Romans 9:14-18

14: What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
15: For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”
16: So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
17: For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
18: So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

*** 

Seeing that God chose Jacob over Esau and Isaac/Sarah over Ishmael/Hagar, did that mean God was unjust? No. He is God. He can do as He pleases, and man is in no position to challenge Him or complain. Paul quoted Exodus 33:19 after Israel made and worshiped a golden calf and God wanted to destroy them. Moses interceded for them, asking God to pardon them and continue with them on their journey. God said He would, and that He will have mercy on whom He has mercy and compassion on whom He has compassion. He retained that right.

God’s grace is not given because of what a person wants or does, but solely because of His mercy. We cannot make salvation happen for us. We can humble ourselves before him, believe in His plan of salvation through Jesus, and call out to Him for mercy, but we can’t demand that He has mercy on us just because we want it or think we deserve it.

Paul showed the other side of mercy when he quoted Exodus 9:16 during the time when Moses was sent by God to ask Pharaoh, (who held Israel as slaves), to let them go. Pharaoh refused, even after many signs and plagues which demonstrated God’s power. The Lord said to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up to demonstrate My power in you…" In other words, He used Pharaoh to demonstrate what might happen to those who oppose Him—and Pharaoh and his army were killed in the Red Sea while pursuing the Israelites for whom God provided a miraculous escape.

God may have mercy on some and harden others. He has that right, and no one can dispute it. In Pharaoh’s case, the Bible says several times that his heart was hard, that he himself hardened his heart in response to the signs of Moses, and then that God hardened his heart. Although our Creator reserves the right to do what He will with His creation, He is a God of justice, integrity, truth, and love. He was introduced to us as Father through Jesus. Yet we do show Him all the respect and honor He deserves and keep our heart humble before Him. Trying to find a legal or moral argument to force God to forgive a person or show mercy, will not stand. Rather, we ought to take the position of repentance and humility, offering worship and reverence to Him.



Pharaoh’s hardened heart: Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7, 9:12, 9:34, 10:1, 10: 20, 10:27, 11:10

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