God shows mercy to some and hardens others because He is the sovereign God who has the right to do so, while human beings make their own choices under His sovereign will.
The Bible says God told Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Romans 9:15), and Paul concludes that God has mercy on whom He will and hardens whom He will (Romans 9:18). Les Feldick emphasizes that God's mercy and hardening are not based on human fairness but on His absolute sovereignty. He also shows that in Pharaoh's case, Pharaoh hardened his own heart through repeated wrong choices, even though Scripture describes it as God hardening him because it happened under God's sovereign will.
Romans 9:15 — This is the direct biblical statement that God's mercy is based on His own will, not on human merit.
Romans 9:18 — This verse directly answers the question: God has mercy on whom He will have mercy and hardens whom He will harden.
In Romans 9, Paul addresses the question of whether God is unrighteous: "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid" (Romans 9:14). He then quotes God's word to Moses: "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" (Romans 9:15). The passage goes on to state, "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (Romans 9:18). Paul also writes of God's patient endurance with the vessels of wrath: "What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction" (Romans 9:22). This shows that God's wrath and hardening are not hasty or arbitrary, but are exercised with patience and for the purpose of making His power known. In Romans 1:21, the Bible describes how human hearts become darkened through human choices: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." This is consistent with the biblical teaching that people are responsible for their own response to God.
Les Feldick teaches that God is absolutely sovereign, and because of that sovereignty He has every right to show mercy or to harden. He explains that God is not an easygoing, manipulable grandfather, but the absolute, holy, righteous, loving, kind, merciful, and patient God of the Bible (Clip 6). God's mercy is not based on human fairness; if God had reacted according to what is fair, He would have wiped out the human race and Israel time and again. Instead, He withdrew into His sovereignty and poured out mercy (Clips 3, 4, 7). Regarding Pharaoh, Les teaches that the hardening was not God forcing a rebel against his will. Pharaoh had made a choice and lived with it; every time God put him on the spot with the demand to release Israel, Pharaoh decided wrong again and hardened his own heart. Scripture says God did it because it happened under the sovereign volition of God, but the individual's choices were real (Clip 2). Les also notes that the word "hardeneth" means "heavy" — the more Pharaoh opposed God, the more the weight of God's wrath weighed down on him (Clip 5). Feldick emphasizes that God is a sovereign God who deals in mercy, and we appropriate that mercy by His unmerited favor, His grace (Clip 1). At the cross, when Israel demanded Jesus' death and Rome drove the spikes, God could have cleansed the earth of the whole human race. Instead, in His sovereignty, He poured out mercy not just for Israel but for the whole human race (Clips 4, 7).
Les Feldick explains that when Scripture says God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it does not mean God forced Pharaoh to rebel against his will. Pharaoh had already made a choice and lived with it, and each time God put him on the spot with the demand to let Israel go, Pharaoh made the same wrong decision and hardened his own heart. God's part was sovereignly putting him on the spot; the hardening itself came from Pharaoh's repeated choices. Feldick also notes that the word translated "hardeneth" means "heavy" — the more Pharaoh opposed God, the more the weight of God's wrath weighed down on him.
The Bible itself raises this question in Romans 9:14: "Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." God told Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." Les Feldick stresses that God is not an easygoing, manipulable figure; He is absolute, holy, righteous, and sovereign, and the exercise of mercy and hardening belongs to Him alone. He also points out that God endures the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction with much longsuffering while willing to show His wrath and make His power known.
Les Feldick explains that if God had reacted according to what is fair, He would have wiped out the human race and Israel time and again. Instead, God withdrew into His sovereignty and poured out mercy. He did this at Sinai when Israel made the golden calf, throughout Israel's history when they fell into idolatry, and supremely at the cross when Israel demanded Jesus' death and Rome drove in the spikes. As Christ hung on the cross, God poured out mercy not just for Israel but for the whole human race, only because He is sovereign.
God Is Not Unfair
Les Feldick points to Romans 9 to show that God's hardening of Pharaoh is not unfair, because God has declared that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy.
A Sovereign God Who Deals in Mercy
Les explains that even in showing wrath and making His power known, God endures the vessels of wrath with longsuffering and is a sovereign God who deals in mercy and grace.
Pharaoh Hardened His Own Heart
Les teaches that Pharaoh hardened his own heart by repeated wrong choices; all God did was put him on the spot, and this happened under the sovereign volition of God.
Mercy Instead of Fairness
Les shows that if God had responded in fairness, He would have wiped out the human race and Israel; as sovereign, He had compassion and mercy on whom He chose.
Sovereign Mercy at the Cross
Les teaches that at the cross God could have cleansed the earth of the human race, but instead He withdrew into His sovereignty and poured out mercy on all mankind.
Hardening Means Heavy
Les explains that "hardeneth" means "heavy"; the more Pharaoh opposed God, the more the weight of God's wrath pressed down on him.
The Absolute Sovereign God
Les describes God as absolute, holy, righteous, loving, kind, merciful, and patient — not a manipulable grandfather, but the sovereign God who has the right to do whatever He wants.
Withdrawing Into Sovereignty
Les teaches that when Israel deserved destruction, God withdrew into His sovereignty and poured out mercy, a pattern repeated through Israel's history and culminating at the cross.
Romans 9:14: What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Paul raises the very question the topic asks: whether God is unfair in showing mercy to some and hardening others.
Romans 9:15: 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.
God's declaration to Moses establishes that mercy is based on God's own will, not human merit.
Romans 9:18: Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
This verse directly answers the question of why God shows mercy to some and hardens others.
Romans 9:22: What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
It shows that God's wrath and hardening are exercised with longsuffering and for the purpose of making His power known.
Romans 1:21: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
This describes how human hearts are darkened through their own choices, which Les connects to hardening under God's sovereign will.
No. Les Feldick explains that in Pharaoh's case, Pharaoh made a choice and lived with it, and every time God put him on the spot he decided wrong again and became hardened. Scripture says God did it because it happened under God's sovereign will, but the individual's own choices are involved. God does not force anyone to sin; He sovereignly works with human choices.
Because God is sovereign. He told Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." Les Feldick stresses that if God had given everyone what was fair, He would have wiped out the human race long ago. Instead, He sovereignly chooses to pour out mercy.
No. Les Feldick describes God as a sovereign who deals in mercy by His unmerited favor and grace. Mercy is not based on what a person deserves but on God's own will and character. If it were based on fairness, no one would receive mercy.
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