THE SOVEREIGN GOD IS RIGHTEOUS
Romans 9:14‑18
Is there anything God cannot do? This question has often been debated. Without entering into a debate with you, I affirm that there is one thing that God cannot do. He cannot do anything that is inconsistent with His righteous character.

As Paul declared the sovereignty of God in His elective choice, he imagines an objector. This imaginary objector asks, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?" Is God being unjust to Esau when He chooses Jacob? Is He treating wrongfully Ishmael when He chooses Isaac? Just the suggestion that God might do something wrong or unjust was a horror to the heart of Paul. He exclaims, "God forbid! May it not be!'' There is absolutely no possibility of God ever doing anything inconsistent with His righteous character. Righteousness is not just something God does. Righteousness is what He is. Everything about our God is righteous. He acts righteously because He is righteous.

To prove this, Paul does his usual thing‑‑he turns to Scripture. Human ideas are not of any value when you are considering this sort of question. The only thing worthy of consideration is what God has said in Holy Scriptures. From the book of Exodus Paul finds two notable examples of God's righteousness in making a sovereign choice.

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS IN PARDONING SINNERS
When God pardons any sinner, it is a matter of mercy. As the sovereign God, He is free to show mercy whenever it pleases Him.

"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.''

The context of this quotation must be kept in mind. The children of Israel had degraded themselves in the worship of the golden calf. In anger Moses cast down the tables of the law and broke them. At the bidding of Moses, the sons of Levi expressed the displeasure of the Lord with the situation by killing some of the guilty. When God spoke to Moses of His intention to destroy the nation, Moses began to intercede on their behalf. In response to the earnest intercession of Moses, God did show mercy to Israel.

Then God took Moses to the mountain side and proceeded to give Moses the law a second time. While there, Moses prayed boldly and asked God for a personal revelation of His glory. In granting this coveted privilege to Moses, God spoke this revealing word. "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion". God was saying to Moses, "No man has a claim upon My mercy. Neither Israel or you deserve My mercy. I am free to bestow it upon whomever I please and whenever I please.''

Understanding these words will help us understand the statement. "Mercy" emphasizes the response to human wretchedness in its active manifestation. Compassion emphasizes the inward expression of the feeling itself in sighs and tears. Here they are used as parallel words. The point is that no man, people, or nation deserves God's looking upon them in pity and moving toward them to relieve their misery. God's mercy can be explained only by God's character. He is the God of all mercy.

The Apostle applies this word, "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." A man does not receive God's mercy because he desires God's mercy. A man does not receive God's mercy because he seeks God's mercy. When God bestowed His generous mercy upon sinful Israel, they neither desired nor sought it. God is sovereign in the bestowing of His mercy. Any suggestion that God would be unjust in withholding such mercy makes such an idea unnecessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. No one has a claim or right to God's mercy‑‑not even Israel.

Nor do we! If God has dealt mercifully with you, it is because He is a God of mercy‑‑not because you deserve such mercy. God's mercy is totally undeserved by sinful man. All of the praise must be given to God for mercy received.

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS IN PUNISHING SINNERS
We must not allow our consideration of God's mercy to overshadow the truth of God's judgment. As the sovereign God, He is free to harden and punish the sinner whenever it pleases Him. No one can accuse him of injustice when He does.
Again we are confronted with Scriptural evidence. At the same time God was being merciful, He was judging Pharaoh. "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, "Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.''

This is a dark and mysterious saying by our God. Let me see if I can paraphrase it for us. God is saying to Pharaoh, "I have brought you on the stage of history to see demonstrated in you my power." The explanation given is that this is the example of God hardening a man.

How do we handle this? Was God responsible for Pharaoh’s hard heart? Before we seek to answer that question, we should read the inspired record again. Ten times Exodus records that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. While God sent the ten plagues to break and soften the stubborn heart of Pharaoh, they had the opposite effect. Instead of yielding to the evidence of God's power, and allowing God's people to go, Pharaoh stubbornly refused. Finally God judicially hardened Pharaoh’s heart. All this involved was God giving Pharaoh over to his own blind ways.

God did use the stubbornness of Pharaoh to demonstrate His glorious power. As God constantly demonstrated His superiority over the Egyptian gods, the faith of Israel was confirmed. God did put on display His power through the destruction of Pharaoh. Was He unjust to Pharaoh? Absolutely not! He gave Pharaoh only what he deserved. Surely the Creator is free to do with His creatures whatever pleases Him.

Two great truths are affirmed in this dark passage. This great passage affirms some basic things about man. Man has no claim on the mercy of God; he has no right to the mercy of God. God's bestowing mercy cannot be explained by what man does or fails to do. O that we would begin to see ourselves for what we are! We are creatures! We are sinful creatures! All we are by nature the children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
However this is basically a defense of Divine righteousness. Before God can be accused of injustice or wrong doing, we must prove that He has withheld something that was rightfully deserved, or that He has given judgment that was undeserved. Can you bring forth any evidence that God has ever withheld mercy from any creature that deserved it? Can you produce any proof that God has bestowed judgment upon someone who did not merit it? Just the opposite is true! No person receiving mercy from God ever deserved it. No person receiving divine judgment did so without fully deserving it.

That confronts us with a question. Will God show mercy to you and me? Does this concern you? If it concerns you, then you probably can know God's mercy. One evidence of God's mercy is the trembling of our hearts about our sinfulness. Apart from Divine intervention we would never be concerned about God and His mercy ‑‑‑ instead we would be just like Pharaoh‑‑stubborn and self‑willed! If you want to be saved, you can be saved! Whosoever will, let him come.

The concern that you feel about your situation before God is an expression of divine mercy. Cast yourself before Him with a cry for mercy, and He will hear you! He specializes in saving sinners.