What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 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 depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
At our Bible Study on Wednesday, someone asked why God chose David as king of Israel. I cleverly answered that it was because God chose David as king of Israel. This verse would have been my proof text had I needed it. God chose David and no one else, not because David deserved it but because God chose it. God is just and no one else was cheated out of being king while David reigned those 40 years. No one deserved it. As David himself rightly said in Psalm 51,
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
He was well aware of and extremely thankful for the one attribute of God that gives us hope. His mercy.
Because God has mercy on some and not others, opponents say he is not merciful. This is to miss the point of God’s holiness. A holy God can destroy all sinners and still be just. He is merciful, however, which is why we worship him. He is worthy to be worshiped because he sent Jesus to die so the world may be saved. The fact that he chooses who in the world is saved diminishes none of his mercy. It emphasizes it.
Dear Lord, thank you for your mercy because, like David, our sin is ever before us. Help us to lay it at the foot of the cross. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church