“这样，我们可说甚么？难道在神有不义么？绝对没有！因为祂对摩西说，‘我要向谁施怜悯，就向谁施怜悯；要对谁动怜恤，就对谁动怜恤’”（罗九14-15）。神说“我要”，我们就不该与祂争辩。我们不是神，我们没有祂的主宰权柄。
怜悯和怜恤之间有甚么不同？很难区别。虽然怜恤非常接近怜悯，但我要说，怜恤比怜悯更深、更细、更丰富。将本节的怜恤与怜悯放在一起，加强神是满有怜悯的这个事实。
“这样看来，这不在于那定意的，也不在于那奔跑的，只在于那施怜悯的神”（罗九16）。怜悯比恩典构得更远。倘若我在美好的光景中，并且我的地位与你的地位相配，你给我礼物，那是恩典。然而，倘若我在可怜的光景中，并且我的地位与你的地位悬殊，你给我东西，那是怜悯。倘若我是你亲爱的朋友，到你这里来，你给我圣经作礼物，那是恩典。然而，我若是可怜污秽的乞丐，不能为自己作甚么，而你给我十元，那不是恩典，而是怜悯。因此，怜悯比恩典构得更远。恩典只达到相称的情形，但怜悯构得远多了，临到可怜且不配得恩典的情形。
照着我们天然的光景，我们远离神，完全不配得祂的恩典。我们只适合接受祂的怜悯。因此，九章十五节不是说，“我要向谁施恩典，就向谁施恩典”不，这里乃是说，“我要向谁施怜悯，就向谁施怜悯”你也许以为雅各没有良善，他完全是狡猾、诡诈的人，以扫比他好多了。你是正确的。那就是神施怜悯的方式。雅各是可怜的，但神怜悯他。神的怜悯不在于人美好的光景，反而显于人可怜的光景。神的怜悯所构到的，超过祂的恩典。
每日一问：我们蒙了神的恩典，也蒙了神的怜恤，请简述这两者的不同？我们是否配得上？
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God’s Selection – It Is God’s Mercy (1) – Rom. 9:11-15
“What shall we say then? There is no unrighteousness with God, is there? Absolutely not! For He said to Moses. ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’” (Rom. 9:14-15). God says “I will,” and we should not argue with Him. We are not God; we do not have His sovereign authority.
What is the difference between mercy and compassion? It is hard to distinguish. Although compassion is very close to mercy, I would say that compassion is deeper, finer, and richer than mercy. Putting compassion and mercy together in this verse strengthens the fact that God is full of mercy.
“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Rom. 9:16). Mercy reaches further than grace. If I am in a good situation, and my status matches yours, and you give me a gift, that is grace. However, if I am in a pitiful situation, and my status is far below yours, and you give me something, that is mercy. If I am your dear friend and I come to you, and you give me a Bible as a gift, that is grace. However, if I am a pitiful, filthy beggar who cannot do anything for himself, and you give me ten dollars, that is not grace, but mercy. Therefore, mercy reaches further than grace. Grace only reaches a fitting situation, but mercy reaches much further, coming to a pitiful situation that is undeserving of grace.
According to our natural condition, we are far from God, completely unworthy of His grace. We are only fit to receive His mercy. Therefore, verse 15 does not say, “I have grace on whom I have grace.” No, it says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” You might think Jacob had no goodness, that he was entirely a crafty and deceitful person, and that Esau was much better than him. You are correct. That is the way God shows mercy. Jacob was pitiful, but God had mercy on him. God’s mercy does not lie in man’s good condition, but is manifested in man’s pitiful condition. What God’s mercy reaches exceeds His grace.
Daily Question: We have received God’s grace and also God’s mercy; please briefly describe the difference between the two. Are we worthy of them?