Bible Reading
Romans 9:15-24 “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 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.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 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?” 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? 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, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”
[28:37]Exodus 34:6-7 “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
[33:02]Jeremiah 18:1-6 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
[58:57]Observation questions
- In Romans 9:15-24, what repeated actions of God are emphasized alongside mercy, compassion, hardening, patience, wrath, and glory?
- What does Exodus 34:6-7 hold together about God’s character—especially his mercy toward sinners and his justice toward the guilty? [32:31]
- What details in Romans 9 show that Pharaoh’s hard heart involved both God’s hardening and Pharaoh’s own sinful response? [38:51]
- In Jeremiah 18:1-6, what condition is the clay in before the potter reshapes it, and what does the potter do with it? [59:22]
Interpretation questions
- Why is delayed judgment rightly understood as mercy rather than God overlooking sin or approving of it? What response is God’s patience meant to produce? [35:33]
- How does the difference between Pharaoh hardening his own heart and God hardening Pharaoh help explain that God does not cause people to sin? [39:42]
- Why does Paul respond so sharply to the question in Romans 9:19 instead of simply giving a longer explanation? What attitude toward God does Paul confront? [45:54]
- How does Jeremiah’s picture of already marred clay help explain the difference between God’s just judgment and his active mercy in remaking people for glory? [01:00:04]
Application questions
- Delayed judgment is mercy, and every breath is an undeserved gift from God. What are some ordinary mercies that are easy to receive without gratitude? How might gratitude become more regular this week? [34:11]
- God’s patience is meant to lead sinners to repentance. Is there any sin that has been tolerated, delayed dealing with, or excused because consequences have not come quickly? What would repentance look like in a concrete next step? [35:43]
- Pharaoh’s example warns that a person can keep resisting God and become more settled in that resistance. Where might there be a tendency to ignore conviction, delay obedience, or defend a hard heart? [42:13]
- Faith can bring hard questions to God, but it cannot put God in the dock as though he must prove himself. When life is confusing or painful, what helps move a person from accusing God to humbly asking him for understanding? [01:01:53]
- God does not owe mercy, yet he has shown mercy through Christ to people who were marred by sin. How does seeing salvation as undeserved rescue change the way a believer views personal failure, other people, and worship? [01:00:32]
- God’s patience toward a lost world gives the church opportunity to speak about Jesus. Who is one person in a believer’s life who may need to hear both the seriousness of sin and the hope of God’s mercy? What could a faithful, gracious conversation look like? [01:02:22]
