"Into the Mind of God: Is Election Fair?" (Romans 9:6-23) | 3/22/20
Romans 9:6-23 | 3/22/20 | Thad Yessa
There are some truths in the Bible that are very hard to reconcile. Somewhere, somehow truths that appear to be incompatible are actually not incompatible. They just appear that way because of the limitations of our human understanding.
Spurgeon
“The Sovereignty of God & responsibility of Man are like two rails of a track; you get in the train and if you’re the conductor you can look down the track and you see the track with two separate rails and you can’t bring them together but if you look far enough ahead you can see that it appears in the infinite distance they come together.” The limits of our vision give us an incorrect perception of reality.
This is important to keep in mind because we are going to be focusing very intensely on one “rail” of how God works. Romans 9 is probably the most cogent and clear chapter on God’s sovereignty and the doctrine of election. But chapter 10 will also say things that emphasize our responsibility to believe and confess that Jesus is Lord (Rom 10:9-10). And Romans 10 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How to Approach Romans 9
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Be willing to allow the Bible to shape and reshape your vision of God. There are many things that inform our understanding of who God is and what He is like, but we must allow the Bible to shape our thinking even if it is uncomfortable or messy. Do your best to submit your view to the authority of the Bible rather than making the Bible submit to your view.
Embrace the tension of the texts. Passages like the one we will be reading create disunity as new categories are formed, old assumptions are dismantled, and new questions arise. This is often a painful process, and yet it is important to embrace the fact that there are things about God and His ways which are beyond our ability to fully understand. Do not be dismayed by the tension. Use it as your servant to humble you and motivate a new pursuit of God.
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Romans 9:6-23
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 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,[a] but on God, who has mercy. 17 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.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 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?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.
My title today is “Into the Mind of God, but it is to highlight one question that encapsulates the tension in the text, “Is God’s Election Unfair?” The issue in verses 6-23 is how to reconcile God’s sovereignty and divine freedom on the one hand with our sense of justice or fairness on the other.
J.I. Packer, in his excellent book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, calls this tension an antinomy. According to Packer, the word hostility is helpful because it identifies that there are things in the Bible that appear to be contradictions, but they are both in fact true, logical and reasonable. Here is what he says:
“A hostility exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be true on its own, but you do not see how they can be true together.”
Context: Israel’s Unbelief
The main problem that Paul is addressing is the issue that Israel, the chosen people of God, had rejected their Messiah, and they were cut off from God despite numerous Old Testament promises about a future spiritual renewal where Israel becomes a light to the nations. Additionally (but unstated) is the problem that Romans 8 also contained many promises, so how can someone trust the promises of Romans 8 if the promises regarding Israel have not been fulfilled?
The solution to Israel’s unbelief is to see that God is working in real but often in non-descript ways, He is not finished with His plan, and there is a sovereign plan behind it all. And that leads us to the truth that undergirds all of this: divine election.
The Comfort: Divine Election (vv. 9-13) Jacob vs. Esau
Now I do not know what kind of emotions the word “election” creates for you, but I have intentionally linked it with the word comfort in this point because that is why Paul is talking about it. There are many tensions, disagreements, and unanswerable questions when it comes to this subject. But it is important to start where Paul does.
The aim of verses 9-13 is to show that the promise is invincible because of God’s sovereign plan in election. Election is talked about as comfort that God will always work out His plan to save His people.
Verse 9 begins this argument by referring back to the promise that God made to Abraham regarding a son. God chose Abraham (Gen. 12) and promised to bless the world through him (Gen. 17). God’s choice of Abraham and the miraculous birth of Isaac, while Abraham and Sarah were beyond the age of child-birth, was due to God’s grace. So the sovereignty of God or divine election is not a new subject in Romans 9. It is running through the entire story of the people of God.
God chose Abraham apart from his worthiness or his works. God made promises to Abraham that were not conditional on Abraham’s works. God chose, God promised, and God delivered. Don’t miss the fact that God, God is the focus here. The beauty of this section is the vision of God that we see.
