ, God will cast all your power and authority
to the ground. Jeremiah says, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not
consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22). Yet when men
make a mockery of that great mercy which is Christ, judgment is sure.

It is only the mercy of the Lord that delays judgment. And right now America is
benefiting from that mercy. Incredibly, our country is in a race with the rest
of the world to remove God and Christ from society. Yet the Lord will not be
mocked; his mercies endure forever, and he loves this nation. I believe that is
why he’s still pouring out blessings on us. His desire is that goodness will
lead us to repentance (see Romans 2:4).

We are not to despair over the present condition in America. We grieve over the
awful corruption, mockery and sin, but we have hope, knowing God is in full
control. We know the mercies of God endure forever.