Tag: molded

20.d. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy”

Romans 9:14   What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

Exodus 33:19  Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

God’s mercy is not something we earn or deserve.  We have done nothing or can do nothing that would obligate God to give and show mercy toward us.  It is out of His love that He looks on His creation and offers mercy through Jesus Christ to all who would believe in Him.  It is out of His love that mercy is given to us so that through Jesus Christ those who humbly surrender, repent, trust, and obey are promised eternal life. 

Our sinful nature leads us to believe that this is how we were created, imperfect.  However, we were created perfectly.  In this perfection, we were created with free will.  We were created with free will to continually be in the presence of God in obedience.  We were created with free will to love and trust God.  However, Adam, in this free will chose to disobey God.  He willingly chose to disobey and our sinful nature was born into man forevermore.  His disobedience gave birth to sin and separation from God.  In our sinful nature, there is nothing that deserves mercy from God.  Adam was made perfect but chose to be imperfect through disobedience.  Since Adam, disobedience has continued to mature and manifest its self through self-worth, self-desire, self-reliance, self-gain, self-first, self-centered, self-honor, etc……….  We may ask “why have you made me like this?” When in fact mankind, through Adam, we willingly chose to be like this.  God is not to fault and we are without excuse. We are without any hope were it not for God’s mercy.  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  God’s mercy and love demonstrated.  This offer of restoration to God is because of His love and mercy toward His creation.  It can never be earned by any act we attempt to do to deserve it.  Jesus Christ was God’s mercy gift of Love.  Adam was given free will and chose to disobey, and now God has sent His Son to redeem man by giving us the means to be made right with Him.  Each person is given free will to choose to believe in this mercy gift through Jesus Christ, humbly surrendering, repenting, obeying, trusting, and believing in Him alone, not anything of self.  Just as Adam had free will and chose to disobey, we have free will to either believe, trust, honor, surrender, repent, and obey, or disobey.  God’s gift of mercy is nothing to take passing notice of, give lip service towards, become complacent towards, or neglect.  Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell awaits us all and we have been given free will to choose.

5.d. To the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Job 9:5   he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

1 Timothy 6:16   who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Daniel 4:35    all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Ephesians 1:11    In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Romans 9:18-20     So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.  You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?

Putting our thoughts to God and His awesome mighty power, strength, and wisdom will always fall short of Him.  We are limited in this knowledge and understanding.  We catch limited glimpses of His, love, grace, mercy, power, and holiness.  We tend to question the course of things in our life rather than focus on things of God.  Paul said it like this “I have learned to be content in both plenty and want.”  When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ rather than the course of things in our life we will continue to grow in both our understanding of Him and that our faith and hope in Him is not in vain.  We will grow in our trust of Him to work all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose.  We will grow because our seeking and desire are rewarded with confirming assurance in and through the Holy Spirit.  We will grow in our dependence and love for Him.  We will grow in our want to honor and glorify Him.  We will grow in our want to follow and obey Him.

Certainly, things are going to happen in our lives that give us initial worry, fear, and concern.  We can take these thoughts captive and run into the presence of Jesus Christ and never ever worry, fear, or concern ourselves with His perfect love, plan, and purpose.

4.r. How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible his ways!

Job 4:12   “Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it. Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice: Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error; how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

Romans 11:33   Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Romans 9:20     But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

Ecclesiastes 7:20    Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Jeremiah 17:9   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Matthew Henry:   “Eliphaz relates a vision. When we are communing with our own hearts, and are still, Ps 4:4, then is a time for the Holy Spirit to commune with us. This vision put him into very great fear. Ever since man sinned, it has been terrible to him to receive communications from Heaven, conscious that he can expect no good tidings thence. Sinful man! shall he pretend to be more just, more pure, than God, who being his Maker, is his Lord and Owner? How dreadful, then, the pride and presumption of man! How great the patience of God! Look upon man in his life. The very foundation of that cottage of clay in which man dwells, is in the dust, and it will sink with its own weight. We stand but upon the dust. Some have a higher heap of dust to stand upon than others but still it is the earth that stays us up, and will shortly swallow us up. Man is soon crushed; or if some lingering distemper, which consumes like a moth, be sent to destroy him, he cannot resist it. Shall such a creature pretend to blame the appointments of God? Look upon man in his death. Life is short, and in a little time men are cut off. Beauty, strength, learning, not only cannot secure them from death, but these things die with them; nor shall their pomp, their wealth, or power, continue after them. Shall a weak, sinful, dying creature, pretend to be more just than God, and more pure than his Maker? No: instead of quarrelling with his afflictions, let him wonder that he is out of hell. Can a man be cleansed without his Maker? Will God justify sinful mortals, and clear them from guilt? or will he do so without their having an interest in the righteousness and gracious help of their promised Redeemer, when angels, once ministering spirits before his throne, receive the just recompence of their sins? Notwithstanding the seeming impunity of men for a short time, though living without God in the world, their doom is as certain as that of the fallen angels, and is continually overtaking them. Yet careless sinners note it so little, that they expect not the change, nor are wise to consider their latter end.