Be Pleasing in His Sight

Greetings, Wayne, a servant of God, by the grace of God, teaching truth under the authority of Jesus Christ to any who are willing to receive it, or as Jesus put it, to any who have ears to hear (Mat 11:15).

I will be the words in green. Purple Highlights will be key words or phrases of truth.

One has entered the new covenant with God by repenting (coming out of the evil practices of the world and turning to the righteous ways of God) and has sealed the determination and promise to do so by being baptized in the name and true gospel of Jesus Christ (the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God on earth). What now? What does God expect of His newly baptized member of the family of God? We find the answer in His word - the Holy Bible:

Mic 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

We will look at examples, from God's word, of these three all important areas of pleasing God. Let us begin with "doing justly". Who does God consider just? Here, from the very first verse containing the word "just":

Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

A just person walks with God, obeying and carrying out His will. And notice His will here for His people, the house of Israel, the ones He freed from Egyptian slavery, concerning being just and fair in their dealings with one another:

Lev 19:35 You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard [height or width measurement], in weight, or in measure.

Lev 19:36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah [a measure in general], and a just hin [liquid measurement], shall you have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

A righteous commandment from a wise God who understands what is needed to keep peace and harmony among the people - righteousness in judgement. Another example of God's will for just judgement:

Deu 16:18 Judges and officers shall you make you in all your gates [towns, cities, communities], which the LORD your God gives you, throughout your tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

Not taking bribes, gifts, or showing respect of persons, but measuring out just judgement to all, equally:

Deu 16:19 You shall not wrest [pervert] judgment; you shall not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

Following just ways with all people and nations makes no enemies:

Deu 16:20 That which is altogether just shall you follow, that you may live, and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.

Pro 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is His delight.

A just one is never ashamed of the Lord his God, and stands ready, always, to give all praise, glory, and honour to Him:

Deu 32:1 Give ear, O you heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deu 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

Deu 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe you greatness unto our God.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.

From, king David, of the house of Israel:

2Sa 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

2Sa 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and his word was in my tongue.

2Sa 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, he that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

Doing justly is recognizing God's righteousness and acknowledging when we have done wickedly:

Neh 9:33 Howbeit You are just in all that is brought upon us; for You have done right, but we have done wickedly:

Neh 9:34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Your law, nor hearkened unto Your commandments and Your testimonies, wherewith did testify against them.

Psa 7:9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God tries the hearts and reins [minds].

A just man is teachable:

Pro 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

A just man holds firm to his integrity:

Pro 20:7 The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

A just man, knowing he is not perfect, recognizes when he falls off the path of righteousness and gets back on it:

Pro 24:16 For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief [and remain there].

Ecc 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that does good [works], and sins not.

A just man will not let pride remove him from his faith in God:

Hab 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

And here is his faith:

Mat 5:43 You have heard that it has been said, you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy.

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Mat 5:45 That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

A just man will seek out the will of God in matters of judgement:

Joh 5:30 I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me.

And finally, doing justly is living by the laws of God:

Rom 2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

Rom 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Let us now move on to the truth of God concerning "loving mercy".

Until we get to the psalms of the Old Testament, we only see God being praised for His mercy. Does God not expect mankind to show the same mercy that He shows us to one another - one blood (Acts 17;26); all His created children (Mathew 5:9)? Yes He does. Notice what king David, anointed with the Holy Spirit of God (1Sa 16:13), was inspired to write:

2Sa 22:1 And David spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

In the good times:

2Sa 22:26 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful, and with the upright man You will show Yourself upright.

Also written in one of king David's psalms:

Psa 18:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with an upright man You will show Yourself upright;

Having been ordained by God to rule over the house of Israel upon his resurrection (Jer 30: 7-9), there can be no question of king David's love and loyalty towards God, deeply expressed in his psalms. Yet, king David and all who have been baptized with God's Holy Spirit, have had to contend in a spiritual battle with Satan the devil. Let us look at some examples:

1Ch 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

The apostle Peter speaking to the elect - baptized receivers of the Holy Spirit of God (spiritual Israel: Eph 1:3; Col 1:9; 1Pe 2:5):

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:

What happens on the part of a begotten child of God that leads him to be devoured by the devil? We find the answer in the book of James:

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love Him.

Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man:

Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness [His word remains constant and unchanging to all generations], neither shadow of turning.

Jas 1:18 Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [to be fulfilled in the first resurrection (Rev 20: 5,6)].