Verse 10 unpacks this theme of election apart from works. Or to state it positively: election based upon God’s grace alone. To make this point very clear, Paul cites the historical example of Isaac’s twin boys – Jacob and Esau. If you skip ahead to 9:12, you will find the promise from Genesis 25 that Rebecca received while the twins were still in her womb: “the older will serve the younger.” And if you read verse 13, you will see a challenging text: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This is a quote from Malachi 1:2-3 where God identifies his choice of Jacob to be father of the Jewish people while Esau is a type of immoral people unable to embrace true repentance. To say that God loved Jacob and hated Esau does not mean that God “hated” Esau like we might sinfully hate someone. Rather, as in Luke 14:26 ““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”, it means to choose one person over another.
RC Sproul - “The fact that God loved Jacob and hated Esau does not indicate that God had a malicious disgust within his being against Esau. God was not filled with loathing toward him, although there are times in the OT where that kind of loathing is attributed to God against evildoers and impenitent people. Here we are seeing a love-hate contrast, which is intended to communicate the truth that those who receive God’s affection are different from those who receive God’s general love shown in common grace.”
In Jacob’s own life we see this played out. Leah complained about Jacob’s lack of love for her; Jacob’s deepest affection was for Rachel. Rachel was the apple of his eye, yet he was married to Leah first through the shrewdness of Leah’s father. Jacob was not cruel to Leah, but Leah said that she was hated by her husband (Gen. 29-30) If you look at the context, she is saying that she knew herself to be second in terms of Jacob’s preference.
Now if in your mind you are asking, “How is that fair?” I would tell you that is a great question and we will come back to that in the next section.
The point of this text is not the fairness or unfairness of God. The point is found in verses 10-11. These verses serve as a great comfort:
10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— Romans 9:10–11 (ESV)
The point of this text is so that three truths can become the ground of comfort and hope for God’s people:
1) God’s sovereign choice is made apart from works, whether good or bad – “though they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad” (v. 11a).
2) The aim of election is the continuation of God’s purposes – “in order that God’s purpose in election might stand” (11b, NIV).
3) The basis of God’s sovereign choice is God not our works – “not because of works but because of him who calls.” (11c).
Do you see the hope that is offered here when we consider the failure of Israel and, for that matter, the failure of the human race? Surely you know that Israel is not the only story of failure! The hope and comfort here is that the promises of God cannot be thwarted, especially by human beings, because the basis for God’s grace and His mercy is God! What’s more, the guarantee that His promises will come to pass even in failure is the sovereign power of a merciful, grace-giving God. The word of God has not failed because there is something underneath failure: the sovereignty of God.
First , this text shows us in a new way the utter bankruptcy of human works and family lineage. To trust in what you have done or who you are is exposed in this text as spiritual suicide. Everything with the mark of humanity on it cannot stand in God’s presence. Trusting in anything connected to our humanity be it our works, our family, our church attendance, our morality or even our spirituality is spiritually empty. Our only hope is the grace of God through Christ.
Second, this passage means that God is working out His sovereign plan despite the failure of Israel and despite our failures. This solves the problem of Israel’s unbelief by anchoring every ounce of hope in God’s sovereignty. It shows us that the sin in the Garden of Eden or the death of Jesus Christ or the failure of Israel is not the final word. God is still working out His plan, and His purposes will stand!
Thirdly, this text should leave us in stunned and humbled worship. If you have received Christ as your Savior, you need to know that God chose you. He set His love on you before you ever thought of Him. The family you were born into, the circumstances of your life (even the hard ones), the moment you understood the gospel, and everything about your receiving of Jesus Christ was not because you were smart or spiritual or humble. It was God who conquered your heart. And if you understand what Paul is saying here, you should find yourself saying “Why me?” And that question is only answered with “Because I am who I am.” It leads you to worship.
The Objection: “Is there injustice on God’s part?”
In verse 14, Paul once again uses a question and answer format in order to make his point.
What is the objection? The basic question is whether or not election is fair. Romans 9:11-13 identified that God’s choice of some and the rejection of others (“Jacob have I loved, but Esau I hated” – 9:13) was based only upon God’s decision / calling (v. 11) and not based upon any works, whether good or bad. Or to state it even more bluntly: God’s election of certain individuals was God’s decision alone and regardless of any condition in any person.
