What the Bible says about Law of Reciprocity
(From Forerunner Commentary)
When Asa, one of the better kings of Judah, needed some advice during a crisis, God sent a prophet to teach him this important truth. Other verses in the Bible expand on the principle that underlies what Azariah says here. Jesus uses the same principle when He says that God judges us as we judge others (Matthew 7:1-5), so we need to be careful about the kind of judgment we use in evaluating others whose hearts we cannot read. Jesus also teaches in the Lord's Prayer that God will forgive us as we forgive (Matthew 6:12).
The underlying principle speaks to reciprocity in spiritual matters. In this case, God tells Asa that faithfulness or loyalty to God is a two-way street. Our actions, good or bad, will receive a corresponding reaction from God. If we are faithful, He will be with us, but we can expect His wrath if we rebel. We cannot count on past good behavior to excuse us in the present.
Notice what Paul tells Christians in the church at Colossae:
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled [He has granted repentance], in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel [salvation], which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23)
God works the same way today under the New Covenant as He did during the reigns of Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah. They all began well, doing “good in the sight of the LORD . . ..” But when their godly, human anchors died, or their pride swelled, they began to turn aside. God soon found fault with them and sent them a prophet to turn them to repentance, but they hardened their hearts and rejected God's offer of mercy. They did not continue in the faith.
Continuing steadily on God's path tests the reality of our faith. Will we remain loyal to God despite setbacks and trials or even through persecution? We must. As Jesus says in Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
John W. Ritenbaugh
Three Missing Kings (Part Two)Related Topics: Asa | Continuing in the Faith | Enemies, Loving | Faithfulness | God Expects Reciprocity in Relationship | God Judges Us According to How we Judge Others | God's Mercy contingent upon forgiving others | Law of Reciprocity | Loyalty | Principle of Reciprocity | Three Missing Kings in Matthew 1
God recognizes that Ebed-Melech is no superman, but like everyone, is fearful in the face of mortality. He overcomes his fear, subordinating it to his conviction that Jeremiah is God's spokesman. It is his trust in God that empowers him to show mercy by speaking up for—and then by acting on behalf of—Jeremiah.
God, who "shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11), answers in kind, characteristically granting mercy to the merciful, more specifically in this instance, granting mercy to him who "receives a prophet in the name of a prophet." Christ makes it plain that God is resolute in His promise of reciprocity (Matthew 10:41-42).
Using a different image, Solomon says the same: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days" (Ecclesiastes 11:1).
God is adamant: What goes around, comes around.
Charles Whitaker
Servant of God, Act One: Going Around, Coming Around
A divine judgment is coming, and it will be done fairly. However, God will be disinclined to show any mercy to those who have not exhibited mercy and kindness to others. This is the law of reciprocity: God will judge us according to how we have judged others (see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:37-38).
James also says that "mercy triumphs over judgment." Indeed, the laws we have broken demand our death, but the mercy of God through the sacrificial death of His Son has made a way for us to be accepted. In the end, it will be clear that God's mercy prevails.
John O. Reid
Mercy: The Better Option