Anger, or wrath, can also draw us away the from the will of God and give place to the devil, the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). Though none of us are perfect at not becoming angry, we must quickly release that anger and yield it to God's ownership of vengeance:

Eph 4:26 Be you angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Eph 4:32 And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord [Deu 32:43; Psa 94:1; Isa 35:4; Isa 63:4].

It is in a just man's nature, usually in his anger, not to want to extend mercy and forgiveness to evil doers as we will see in the following verses from the same king David who earlier acknowledged God's will to show mercy to receive mercy [Psa 18:25]:

Psa 109:12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

Psa 109:16 Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

Psa 109:17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

And this can happen to any of us in times that are not so good.

But now we arrive at the book of Proverbs and find the will of God on the matter of mercy from the wisdom that He gave to King Solomon. Notice the following verses confirming the understanding from God:

1Ki 3:9 Give therefore Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people [house of Israel], that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Your so great a people?

1Ki 3:10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

1Ki 3:11 And God said unto him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life; neither has asked riches for yourself, nor has asked the life of your enemies; but has asked for yourself understanding to discern judgment;

1Ki 3:12 Behold, I have done according to your words: lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like unto you.

And confirming Solomon receiving the wisdom of God:

1Ki 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

Here is the wisdom of God given to Solomon, :

Pro 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments:

Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to you.

Pro 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake You: bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart:

Pro 3:4 So shall you find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Pro 14:21 He that despises his neighbour sins: but he that has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Pro 14:22 Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.

Pro 14:31 He that oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker: but he that honours Him has mercy on the poor.

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

Pro 28:13 He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.

At this point, we will look at some warnings from God through His holy prophets (2Pe 1:21) concerning mercy:

Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel: for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

And the result of these things from generation to generation:

Hos 4:2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood.

Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hos 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hos 12:6 Therefore turn you to your God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on your God continually.

Zec 7:9 Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

Before we enter the New Testament, here is an important declaration from God confirming the relevance of the Old Testament:

Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

God's mercy still endures today:

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob [house of Israel (Gen32:28)] are not consumed.

Now let us see what we find in the New Testament concerning mercy:

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Mat 9:13 But go you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Jesus' teaching using The Parable of the Good Samaritan:

Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, think you, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

Luk 10:37 And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do you likewise.

And from the disciples of Christ:

Rom 9:15 For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Jas 2:13 For He shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed no mercy; and mercy rejoices against judgment.

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits [works], without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The bottom line for the elect of God concerning loving mercy to obtain mercy:

Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

We now come to the truth of God concerning "walking humbly" with God.

It is the will of God for mankind to walk humbly with Him. We see examples of this in the following verses:

Exo 10:3 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

Deu 8:2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove [test] you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments, or no.

And God, "who changes not" humbles and tests the baptized in the truth of God today (1Pe 4:12). Here is a timeless message from God to His people:

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name (Joh 6:44, 65), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face [seek His presence, with reverence and fear], and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God will hear the humble:

2Ch 34:27 Because your heart was tender, and you did humble yourself before God, when you heard His words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbled yourself before me, and did rend your clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard you also, says the LORD.

Psa 10:12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand: forget not the humble.

Psa 10:17 LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble: You will prepare their heart, You will cause Your ear to hear:

The poor and humble of heart wait on God to lift them up according to His will. In the meantime, while prisoners in this present evil world, they praise and thank God for every blessing:

Psa 69:29 But I am poor and sorrowful: let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

Psa 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psa 69:31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs.

Psa 69:32 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God [Jer 29:13].

Psa 69:33 For the LORD hears the poor, and despises not His prisoners.

Pro 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

It is not uncommon for the spirit in man (Job 32:8) to become crushed when he stumbles in his walk with God, therefore, the Lord provides the following, comforting words:

Isa 57:14 And shall say, Cast you up, cast you up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.

Isa 57:15 For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite [crushed] and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isa 57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made [Ecc 12:7].

Isa 57:17 For the iniquity of his covetousness [usually unjust gain; profit] was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly [backsliding; turning away from the ways of God] in the way of his heart.

Isa 57:18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

Isa 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, says the LORD; and I will heal him.

But the continually wicked:

Isa 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

Isa 57:21 There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.

And from the New Testament concerning the humble, beginning with Jesus the Christ of God:

Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

And from the book of James, confirming what we have learned of God concerning the humble:

Jas 4:6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.

The apostle Peter teaching the same as James while also teaching respect for the elderly:

1Pe 5:5 Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

From the apostle Paul to the elect of God:

Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you.

Final words of wisdom:

Pro 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

And from the apostle John to the elect, final words on pleasing God:

1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

1Jn 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

Amen.

Freely I have received, freely I have given.

Farewell,

Servanthood