14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses,“I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”
16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
Tori's Comments:
I remember struggling with this for a long time, about how unfair it seemed. But then I realized my definition of fair is from a human perspective. He is God, for goodness sake. And we are already given mercy from what we deserve!
Terrie's Comments:
God honors our heart condition. If our hearts are set on Him it cannot be hardened. It is when we turn from God and have our hearts set in other places that we are vulnerable for our hearts to be hardened towards Him. Pharaoh was not approaching God or God's people from a heart that honored or feared God. He was vulnerable to a hardened heart and he was used by God to show God's glory to those who were soft to Him. So no matter where our hearts are at, God is able to use everyone for His purposes and to turn people back to Himself.
Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!
I really appreciate your commentaries Terrie and Tori! I always read gain my own interpretation and then both of your give clarity or challenge me.
ReplyDeleteTerrie you totally cleared this passage up for me. Its a heart issue. If we are truly for God no worries. And why not use someone that has already turned away to show His glory like pharoh or saul.