This notion of election challenges some very fundamental human assumptions. It would be one thing for God to choose between Jacob or Esau after they were born. At least in that case both sons would have been given a chance to choose which way they would go. Or maybe it would be another thing for Paul to say that Jacob or Esau’s future orientation to the things of God were known in the womb, and that is how God made his choice. Or Paul could have used another example, maybe even highlighting God’s choice of David after rejecting Saul because of God’s desire for a man after his own heart. These examples would fit with what is a typical understanding of how the world works. But that is not how Paul talks about election. The text is very clear, and that is why there is an objection raised.
Fairness and justice are very good and biblical ideals. And if you are reading what Paul is saying here in Romans 9, it will likely raise the question about fairness. Problems with election are a misunderstanding of who God is and who we are.
How can God choose people apart from anything in them? Doesn’t that make God unjust? Paul’s short answer is: “By no means!”
Three Answers to the Objection of Injustice
Paul flatly rejects any notion that God is unfair or unjust, and then he expounds on that denial in verses 15-18. There is a particular pattern in the text that is helpful to see. In verses 15-16 and 17-18 Paul first cites an Old Testament / Exodus narrative text, and then he follows with a summary statement. The word “for” begins each Old Testament citation and the words “so then” begins each summary. So Paul is once again drawing on the Old Testament to demonstrate the truthfulness of what he saying about God’s election.
Now there are three answers given in this text.
1) God is free to be merciful
2) God is free to harden
3) The display of God’s glory (not fairness) is the ultimate goal
Let’s see if we can understand these answers.
1) God is Free to be Merciful
The first answer is found in verses 15-16 where Paul establishes that God’s sovereignty and supremacy over all things means that he is free to be merciful to whomever and whenever he chooses. In other words, there is no other controlling force, governing law or principle informing God’s decision to be merciful other than his rule as God over the created order. God is free because he is God.
To make this point clear, Paul quotes a statement that God made to Moses in Exodus 33:19 – “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” At first you might think that this passage is just an affirmation of God’s mercy and his kindness. It is that, for sure. But this passage is much more. It is a statement about God’s freedom to be merciful and compassionate to whomever he chooses. Exodus 33:19 is about God’s freedom to be merciful not just his ability to be merciful.
In Exodus 33:12-16 Moses appeals to God making the case for the vital necessity of God’s presence. Moses does not want to go anywhere with the Lord’s presence (33:15), and God reaffirms his promise to go with the people of Israel in verse 17 – “this very thing that you have spoken {the request for God’s presence} I will do…” Don’t miss this. God reaffirmed his commitment to be present with his people even though they are a stiff-necked people.
In response to this promise, Moses asked something from the Lord. He asked to see God’s glory. God’s answer to Moses is recorded in 33:19, the text that Paul quotes:
19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Exodus 33:19 (ESV)
There are two very important things to notice here: 1) Moses asked to see God’s glory it was God’s character not the character of the people which would guarantee God’s continued presence. Moses knew the people and their weakness. His only hope was in God’s ability to be God, not in Israel’s ability to be faithful. 2) God promised to proclaim his name to Moses as He passed by, and then God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” Since God’s name is the expression of his character, the additional statement (“I will be gracious…”) is equally an expression of his character.
Why does Paul quote Exodus 33:19 in the middle of Romans 9? He does so because Exodus 33:19 is a very powerful Old Testament example of God’s promises being rooted in who God is and the freedom that is central to his sovereignty. In other words, the essence of God’s name is the sovereign freedom that he has, as God, to be “gracious to whom I will be gracious.” There are no other constraints on God other than who He is. The essence of who God is the fact that there is nothing else more foundational than himself, his glory or his name.
Therefore, Paul uses this quotation to answer the objection that God is unjust in choosing Jacob over Esau apart from anything in them. Exodus 33:19 shows us that God’s ability to freely administer mercy on whomever he will be merciful is based upon the very essence of who he is. God is free to be merciful based upon his sovereignty because he is God.
That is why Romans 9:16 follows with this implication: 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. Romans 9:16 (ESV). God’s mercy is not dependent upon human will (what humans will decide) or exertion (what humans do), but on God. In other words, underneath the promises of God is divine election and underneath divine election is God’s freedom to be God.
