Purpose

DEVOTION

ROMANS

PURPOSE

Rom 9:14-18

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 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 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."   18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

NIV

There is this question as to whether God is unjust. How could God be unjust as he is the very example of being just? When Paul uses a portion or rather quotes the words of God that he spoke to Moses, it is somewhat taken out of context, and Paul writes this as inspired by the Spirit. Yet what God told Moses was during that time Moses and God were having a conversation and Moses wanted God to prove he would be with the people he lead out of Egypt. The conversation was long, and we cannot include all of it, but finally Moses asks to see his glory. God answers him, telling him he will cause his goodness to pass in front of him.

Ex 33:18-20

18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

NIV

This mercy and compassion was about doing what Moses requested. It is not to be taken as God chooses who he will have compassion and mercy and who he will not. That would make him unjust, treating each person differently. We know he does not show favoritism, he does not give salvation to one, and keep it from another. Yet in this passage we also have the concept about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. This sort of gives us the idea God does chose some to not have mercy on, that he hardens people hearts, they have no choice in the matter and predestination is right. However, if we look at what God actually said it might mean something else. When we read the actual account of this conversation the Lord told Moses to have with Pharaoh we can see God raised Pharaoh up, God created Pharaoh for the express purpose to be able to reveal all God’s power and might to the world. Yet Pharaoh still had a choice in the matter for included in this conversation God tells Pharaoh, “You still set yourself against my people”. Pharaoh set his own heart, but God raised him up. That does not mean God created him to be like he was, but that God saw a man who had hatred within himself and God caused this man to raise to power in Egypt and to be the Pharaoh at the time God called Moses to go there and lead the people out of Egypt. God made sure the right man, with a hardened heart was the Pharaoh. There have been people throughout the ages that have had harden or evil hearts. God may well use them in some way, such as the many times he disciplined his people because of their disobedience and had some evil king or ruler take them into captivity. It is always God purpose to bring people to repentance and belief. We just cannot comprehend God chooses some people to send to hell, or to perish, it still is up to the individual as to how he directs his heart. Is our heart directed to evil or to God? That is what it is always about. However, God will raise up those who have directed their heart toward evil for his purpose. He will put them in powerful places for the purpose of bringing people to him. He did not make them evil, they did, but he will use them for his purpose. What this should show us is that God has a purpose for all people, and that translates into what is his purpose for our life. How does God what to use us to show his power and might to the world. God has raised us up for his purpose, not so we can live for our own purpose. What purpose does God have for us? What is our purpose?