1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Paul’s fervent affirmation, repeated in Romans 10:1, is given to dispel any suspicion of prejudice from the Jewish quarter, for this chapter cuts to the heart of Israelite pride. While the Gentiles were Paul’s main target of ministry (Rom 11:13), his constant yearning for the salvation of his countrymen cannot be denied. Indeed, his method of evangelism was to seek out first a Jewish synagogue upon entering a new village and begin preaching there. Some notable Jews were converted under the evangelism of Paul, but the general response of Judaism was to reject the Messiah of their own Scriptures.
The next three chapters form an emotional plea to the Jewish people to find their place in the plan of God for salvation. He has already made a strong case for the newly established Covenant of Christ, but here the arguments coalesce into an earnest, final effort to persuade them to choose faith in Christ. He cites more than two dozen passages from their own Scriptures to solidify the message into a single clarion call for Jews to turn from their blindness and be saved. And in the process, he makes an impressive argument for God’s wisdom, mercy and righteousness in adopting the Gentiles into His family.
The so-called doctrine of election is largely drawn from several verses in this chapter, yet the general theme in which they are found should not be ignored. The Apostle is not speaking about personal salvation, but about the world-changing events which ratified the coming of the New Covenant. In truth, he is breaking some hard news to his Jewish readers: “God has rejected you as His chosen people and has elected the Gentiles because you did not seek Him in righteousness.” And then he shows from the Scriptures that the Gentile inclusion was fore-ordained by God even before the world began.
Paul’s virtual willingness to die in the place of his Jewish kinsmen parallels Moses’ remarkable intercession before God on behalf of the children of Israel (Ex 32:31-32). Yet, remember the Lord’s response, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book (Ex 32:33).
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
In the Old Testament, the Jews were blessed above all nations (Deut 7:6) and the Gentiles were excluded from the Covenant (Eph 2:12). They alone were favored by the adoption (Exod 4:22; Isa 1:2; Jer 31:9; Hos 11:1) and the glory, which refers to the supernatural, visible symbol of God that guided them in the wilderness and dwelt under the wings of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies (2Chr 7:1-2; Ex 40:34; Num 14:14; 1Sam 4:21). The Jews had received the covenants – first those to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then to Moses, David, etc. Furthermore, the Law of the Old Testament had been given to their keeping by special covenant with the tribe of Levi, who were also tasked with holy temple service (Heb 9:1-6). Israel had been entrusted with the very oracles of God (Rom 3:2) and possessed the eternal promises given to the fathers (see Acts 3:13).
Their greatest blessing however, was that the Messiah of God would be welcomed into their own lineage. The Seed, that long-promised descendant of Abraham (Gen 22:18), would come through the line of Judah (Gen 49:10) and be of David’s royal lineage (Is 9:6-7). And so it came to pass (Luke 1:32).
Christ is over all, God blessed for ever. The false teachers who believe that, somehow, Jesus Christ is not God struggle mightily to explain away this simple, direct statement. See Col 1:15.
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
In spite of her many blessings, Israel according to the flesh has fallen from God’s grace. The Jewish branches were broken off the Lord’s olive tree as Jesus had said: the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Mat 21:43). Have the great promises and prophecies upon Israel contained in the Word of God failed? No! For in the New Covenant, a child of Abraham (and so a true Jew) is identified by internal, spiritual qualities instead of physical genealogies. The real Jew and man of God is revealed inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart (Rom 2:28-29).
God’s Word concerning Israel has not failed and the promises to Abraham have not been voided; they continue valid as always. Yet a big change has taken place. The Gentiles have been offered a place in the family of Abraham by adoption, and the criteria to be adopted is faith in Christ. This is explained at length in Galatians 3, and illustrated in the one olive tree of the Lord in chapter 11.
