Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Law of Reciprocity
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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1 Samuel 4:5-7
The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God, and when the Israelites saw it, they all began to shout. Their response was fitting and correct because their divine King was among them. However, the rest of the story reveals He was intensely displeased with Israel and gave the victory to the Philistines. This episode occurred when the sons of Eli had disgraced the priesthood, and God had largely removed Himself from the nation. The Israelites thought they could use the Ark like a good luck charm. They trusted in a holy object, not understanding the principle of reciprocity in their relationship with God. As He told King Asa much later, “The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (II Chronicles 15:2; emphasis ours). So, the neglectful Israelites presumed to bring God into battle with them, and He fought against them. The shout of the King was among Israel, but God's presence brought destruction rather than favor.
David C. Grabbe
The Shout of a King
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2 Chronicles 15:1-2
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)
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Jeremiah 39:17-18
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
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Matthew 6:12-14
Among the three personal requests Jesus includes within His Model Prayer—for daily sustenance, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil—only the middle one receives additional comment (verses 14-15). His instruction clarifies the second half of the request in verse 12 (see Luke 11:4): “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (emphasis ours throughout). Our Savior wants to ensure that His disciples do not miss the severe implications of seeking forgiveness while withholding forgiveness from those who have wronged us. As God freely forgives those He calls—despite their horrendous sins against Him—He expects the elect to follow His example and show mercy to others. The verb tenses in this request, faithfully translated into English, are instructive. The petitioner asks God to forgive him as he has already forgiven those who have sinned against him. Luke's version of the Model Prayer adds a slight twist, reading “for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us,” which in Greek is in a continuous tense, perhaps better rendered, “as we keep forgiving.” These tenses suggest that God's original forgiveness at justification is a singular act of grace on His part, but our ongoing forgiveness contains a condition: If we fail to reciprocate forgiveness toward others, God may withhold His mercy from us. The Greek word behind “forgive” in Matthew 6:12 is aphiēmi (Strong's #863), which in classical Greek meant “to send off” in a variety of nuances: “to hurl [a spear],” “to release,” “to let go,” or “to let be.” In Scripture, it is often used in the sense of “to leave,” as in Mark 1:20, where Zebedee's sons “left” their father to follow Christ. It can also mean “to set aside,” used in Mark 7:8 to describe the Pharisees “laying aside” God's law in favor of their traditions. In Mark 12:19, the Sadducees try to entrap Jesus with a story about a man who dies and “leaves his [childless] wife behind.” When the woman anointed His feet with costly oil in Mark 14:3-9, Jesus uses aphiēmi in the phrase “let her alone” (verse 6). Sometimes, it can mean “to allow” or “to permit,” as in Mark 5:37, where Jesus allowed only Peter, James, and John to witness His transfiguration. The Greeks used aphiēmi to mean “to remit” or “to forgive or pardon” in both a secular (to forgive monetary debt) and religious (to forgive a fault or sin) sense. It describes a dismissal or release from obligation. As its many usages suggest, the spiritual sense not only implies absolving a sinner from paying what he owes (Mark 11:25), but it also retains the undertones of “laying aside,” “leaving behind,” “letting go,” and “leaving alone.” When God forgives someone, the debt is wholly removed, never to be revisited or reinstated; it is “laid aside,” “left behind,” “let go,” and “left alone.” It should be the same when people forgive others. Notice how Jesus phrases this request: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” It may seem insignificant, but in this way, Jesus emphasizes the human element of the process of forgiveness: We are to forgive the person, not just the infraction. If a person remits a debt on a purely business or legal level, the forgiveness is real, but it has a negligible impact on the relationship between the debtor and debtee. The transaction has been essentially faceless and emotionless, and while the debtor is undoubtedly grateful, there is scant guarantee of a continuing association. Instead, God desires not just forgiveness but also reconciliation. The debt, offense, or sin has caused a breach in the relationship, and forgiveness removes the hindering element so the involved parties may return to peaceful, positive, harmonious interactions. He has reconciled us to Him through the blood of Christ (Colossians 1:19-21), and He wants us to reconcile with others, especially those in the faith from whom we have become estranged by sin or offense.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The Model Prayer (Part Seven): Forgive Us Our Debts
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James 2:12-13
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
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