Throughout the Bible, mercy is shown by God in many situations, even if we do not deserve it. He took our burdens so that we could be free. Mercy is one of the central themes of the Bible and helps us better connect with God. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay This was not the first time that one of God's prophets had disobeyed the command the Lord had given him. God told Jonah to go and deliver a message of repentance to the people of Nineveh who had become sinners. When Jonah received this assignment, he did the opposite of what God had asked him to do; he jumped on a boat that was sailing in the opposite direction from Nineveh to a city called Tarshish. Travel of this distance would not return for at least 3 years. Which shows that Jonas had no intention of returning anytime soon. Seeing this, the Lord unleashed great storms that caused considerable fear in the hearts of the sailors. Jonah reluctantly went forward and told the sailors what he had done and that God was going to judge him. Hearing this, the sailors threw Jonah into the sea where he was swallowed by a huge fish. This is described in the Old Testament: “And the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah remained in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). It is interesting to note that the text says "The Lord provided a large fish to swallow Jonah." The word “provided” is translated in the KJV as “prepared.” This illustrates that God created this special fish for a specific plan (Smith 214). All the while, Jonah is aware of his disobedience, but he still considers himself faithful to the Lord because he did not worship false gods like the Ninevites did. After spending 3 days in the belly of the whale, “the Lord commanded the fish: and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (Jonah 2:10). In a sense, Jonas was back where he started. Except he seemed like a totally different person. With many lessons learned and with a renewed mindset, he began his journey to the city of Nineveh where he would proclaim God's message to the Ninevites. Jonah made a grand entrance into Nineveh, which was probably quite dramatic. His clothing and lifestyle were undoubtedly different from those worn by the Ninevites, practically demanding attention. Smith says the situation was probably like “a needle in a haystack” (Smith 261). The message Jonah preached was one of impending judgment, warning them of their falls, telling them that they should repent and ask God for mercy so that He could spare them (Walton 779). The Nivevites believed in God. They fasted to the Lord, put on sackcloth, offered daily sacrifices of animals and even organs as omens to the Lord so that He could show mercy (Walton 780). Jonah had preached repentance to the people of Nineveh, and because the Ninevites listened and changed their ways, God showed them mercy. Jonah was angry because God had shown appeasement to these formerly wicked people (Walton 780). Jonah sat outside the city, under the comfort of a plant, hoping that God would destroy them again, but that was not the case. Jonah, who was clearly angry with God for saving Nieveh's people, cried out to God, saying, "I knew that you were a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, abounding in grace, renouncing evil." (Jonah 4:2). ). This verse shows the compassionate nature of God and the attributes ofLord to those who do not deserve his grace and mercy (Smith 277-278). The story of Jonah helps emphasize that our God is a merciful God to all, not just to those who already know Him and have a personal relationship with Him. Another example of God's mercy is found in Acts. At that time, Jesus Christ had just left and told his disciples to go and spread his word among the nations. There were many heavy persecutions against Christians who were led by a Pharisee named Saul. Saul believed he was serving God by persecuting these Christians and destroying the Church. It is said throughout the beginning of Acts that Saul had extreme hatred towards the believers, he made threats and murders against its members. Which shows his very hostile attitude and his efforts to imprison believers (Bock 354). It was clear that his objective had not changed while en route to Damascus. His goal in this journey was to find every means by which he could imprison and persecute any man, woman, or child claiming to be a follower of Christ. As we walked the long, heavy road to Damascus, a bright light appeared from the sky. This light from heaven indicates the Shekinah, which is the presence or glory of God (Keener 346). Saul fell to the ground in terror and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4). Saul, still terrified, asked who had questioned him. The Voice responded by telling Saul that he was Jesus. By persecuting God's disciples, Saul persecutes Jesus. The voice told Saul that he should go to the city and that from there he would be directed. As the light began to fade, he could no longer see anything, he could only hear the sounds around him. God sometimes made individuals blind in order to prevent them from causing evil (Keener 346). After spending several days with the disciples, Saul received his sight, both physically and spiritually. It is said in the book of Acts that he became a new man, preaching Christianity in the synagogues and that Jesus is the Son of God. The people who heard of this were disconcerted by the sudden change in Saul and asked, “Is he not the man who caused havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?” And has he not come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests? (Acts 9:21). The change that took place in Saul happened night and day, his eyes were open to the spiritual misconception he had interpreted. The man who was once the attorney general of believers and wreaked havoc is now preaching the word of Christ in synagogues to the very believers he was trying to eliminate. Saul was a completely changed man through the works of the Lord. The narrator chooses to change Saul's name to Paul to show that he has changed his lifestyle and changed his life for the better. Paul's story shows God's mercy in an amazing way. Paul, who was one of the most wicked individuals of the day, finds mercy in the eyes of the Lord. God could have struck Saul down in an instant, but He chose to be patient and have mercy on him, which allowed him to find Christ and become arguably one of the most influential disciples of all. time. God shows us through this story that He will never withdraw His love and mercy towards us that He has shown and promised in Jesus Christ. Jesus clearly presents mercy by showing compassion and kindness to a sinful woman who had committed an act of adultery. Jesus went to the temple near the Mount of Olives, where an argument was taking place between a woman who had repeatedly committed adultery. THE.