The heirs of the promise then, are not the physical Jews but the spiritual children of Abraham (Gal 4:28; Eph 3:6). This we saw in the earlier chapters of Romans also: to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the Law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (Rom 4:13-16). It is astounding that some famous Bible teachers reject the idea that the promises of God to the Jews have come also upon the Gentiles. Using their words, this is “the dangerous heresy of replacement theology.” It reminds me of early Protestantism’s rejection of the “Anabaptist heresy.” Many, many of our humble, Scripture-believing Anabaptist fore-fathers were tortured and murdered by Protestants in the very name of God. The Protestants were on the wrong side of Scripture then, and here they are plainly on the wrong side of it again.
The Jews by blood erred greatly in thinking they would receive ‘carte blanche’ the promises that God gave to Abraham and his seed! They thought, “God has specially chosen us to bless and multiply us exceedingly in the earth and has given us the land of Canaan forever (Gen 26:4; 13:14-16). He promised Abraham with an oath (Gen 22:16-18). We alone are His peculiar people above all nations (Deut 14:2) and He will never break His covenant with us (Jer 33:20-26). We are eternally, unconditionally elected to be saved.” O foolish ones! God ways and mind are far beyond the limits of Man. He foreknew and pre-destinated this plan of determining who is a Jew by looking inwardly at the heart instead of at bloodlines and genealogies. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:29).
The Apostle gives the account of Abraham to demonstrate the validity of this method. For God had determined to exclude seven of Abraham’s children from the promises and extend the blessing of sonship upon the lineage of Isaac only, the second-born. These were counted for the seed, even though there were other blood children of Abraham. God however, had planned to call only Isaac’s seed, “the children of Abraham.” The word of promise was to Sarah’s son (v9). And the scenario repeated in the case of Isaac’s children, Jacob and Esau. Both were sons of Isaac, yet God again chose only the second-born, Jacob, to be the lineage of the promise. Esau and his children, although not a whit less Jews by blood than Jacob and his children, were not counted as children of Abraham according to the promise. From Jacob onward, the genealogy is inclusive, while before him it was selective.
Later in this chapter we will see that God did have plans for those early blood-Jews who were not chosen, but here the point is well-made. If blood alone were indeed the only criterion in determining who is a Jew, then how could God exclude the seven sons of Abraham who each became mighty nations? The answer is obvious. Blood alone was not the way God determined who was a child of Abraham in the past, and so He is justified in deciding that now He will determine the child of Abraham by evaluating them according to the Law of Faith (Gal 3:7-9). And that is consistent with His character, for He has always looked internally, weighing the intents and thoughts of the heart. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Just as He had with Abraham’s children, God chose only one of Isaac’s sons (Jacob). But then He chose all of Jacob’s descendants – who are Israelites…and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came (v4-5). In the case of Isaac’s sons, God’s choice becomes very conspicuous. In the case of Abraham, God chose Sarah’s only child, but with Isaac He made choice between Rebecca’s sons. Furthermore, her sons were twins – there is no closer blood relation than that. Nevertheless, God rejected Esau the first-born and selected only Jacob, the second-born.
These choices were so that the purpose of God according to election might stand (meno – abide, continue, remain). In other words, God’s choices are perfectly righteous, and made to establish and continue His good purpose for Mankind. This is particularly relevant in the present topic. For just as God had chosen Jacob but eliminated his twin from the promises, so now He was eliminating this wicked generation (Mat 12:45) and choosing the Gentiles through adoption. Once He had chosen the blood children of Israel; now He has chosen the spiritual children of Israel (v6). Of course, history has proven that God’s purposeful election (ekloge – choice, selection) of Jacob and rejection of Esau was wise and right, being in perfect accord with His foreknowledge. For while Jacob turned out to be an upright man who sought after God, Esau was a fornicator, and a profane person who despised his inheritance (Heb 12:16).
So God made choice between twins. He accepted Jacob and his descendants, but rejected Esau and his descendants. There are two very different ways to view this selection. 1) Even before the children were born, God knew their character and works and so could perfectly inform Rebekah of facts that would be thousands of years yet future: Two nations are in thy womb…and the elder shall serve the younger (Gen 25:22-24). God chose Jacob according to His good purpose and foreknowledge. 2) God chose blindly between Jacob and Esau, apart from His perfect foreknowledge. He arbitrarily decided on Jacob, in accord with His purpose that man’s works do not factor into His selection or rejection of any man.
