What does it mean that God is the Father of mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3)?

In 2 Cor. 1:3, the expression "Father of Mercies, the God of all comfort" conveys that in these we find the most noteworthy in the realm of time. We are the objects not only of abstract mercy, but of ceaseless specific mercies, i.e., the countless incidents in which we are debtors to the mercy of God! In consequence He is the God of all comfort. The evidence of God's care for us must necessarily afford as nothing else can. He is the Author of those mercies, i.e., their origin.

"Blessed are the merciful." No word within the compass of our language has a sweeter sound than mercy; and no other word could bring the character of God more fully before thy mind. This leads to thy deepest joy, and thy richest blessing — dwelling on the character of God. He is "the Father of mercies." Mercy is not merely a resource of God, but He is its source — "the Father of mercies." He is the well-spring of all the pity, compassion, tenderness, kindness, and charity, whether temporal or spiritual, which flow through this world of misery. And this mercy, blessed be His name, is from everlasting and to everlasting — without beginning, before time; and when time is past, without end. "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him." (Ps. 103:17.) But in the meantime, on this "narrow neck of land," this world of sin, between the incomprehensible past and future, mercy flows as a mighty river, and unites, as it were, the ocean of eternity. There is no interruption to His mercy: it is the active principle of His being in this world of sin and misery." For his mercy endureth for ever." Who can speak of the transcendent blessedness of such a truth in such a scene of sorrow as this world is! But for the ceaseless flow of His mercies, it could only be like that place where His mercies are clean gone, and where He will be favourable no more for ever. When the ear of mercy is closed, and the arm of mercy is withdrawn, nothing remains but the agonies of despair. But now He delights in mercy, and will delight in it.

"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Rom. 9:15.) God only can say "I will I will," and He only has a right to say so. No creature can say, "I will" — God only! but His "I wills" are mercy and compassion, and are all ours in Christ Jesus for ever. Satan may deny it; the poor human heart may doubt it; but the word of the Lord standeth firm and sure, it cannot be broken. "I will sing," says the psalmist, "of the mercies of the Lord for ever … For I have said, mercy shall be built up for ever." Psalm 89. "How shall I meet those eyes? Mine on Himself I cast, And own myself the Saviour's prize; Mercy from first to last."

How blessed, then, to know that the God of our salvation, the One who has been fully set forth in Christ, is "the God of all comfort." The phrase is preceded by another - "the Father of mercies"; that is, as we understand it, the mercies or compassions which have been ministered to us through our Lord Jesus Christ have all flowed out to us through Him from the Father's heart. (Compare Rom. 12:1; 1 John 3:1.) In like manner, God is the blessed fount and source of all the comfort which can be received, and He is this because He is the God of resurrection. Now that . He has been fully glorified in the death of His beloved Son, He is set free in righteousness to let the mighty tide of His comforts flow out, without let or hindrance on His side, into the sorrowing hearts of His people in every part of the world. The only barrier to its inflow, at any time of need and distress, is to be found in our own state. A clear way has been made for Himself to minister it; but, alas! its reception is often checked by our unbelief and lack of expectation.

In his second letter to the Corinthian believers the apostle Paul speaks of God as the "Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." This is a most precious title, and whilst the word used carries with it more the thought of encouragement, the two meanings are not unrelated to each other. Our source of comfort and of encouragement is in God Himself. What perfect understanding the blessed God has of all our needs, and what infinite resources from which he can meet those needs, ministering comfort to our hearts in doing so. As encouraged by Him it is our happy privilege to act in like manner towards others, and how extensive the circle of those needing comfort is! "Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." How precious a service! perhaps rendered in obscurity, but valued by God who is Himself the Source of all encouragement. A letter to a bereaved saint; a visit to the sick-bed; a word of cheer to the depressed; a helping hand to the harassed and weary; a word of encouragement to the young in the faith. In many and various ways the comfort wherewith we ourselves have been comforted can be ministered to others.

There was One who had unmeasured trouble and sorrow here, and only One — the blessed Lord; to us, all is measured out, either God-given, or God-permitted, sorrow. He puts on us only what He sees needful for us. There is no temptation, but that which is common to man. God will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able. He knows exactly what the vessel is able to bear. He puts the right amount on it, and then places His own blessed strength, as it were, under it, and so helps us to carry it. All goes on under His hand, no amount of God-given consolation, in the midst of the troubles we pass through, could ever be the measure of what is in God's heart, so the Apostle breaks out with "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," who is the source of it all. Then we find the relationship, "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," — this defines the relationship we are in to Him, and then adds, "the Father of mercies." He is the spring and source of every mercy — it is all mercy, mercy every step of the way; every trouble is mercy, all His way with us is mercy. Paul begins with God; he starts from the holy glorious person of the blessed God Himself, — all in Him is perfect fulness, divine sufficiency; and then the Apostle comes down to what He does, "who comforteth us," etc. The Apostle is passed through all he speaks of here in order that he might be able to minister it to others. The servant is passed through many an exercise and difficulty, many a pressure and trial, often not so much for himself as for those he would serve under Christ. He produces in the servant that character which it is His object to develop by means of his service. He puts the servant in the stocks, as it were, that he may be able to come forth and say, — "Oh, I have tasted the mercy of God as the God of all comfort.'"