I think that this challenges some assumptions that we have as human beings as to what is most foundational in the universe. At first it seems like the choices that humans make or the freedom of our wills or the principle of justice should be at the foundation. But this text is very clear that the foundational reality underneath all other realities is God’s freedom to be God. Now it is not that his freedom violates justice or fairness. His sovereign freedom is fair and just, but in ways that we cannot see or comprehend.
What’s more, we should read this text and keep in mind that the human race does not deserve any mercy. Noby has any claim upon God’s mercy, if they did it would no longer be mercy. Since the “wages of sin is death” (6:23) the shock is not that God does not extend his compassion to everyone, but that He extends it to anyone!
2) God is Free to Harden
Hopefully you can see where I am getting this notion of God’s freedom to be merciful based solely upon who He is as God. I say “hopefully” because verses 17-18 push this point even further – uncomfortably so.
It is one thing to say that God is merciful to some and not to others. It is another to wrestle with the fact that God’s decision to harden some while being merciful to others. It is easier to think about the mercy side of this equation, but we have to acknowledge that God’s glory is revealed in both mercy and in judgment.
Once again Paul turns to an example in the Old Testament and in the context of the Exodus narrative. This time Paul quotes Exodus 9:16, and he uses the example of Pharaoh as someone who was hardened by God. Now you need to know that the book of Exodus says that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Exodus 8:15), but Paul does not make any reference to that point here. Instead the focus is only on the fact that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as Exodus 4:21 and 7:3 clearly say. Both are equally true, but in Romans 9 it is God’s activity that we are focusing upon.
Here is what verse 17 says: “17 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” Romans 9:17. This is direct quote of Exodus 9:16 where Moses delivers that message to Pharaoh after the sixth plague of the boils and before the seventh plague of hail. It is one of the few places where God explains his purpose behind his actions. God aims to demonstrate his power and his supremacy over Pharaoh and the so-called gods of Egypt.
The Exodus story is not just about the deliverance of Israel. It is about God. Here is what God says to Moses about his intentions. Listen for the themes of God’s name and redemption through judgment.
6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Exodus 6:6–7 (ESV)
Additionally, God told Moses before the plagues began that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened by God:
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Exodus 4:21
Romans 9:17 summarizes God’s supremacy over Pharaoh by stating that God is not just more powerful than Pharaoh. God has raised Pharaoh up in order to display his power over him. It is not that Pharaoh and God are equals with the exception of God being stronger than him. This text shows us that God is powerful in categories that are not even possible for Pharaoh. God’s supremacy, freedom, and power are other worldly. God’s power is mind-blowing. He not only defeated Pharaoh; he raised him up to show his power through him.
This argument from God’s supremacy is the same thing that we find in the book of Job. After Job’s suffering, which came at the hands of Satan but by permission of God (Job 1-2), God addresses Job’s complaint by highlighting his supremacy over everything. In Job 38-41 God says things like, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (38:4), and “Have you commanded the morning since your days began?” God talks to Job this way because there are activities in God’s plan that are only explained by the fact that “God is God.”
The key to understanding all of this is the phrase “that I might show my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” This is the same rationale that we observed when I came to God’s mercy. Namely, that the foundation of the universe is not fairness or justice as we would define it. But the foundational purposes and the ultimate justification for what God does is the display of his name. In other words, the center of the center of everything is God and his glory.
I wish that this text buttoned everything up in a way that was less jarring. But I do not know any other way to read it, especially considering the conclusion that Paul draws in 9:18 – “18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” There can be no mercy unless there is judgment, and God’s is so free in and of himself that he can dispense mercy or hardening without any conditions outside of himself. There is no force, no person, no thing, and no power in the universe that God is beholden to other than himself. The “Who?” question is more foundational than the “Why?” question. The glory of God, free from any other constraints, is the essence of what it means for God to be God.
God is free to have mercy. And he is free to harden. Now this creates a real tension for us, and that is why verse 19 says, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”
3) The display of God’s glory (not fairness) is the ultimate goal
Now this is not a new point but merely a summation of what I have been saying through out this text, but it is critical to understand. It is one of the keys to getting this passage right.
Remember that this entire discussion began with a question about God’s justice, and I have argued that our understanding of justice, what is fair, and what is right is not the foundational value in the universe. Instead, the glory of God is the foundation, and there is nothing in the universe that is more valuable than his glory. Therefore, God’s righteousness and justice are directly connected to his glory.
