Mercy, Judgment, and Cleaving

The word set before Israel was not given for admiration but for obedience. Stones were raised, the law was written plainly, blessings and curses were spoken aloud, and the people were commanded to hear in silence. The same pattern stands in the psalm: mercy and judgment belong together, and the man who sings to God must also order his house, bridle his eyes, and refuse fellowship with deceit. In Ephesus, this obedience became public and costly. When Christ’s name was confessed, hidden arts were burned, profitable idols were exposed, and a city was disturbed because men turned from works made by hands.

Clement says that the psalm “sings of God Himself, Justice and judgment are the preparation of His throne: mercy and truth shall go before Your face.” Therefore no one should ask for mercy while making peace with lies, greed, or uncleanness. The Lord who is merciful is also the Lord who searches the house and the marketplace.

Tertullian gives the right response: “After the Lord your God you shall go, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and serve Him, and cleave unto Him.” This cleaving is not a hidden sentiment. It is seen when a man casts away the thing that enriches him but offends God, when a household refuses corrupt speech, when a disciple endures uproar rather than return to idols.

So let the law be written not on plastered stones only, but on conduct. Let the song of mercy and judgment be heard not from lips alone, but from a life that renounces evil and keeps company with the truth.