NOT OF HIM THAT WILLETH (2)
OCTOBER 2, 2025
TEXT: So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (ROMANS 9:16)
Today, we shall conclude this discussion by examining certain biblical characters who were privileged to receive mercy on different occasions.
BIBLICAL CHARACTERS WHO RECEIVED MERCY
- The Israelites : These people and iniquity were like siblings. They jumped from one sin to the other. For the generation that lived in the days of Moses, they murmured against God and Moses for food or water on different occasions, such as in Rephidim, the Wilderness of Sin, and the wilderness of Zin. Succeeding generations were even more pathetic. For instance, they sinned against God on several occasions that He had to sell them into the hands of the Mesopotamians, Moabites, Philistines, Canaanites, Midianites, Ammonites, and so on. However, God’s mercy never ceased in their lives, especially when they decided to repent and cry unto God for deliverance from their oppressors. God still raised deliverers and warriors for them, such as Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Jair, and Samson.
- Rahab : This woman was a harlot. She was not supposed to even be on the register of mercy at all. However, she was good enough to accommodate the spies of Israel, and from there, she received mercy such that, despite her previous past, she became a part of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Joshua 2:12-13)
- Gideon : This man was the least in his clan from the tribe of Manasseh. He was not even reckoned with in his family, which was deep in idolatry. However, mercy singled him out, and he became a warrior that rescued God’s people from the Midianites. (Judges 6:36-40).
- David : One of the most privileged men in the Bible. David’s life of iniquity was almost in tandem with his life of holiness. As king, he committed terrible crimes, such as rape, murder, and conspiracy. Yet, he was still termed “a man after God’s own heart”. He enjoyed divine mercy from God. Aaron, Uzzah, Er, Onan, etc., probably didn’t sin the way this man sinned, but mercy was the difference in their respective circumstances.
- Ahab : He was one of the most wicked kings in the land of Israel, probably second only to Jeroboam. His matter was made worse as he was constantly egged on by his demonic wife, Jezebel. However, despite this, he received mercy from God when he humbled himself after God’s pronouncement of death and doom, and God had to postpone the judgment. (1 Kings 21:29)
SEARCHLIGHT
Man is not a determiner of who receives favour. That person who everyone perceives to be wicked and irredeemable may be shown mercy by the sovereign God.
PRAYER
My Father, my life is thirsty for your mercy, fill me.
BIBLE READING
Ezekiel 7-9, Luke 4
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
