God’s Anger And Mercy

It was a rainy Sunday morning. As Harry turned into the main road, he saw ahead of him three bedraggled figures huddled under a single umbrella at the next bus stop. One was old Mrs Fletcher. She still insisted on getting to church by herself, despite her arthritis which was alwa … More

Sovereignty

This passage begins with a question which makes us ask, “Is God unjust in choosing Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau? Moses over Pharaoh and Israel over Egypt” (vv. 14-18)? Paul responds, “Not at all! God is not under obligation to give mercy to anyone.” In Malachi 1:2,3, the statement “Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated” refers to the nations of Israel and Edom, rather than to the individual brothers. God chose Jacob to continue the family line of the faithful because he knew his heart was for God. But He did not exclude Esau from knowing and loving Him.

Paul then refers to Isaiah 45:9 and 29:16. Man, the created one, does not have a right to question God who is wiser and is the Creator, just like the clay has no right over the potter (vv. 19-22). The Creator has the same authority over His creatures which came from dust. Paul is not saying that some of us are worth more than others, but simply that the Creator has control over the created object. The created object, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator; its very existence depends on him. All of us deserve condemnation, not mercy. However, we are not excused from responsibility. Pharaoh had many opportunities to learn about God and trust Him, yet he refused and chose to rebel. God prepares men for His glory, but sinners prepare themselves for judgment (vv. 23-24). We find in Moses and Israel how God showed the riches of His mercy. However, we see in Pharaoh and Egypt that God revealed His power and wrath. Neither deserved mercy.

Application

Am I submitted to God like the clay is to the potter? In other words, am I letting God conform me to His will? If so, my life should bring glory to God, and my actions should be those that please God.

Romans 9:14-24 (English Standard Version)


Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (Space required at line 39, column 24) in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/magpie6-1/rss_fetch.inc on line 230

Warning: array_slice() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/rss/esvLookup.php on line 15

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »