The Right Combination

Some of my favorite treats and recipes include famous combinations. It’s hard to pick a favorite duo. There’s pineapple and coconut, chocolate and peanut butter, maple and bacon, and countless others!

One time, when I was very young, I was helping my mom in the kitchen. She was making my favorite apple cinnamon bread—another great combination! I helped gather the ingredients from the cupboard, including of course, what I thought was cinnamon.

We followed the directions all the way through, baked the bread, and were excited to taste the final result. It looked delicious! But when we took a bite of the apple cinnamon bread, it was clear that something was wrong. It turned out that I had grabbed the cayenne pepper instead of the cinnamon. Believe it or not, you can’t make apple cinnamon bread without cinnamon, and you certainly can’t replace it with cayenne pepper!

God repeatedly asks His people to display both justice and mercy—it’s a dynamic duo throughout Scripture (Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:17, Hosea 12:6). According to His Word, we cannot walk in obedience without a desire for both justice and mercy, and we certainly cannot replace either with shallow, superficial actions (Proverbs 21:3, Hosea 6:6).

In Zechariah chapter 7, the people of Israel have asked the prophet if they should continue fasting (verse 3). However, according to the Lord’s response through Zechariah, even though they were fasting, they were really only doing it for their own sake, not out of true obedience to God (verses 5 through 7). So, instead of asking for more fasting, the Lord gives the following command:

"Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other." (Zechariah 7:9-10 NLT)

A similar message is echoed in the New Testament. Jesus says:

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of law – justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. … Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:23, 28).

The Israelites from Zechariah chapter 7 and the Pharisees of the New Testament had made the same mistake; they were concerned with appearing righteous without actually carrying out what God had instructed them to do. (Just as our apple cinnamon bread looked good on the outside, but something on the inside was not right!) God, in His mercy, gives His Spirit to guide us in following His instructions—so we need not fear neglecting a main ingredient.

Father God, we thank You that mercy and justice have been perfected in You. Thank You for showing us both by sending Your Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will stir the desire and show the way for both justice and mercy in our hearts, empowering us to walk humbly in obedience to You.

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:6-7)

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.