I. The Word: Romans 9

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

II. Reflection Questions:

1. How do you define justice?

2. What is mercy?

In today’s text, we are prompted to ask ourselves one of humanity’s age old questions: “Is God really good/just?” Regardless of a person’s level of belief in God, this question tends to stir up a myriad of thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Answers to this question can be revealed only by cultivating a life-long dialogue with God, but we’ll start with a closer look at today’s verses.

In verse 15, Paul recollects a time when Moses dialogues with God, and God reminds him who holds the final verdict regarding a person’s fate. The common synonym used for ‘mercy’ in the Old Testament is, ‘lovingkindness’ (some would separate both words: mercy and lovingkindness). The significance of this word is that it also reveals the covenant-love that God shows towards His people. He also shows mercy to those who are far from Him; as he takes delight in showing mercy (ref. Micah 7:18). It is the overflow of God’s goodness, not our mustering up of personal/moral “goodness” that allows us to experience the mercy of God. Verse 16 implies that, even our “badness” is not enough to disqualify us from experiencing the mercy of God.

There is a sense of humility that Paul desires us to have, in regards to verses 17 and 18. He reminds believers and non-believers alike, that our purpose is to bring glory to God (ref. v. 17). That glory can be displayed in the form of having a soft heart towards God i.e. Moses, or it can be in the form of having a hard heart towards God i.e. Pharaoh. God reveals His acclaim through us, because it His will and good pleasure to do so (ref. Revelation 4:11).

Think about a family member, friend, or acquaintance that does not know God. In the natural sense, it can be difficult to believe that God has a plan for their lives; but we are to believe that, especially if we say that He is Good, and does not make mistakes. We need to not only look at how their current lifestyle may be keeping them away from God, but pray that He uses their current situation as a potential driver for them to come to know Him. We must constantly, as long as we’re living on this Earth, implore God for His perspective in regards to our life’s circumstances, whether they be “good” or “bad”. At the end of the day, all that matters is that we live as though we are a part of His story, and not like He is a background character in ours.

May God keep us blameless, by His never-ending mercy.