Exodus 33:12 And Moses said unto the Lord, See," ..... "thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight" .....19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
There is a tendency in modern Christendom to view God as being subjective in nature, meaning that He ought to subscribe to our finite views and concepts of who we think He is, and what we think He should do, instead of us, as His creatures being subject to every word and doing of His. This format of thinking has developed a Jesus of our own devices that is at the beck and call of the human agent, being subject and changeable to the movements and standards we set at different points in our history. But the Bible establishes the fact that God has certain prerogatives which we must all come to grips with, because the sacred truths that pertain to His Eternal God-head stand firm and fast forever, whether we believe or not.
In the above passage God says expressly that one of His prerogatives is to show mercy on certain individuals, as He sees best, and this statement of fact must not be taken to mean that He practices favoritism to some while being harsh with others. God is love, and His mercies extend to all generations of the human family, yet He does retain the right to exercise His mercy in ways that He sees befitting.
For instance, when the the plagues upon Egypt were predicted by God through Moses, He gave ample time and room for due consideration and sober reflection on the part of Pharaoh and his cohorts. But the waves of mercy being beaten back steadily by a stubborn and rebellious king, caused the judgments of God to fall upon the nation with ever-increasing severity, until all of the first-born of man and beast were touched by the cold fingers of death. Let's read:
Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
In commenting upon this fateful night the apostle Paul brings out of The Lord's treasure house, some very sacred and sobering truths, pertaining to God's prerogative to grant mercy. This particular chapter of Romans 9 makes for very difficult reading if our eyes are not anointed with eye-salve that we may discern these truths spiritually. In this chapter Paul does not address the numerous times God had manifested mercy and forbearance to pharaoh, but instead he deals with the singular truth of God's prerogative to do whatsoever He sees best in any situation, without being accountable to anyone. This sacred truth must of necessity be understood and digested if we are to retain right concepts of the God-head. Let's read:
Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 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. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17 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. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
The reason why He can find fault is because of the freedom to choose which He has granted to all men. God sets before us the good and the evil and He bids us choose life so that it may be well with us and our off-spring. But He never forces the will of His creatures, and if we choose the only other option of sin and death, then we must stand the consequences of our actions. Mercy is poured out from day to day upon all people, and some acknowledge God's grace, while others ignore it, and others again make a mockery of the sacred sacrifice that was made to save the human family. But the same sun that hardens concrete also melts butter, and it is our response to God's gracious overtures that actually determines whether or not His mercy will continue to be granted. But some people are not even interested in mercy, and therefore God does not force them to accept His grace, even though it is uniformly showered upon all.
The solemn promise of extra mercy is made to the generations of the righteous, and God does retains that right, just as an earthly parent will make promises of goodwill to children that are willing to honor them by their actions. Many times in the Bible, The Lord referred to the past faithfulness of the patriarchs as the reason why He continued to show mercy to their offspring, and this method of dispensing grace and mercy is fully in line with the statement made by God which says "Them that honor me, I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed". Some folk do not care to be esteemed by God, and for this reason His mercy is granted in excessive measure to those who will make the right use of it.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which certifies the promises of grace and mercy to all the families of the earth who choose to serve God, and it is His will that all should come to a saving knowledge of The Christ who died to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. Let's read:
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
May God enable us to see and understand these sacred truths. God bless!