Proverbs 20:28 Commentary and Bible Study

The mercy spoken of here is the mercy exercised by the king within his kingdom. It might seem that this is the opposite of the punishment of verse 26, that both are not possible at once. Mercy preserves the king not because his throne is seriously threatened by wickedness, not because he must let some pressure off the pressure cooker of justice, not because he must show leniency to avoid an explosion of rebellion. This king is master of the situation. He does not show mercy out of weakness but out of strength. His mercy is at his sovereign disposal and he is not compelled to do anything in his kingdom. He exercises mercy and justice; he demonstrates his severity and his goodness. Severity wins fear from his people, but mercy wins love. Mercy is not at the expense of truth but takes full account of it. The difference between mercy and indulgent slackness, or laxity, is that the latter does not recognise the importance of justice, while mercy does. The starting point of mercy is the recognition of the law’s demands on the situation. Mercy triumphs over justice not because it ignores the claims of justice but because it surmounts them. Indulgence on the other hand wants to relax the law and abolish justice. What is so marvellous about mercy is that it is willing to pay such a high price. In the heart of an earthly king this is about a willingness to overcome his reluctance to forgive. In the case of the Lord, it is about the provision of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Mercy preserves the king and upholds his throne because it is such a noble expression of his character that earns the respect, the affection, the compliance of his people with his government as they appreciate the goodness of their king and desire that he continue to be the one to rule over them. They would have no one else to be their king because they appreciate his kindness and wisdom so much and it is his mercy in particular that reveals this to them. In the same way the people of God love the Lord Jesus Christ and cry out that he should reign over them for ever and ever. They gladly submit to him because he is the perfect manifestation of just and wise kingship. This realisation of the character of their Lord and God, Jesus Christ, causes them to avoid much rebellion in their hearts because he makes it so easy to submit to his kingship.