A succinct way to summarize this truth by John Piper: “God's righteousness is essentially his unswerving allegiance to his own name - his own glory. God is righteous to the degree that he upholds and displays the honor of his name. He is righteous when he values most what is most valuable, and what is most valuable is his own glory.”
Sin is the valuing of something other than God’s glory, and righteousness is the display of God’s glory. This is exactly what Romans 3 teaches us previously, but now you may see that text differently. Look at Romans 3:23-26 through this lens of God’s righteousness as the display of his glory:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23–26 (ESV)
Remember what God said about Pharaoh? “For this purpose I have raised you up to that I might show my power in you and that my name {glory} might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Rom 9:17). The parallels are so clear!
Is election unfair? Not in the slightest if we understand that the most valuable thing in the universe is the glory of God, and anything – mercy or judgment – that displays God’s glory is truly righteous. God is free and his glory is supremely valuable. That is what makes him God, and that is why election is not unfair.
Now What?
We have talked about a lot this morning, and there are many tensions that this text creates. Some of you have never thought about God like Romans 9 suggests, and I’m sure that you have many questions. But let me bring you back to some big picture applications:
1) The sovereignty of God is a great comfort. In the midst of all the tensions and challenging implications of this truth, remember that Paul is talking about this in order to reassure us that God rules over everything. His promises to his people are planted in the soil of who he is as God.
2) The sovereignty of God does not negate the call for you to believe. It may seem like we are all robots who just does as God wills, but Romans 10 contains important and familiar passages calling us to believe and to confess with one’s mouth (Rom. 10:9-10). And Paul will say “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). The best biblical illustration of God’s overcoming our dead hearts and the human responsibilty has to be John 11
John 11:43-44
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
We are dead like Lazurus ,but Jesus calls to us and we respond with faith and new life. The heart of stone like Pharoahs is turned to a heart of flesh with affection for God.
“Through overcoming grace, God unshackles us from the enslaving contagion of sin so that we glimpse the overwhelming beauty of Jesus and his kingdom. Our immediate response to this work of grace is “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” This response doesn’t happen forcibly, with God running roughshod over our wills. Instead, God changes our desires so that we love holiness and long to see God’s justice flow all around us. With wills healed and hearts transformed, we run to Jesus “freely, being made willing by his grace.”Now, how exactly does God accomplish this inward calling that cures our contagion by joining us with Jesus? We have no idea. Scripture doesn’t provide us with the specifics of how God accomplishes this work. But it happens only as the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to every nation. And, to paraphrase a few lines from Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant — who most likely wasn’t thinking a lot about theology when he wrote these words — whenever God calls us, though his “methods are inscrutable, the proof is irrefutable,””
So this Romans 9 must not make your shirk back in coming to faith in Christ nor make you less enthusiastic about evangelism nor make you stop praying for lost loved ones. God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are both clearly taught in the Scriptures, and they do not contradict one another.
3) The sovereignty of God is our comfort in our election. How do I know that I am among the elect? God’s sovereignty over our salvation is our security. If there was nothing good in us only God’s good pleasure that brought us into grace; then there is nothing to bring us out.The Son promises to carry out our salvation to the end: Jesus is both “the pioneer and perfecter” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). In other words, Jesus doesn’t start our faith as the pioneer, but then leave us to finish the project. Jesus is the one who brings it to completion as “the perfecter” of our faith as well. That’s good news for believers in Jesus Christ because it means you don’t have to keep up the payments on your salvation! If you’ve trusted Jesus, it’s not because you planned that faith in your fleeting and faulty wisdom. It’s because God set his heart on you from eternity past; God made this choice knowing everything about you — past, present, and future! As a result, nothing can change his choice to pour out his grace on you.Romans 8:28-30 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
4) The sovereignty of God in election put God in his place and we in ours. Election does not nullify human responsibility and humans are in no position to question their Maker. God shows wrath to magnify his mercy on the elect.This text calls us to renew our passion to treasure God’s glory as what is most valuable in the universe, to set our hearts on knowing him, and to repent of the ways that we value anything as more fulfilling than him. What’s more, this text shows us the disgusting reality of our pride, the foolishness of any boasting, and how ridiculous it is to make much of ourselves.