Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;

Perhaps one of the reasons many Christians do not read the Old Testament is because much of it is about the law and we are now under grace. Fine but does the nature of man and community change altogether just because we try and live under grace? Some of those OT lessons still apply from a standpoint of human tendencies.

Just because everyone agrees does not mean that we are right. I’ve seen whole conventions of religions choose to use their influence to isolate a segment of sinners and drive them further away from grace. Love the sinner but hate the sin wasn’t even mentioned. Condemnation of a sin and all who practice the sin does not touch the heart of a sinner and draw them out and away unto God.

The OT prophets often stood alone against overwhelming odds, but God prevailed. While the office of prophet no longer exists, if you see your fellow Christians agreeing and in your heart something isn’t quite right, speak up. You can say “I’m not convinced.” Open a dialogue.

Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Living under grace does not mean you stop reasoning.

Exodus 9:5 And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.

If we could only see things from God’s point of view, but we don’t. We see things from within our own reality. Our circumstances color our opinions and emotions. What if I were to change the phrase appointed a set time to say the time was ripe? Would you look at the circumstances of the times preceding today and see that the time is ripe for change? You would gauge the conversations, events, and see a progression which might lead to what happens next.

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

Think about the people to whom Jesus spoke these words. They were subject to a ruthless Roman emperor who had littered their countryside with thousands of crucifixions. Rome showed no mercy. The time was ripe for mercy, they longed for mercy because of their circumstances. It was no wonder that they hung on every word. They wanted to know how they could obtain mercy and here was a great rabbi to teach them how.

We are all seeking something when the time is ripe in our lives to listen. It might not be mercy. We might need love. We might need identity. We might need justice. We seek that thing in our life that seems most lacking or dominating depending on our circumstance. The answer isn’t much different for each of us now as it was then.

We cannot accept one aspect of God and ignore the rest. We cannot pick and choose. “I will take mercy but stop with the justice thing, I don’t want to think about that.” It does not work that way. Jesus came and showed us all the Father was, in all His glory, love, mercy, just, righteous, healer, redeemer, and yes Savior. God is not a menu, you cannot pick and choose what fits your circumstances. If you seek mercy then you have to accept all that God is to receive it.

John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Because they could not accept all of Jesus.