Rom 9:18 | KingComments | STEP | . From the examples of the last section, it is clear that God works according to election. This immediately brings opposition. You can feel this opposition rise inside yourself, saying: ‘This is not fair. God is not acting righteously when He deals with man in that way.’ We think or say this because our thoughts are centered on man rather than on God. Paul leaves no room for this thought. He writes: “May it never be!” Paul then cites two more examples from the Old Testament to clarify the reason for saying: “May it never be!” These examples show that God acts according to His own will, also called God’s sovereign will. He is the only One Who can act according to His own pleasure without having to give an account to anyone. This doesn’t mean God acts without a purpose. He is not a tyrant who makes and executes decisions without restraint. God can always defend everything He does before anyone. But if we think we can judge God, we assume an attitude that is not appropriate for us. As a result of this attitude, we’re not able to understand God’s actions. We must start by acknowledging that He is God and has the right to do whatever He deems necessary. Then we will have to acknowledge that we’re only tiny human beings, creatures completely dependent on our Creator. . God said to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Was this another instance of the unrighteousness and arbitrariness of God? Well, if you try to find out why God said this and what the occasion was, you might change your mind. So, what was the situation? While Moses was with God on the mountain, the people made a golden calf and then worshiped it. This was sheer idolatry and practiced by the whole people! The result was that God had to judge all the people. But because of the intercession of Moses, there was mercy and compassion. God is so merciful and compassionate that He didn’t wipe out all the people, but had mercy and compassion on some of them. . This history makes it clear that the main point is not what man does and works, “it [does] not [depend] on the man who wills or the man who runs”, but that “God … had mercy”. . After the example of God’s mercy comes another example regarding the judgment of God. starts: “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh.” When you look this quotation up in Exodus 9, you see it is God Himself Who said this to Pharaoh ( ). So if here in Romans 9 we find that “the Scripture” says it, this means God and the Scripture are in absolute harmony. This strongly emphasizes the importance of knowing what the Bible says. Then you will learn to know God and to be guarded from going astray. Pharaoh was raised up by God with a twofold purpose. God wanted to show His power in him, and to declare His own name to all the earth. Pharaoh could be used to this end by God. But don’t think that Pharaoh was a will-less instrument! Pharaoh remained fully responsible to God for his attitude and actions. Thus, it was only after Pharaoh had hardened his heart several times that God hardened his heart. Only then did God use him as an example of the judgment He would bring over people who continue to resist Him. God has mercy on whomever He wills (as with some of Israel when all of Israel were under judgment) and He hardens whomever He wills (like Pharaoh who was likewise under judgment). Maybe you are still wondering about the phrase: ”I have raised you up.” Does this mean God had him born for this purpose? No! ‘To raise up’ here means that God led Pharaoh’s life in such a way that Pharaoh would show by his actions what was in his heart toward God. Those actions clearly were a history of rebellion against God, and it became clear there was no desire to listen to the warnings God sent in the different plagues that hit the country. In the next section I will say more about this. Now read Romans 9:14-18 again. Reflection: Do you sometimes think God is unrighteous? How do you cope with this thought?

‏ Romans 9:18

God Is Sovereign

Rom 9:14. From the examples of the last section, it is clear that God works according to election. This immediately brings opposition. You can feel this opposition rise inside yourself, saying: ‘This is not fair. God is not acting righteously when He deals with man in that way.’ We think or say this because our thoughts are centered on man rather than on God. Paul leaves no room for this thought. He writes: “May it never be!”

Paul then cites two more examples from the Old Testament to clarify the reason for saying: “May it never be!” These examples show that God acts according to His own will, also called God’s sovereign will. He is the only One Who can act according to His own pleasure without having to give an account to anyone.

This doesn’t mean God acts without a purpose. He is not a tyrant who makes and executes decisions without restraint. God can always defend everything He does before anyone. But if we think we can judge God, we assume an attitude that is not appropriate for us. As a result of this attitude, we’re not able to understand God’s actions. We must start by acknowledging that He is God and has the right to do whatever He deems necessary. Then we will have to acknowledge that we’re only tiny human beings, creatures completely dependent on our Creator.

Rom 9:15. God said to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Was this another instance of the unrighteousness and arbitrariness of God? Well, if you try to find out why God said this and what the occasion was, you might change your mind. So, what was the situation?

While Moses was with God on the mountain, the people made a golden calf and then worshiped it. This was sheer idolatry and practiced by the whole people! The result was that God had to judge all the people. But because of the intercession of Moses, there was mercy and compassion. God is so merciful and compassionate that He didn’t wipe out all the people, but had mercy and compassion on some of them.

Rom 9:16. This history makes it clear that the main point is not what man does and works, “it [does] not [depend] on the man who wills or the man who runs”, but that “God … had mercy”.

Rom 9:17-18. After the example of God’s mercy comes another example regarding the judgment of God. Rom 9:17 starts: “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh.” When you look this quotation up in Exodus 9, you see it is God Himself Who said this to Pharaoh (Exo 9:16). So if here in Romans 9 we find that “the Scripture” says it, this means God and the Scripture are in absolute harmony. This strongly emphasizes the importance of knowing what the Bible says. Then you will learn to know God and to be guarded from going astray. Pharaoh was raised up by God with a twofold purpose. God wanted to show His power in him, and to declare His own name to all the earth. Pharaoh could be used to this end by God.

But don’t think that Pharaoh was a will-less instrument! Pharaoh remained fully responsible to God for his attitude and actions. Thus, it was only after Pharaoh had hardened his heart several times that God hardened his heart. Only then did God use him as an example of the judgment He would bring over people who continue to resist Him. God has mercy on whomever He wills (as with some of Israel when all of Israel were under judgment) and He hardens whomever He wills (like Pharaoh who was likewise under judgment).

Maybe you are still wondering about the phrase: ”I have raised you up.” Does this mean God had him born for this purpose? No! ‘To raise up’ here means that God led Pharaoh’s life in such a way that Pharaoh would show by his actions what was in his heart toward God. Those actions clearly were a history of rebellion against God, and it became clear there was no desire to listen to the warnings God sent in the different plagues that hit the country. In the next section I will say more about this.

Now read Romans 9:14-18 again.

Reflection: Do you sometimes think God is unrighteous? How do you cope with this thought?