After the opening words of salutation, the Apostle blesses God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. The Apostle had many trials and testings, as well as much suffering, and in all these depressing experiences, God had graciously ministered unto him. Therefore he blessed God in this outburst of praise. We can only bless God as we know Him. Trials, afflictions, sorrows and sufferings make God a greater reality to the believer and display His gracious favor towards His beloved people. The Apostle had made this experience, "Who comforteth (or encourageth) us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." In all his distress and tribulation he had drawn near to God, and God had not failed him, but ministered to his need. The blessing and encouragement he had received from God fitted him to comfort those who are in trouble.

God is the God of resurrection. God's way of dealing with His people is the display of His strength in their weakness. You need not be afraid of being brought to death if He is the God of resurrection. Have you the sentence of death in yourself? It is a thing of everyday wear; a Christian man should never take a step but on the principle of having the sentence of death in himself. God often brings us up to the last point, to see if we have the sentence of death in ourselves. If He lets us down into a pit where there is no water, there is light above! "Who hath delivered and doth deliver," etc. (2 Cor. 1-10). Past, present, and future, all is connected with Him, as the God of resurrection. If we want to know Him as the " Father of mercies and the God of all comfort," we must be prepared to be put into circumstances to experience our need of mercy. Mercies are the forms in which the mercy which dwells in the heart of God expresses itself. The Corinthians did not think they needed much comfort, but Paul, who had to run the world round, and who carried the churches in his bosom, found out his need of mercy and comfort. Paul was kept from glorying in gifts, for God rolled in upon him the sentence of death every day; so while the Corinthians were boasting their gifts, God was letting Paul down into all sorts of extremities, that the rain of His mercies might flow in. In 2 Corinthians 1 we get the word "comfort" ten times. We shall get lots to bring us into the want of this comfort. It must be so, if we have much to do with Himself. Every step of the wilderness must have the principle of death and resurrection. The servant of the Lord who has known Him longest, I would ask him, Which are the times which look brightest now ? Is it not when you have been brought to your wits' end, and perhaps had little faith, and were almost in despair, when you did not know how the truth or yourselves were to be brought out of it? Then, your extremity has been God's opportunity to show Himself the God of resurrection. John never gets his cup so turned upside down as to his service as when he found himself in Patmos. He was brought there that a book might be written, without which the Church could not well get to the end: there was the power of God blending itself with weakness. When Israel went out of Egypt God could have led them any other way; but He had prepared the wilderness for them, to teach them that He was the God of resurrection. He knows how to turn the wilderness into a standing water. People say, "Oh, my weakness! my leanness!" But we never should talk of weakness if it were a realised thing, a recognised thing. Sometimes we come and expect rest, and we find disquiet, because He wants to make His strength perfect in our weakness. Do you give thanks for the discovery of weakness? Directly we give thanks for a thing that is trying to us, Satan is worsted; he says, that will not serve me. If in a burning fever and you cannot sleep, and you give thanks, he will send you to sleep directly rather than be the cause of your giving thanks. There is sweetness in the very thing, because God is letting in His strength.

2 Corinthians 1:3 speaks of “mercies.” Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Mercy provides for our sins, mercies for our sorrows. They are like the waters from the smitten rock, they follow us all our pilgrim journey. Israel celebrated the “mercy” of God on the banks of the Red Sea, they experienced the “mercies” of God every day for forty years. Their raiment waxed not old, their foot swelled not.

God is “the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1), and it is His will that His people should be comforted and not distracted; this is the commission He has given to His servants. This comfort is not exactly that which a mother gives her sick or tired child, soothing it to forgetful slumber: it is more than that, it is encouragement for the discouraged, strength for the weak, and restoration for the fainting, it fills the soul with the buoyancy of hope, for it flows from the knowledge of God who is “the God of hope” and “the God of patience and consolation” (Rom. 15).

Little as one may realise it at first, this wonderful transaction of the soul with God involves more than mercy and peace. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ … ” (Eph. 2:4-5). Let us observe here that God's rich mercy is because of His great love. Love is His very nature, and love acts in mercy toward a wretched sinner, even when dead in sins, moving God's heart to work in the most helpful way possible. Mercy is that tender compassion of God toward the deep need of the soul in its circumstances of misery or of guilt. Mercy can forgive, and delights to do so.