Calvinists subscribe to the latter viewpoint and have largely formulated their “doctrine of Election” or Predestination, from this reading of verse eleven. They believe that a man has no choice nor free-will at all and that God has already arbitrarily decided who He will save. Man has absolutely nothing to do with the matter, not even so much as a passing wish to be saved. After all, it says, not of works…neither having done any good or evil. Yet, in deciding that this is the true meaning of the passage, they have articulated an idea that flies in the face of the rest of the book of Romans and is otherwise foreign to the Word of God and deeply injurious to the character of God. Would God command Man to choose life or else die (Deut 30:19) when in fact He had never given him that ability? Would He command them to obey the Gospel or else experience His vengeance (2Thes 1:8), when in fact works do not matter? The Scriptures are jammed full of warnings and commands that are meaningful only if Man has free will and is expected to obey Him.
It is crucial to read attentively here to avoid their erroneous conclusion. A diligent student of the Word will read it all, so as to rightly divide the Truth (2Tim 2:15). The story is told of a Calvinist disputing his theology with a non-Calvinist, with neither being able to persuade the other. Finally the Calvinist said, “So shall I just tear Romans 9 out of the Bible?” Replied the other, “Only if you want to walk around with just one page of the Bible.”
Context is important! The book of Romans is a masterpiece in persuasion, wherein the Apostle uses the Jews’ own Scriptures to convince them that the Old Covenant works-based religion had its place and purpose, but that now God has chosen a new nation and covenant based on faith in Christ. The Apostle is not teaching that man’s works are not important to God, but showing that God has perfect foreknowledge. He knew Jacob’s good works beforehand and also Esau’s sinful choices. The Scriptures are filled with prophecies that were perfectly fulfilled many years later, so there is nothing here to demand the belief that God arbitrarily chose Jacob. Nevertheless, that is exactly what Calvinists claim is taught here, for they hang all on a narrow understanding of the statement here that God’s election was not of works.
The Calvinist’s definition of election (ekloge) is proven to be incorrect by studying how it is used in the Scriptures. Never does it to mean “blind-folded selection,” but “informed choice.” The fact is clear here, that God chose carefully, not arbitrarily: first Abraham, then only Isaac out of 8 sons, and then Jacob only from a set of twins. He then chose all of Jacob’s descendants – the children of Israel. All these choices were so that His good purpose would be accomplished. His perfect foreknowledge and wisdom always undergird His choices. Abraham was blessed because he obeyed God (Gen 22:16-18), but Jacob was called even before he was even born.
The idea that God arbitrarily chose Jacob is a ludicrous, unsustainable assertion, for the Scriptures everywhere show that God does indeed choose a man by looking at his heart and examining his actions, good or bad. However, they also show that He is eminently capable of knowing a man’s heart even before he is born. Those two statements are not inconsistent when applied to a God who exists entirely outside of Time.
Remember how God chose David when Samuel was ready to anoint Eliab. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart (1Sam 16:6-7).
Remember how David counseled Solomon: My son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever (1Chr 28:9).
Remember too God’s blunt warning to all: I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jer 17:10).
Not of works, but of him that calleth. This fact fits perfectly in the true Scriptural picture of salvation which we have explored often in the book of Romans. Man cannot come to God and offer his good works in exchange for God’s salvation. It’s impossible, for all have sinned and have disqualified themselves. Only by humbly coming to God and asking for His mercy can a man be saved. But afterwards, he will produce the fruit of righteousness or else he will be cast away as a branch. In truth though, the Apostle is not speaking on the topic of personal salvation here, but is arguing for God’s righteous goodness in choosing the Gentiles before they came to Him presenting their good works. But Paul points out that Jacob was chosen before he was even born and therefore not of works. Likewise, the Gentiles must produce good fruit or they too will be broken off (Rom 11:18-21).
If demanded of one, let us recognize a “doctrine of Election” also, but let us establish its definition by using all the Scriptures on that topic and not just a selected few. Man’s narrow logic and flawed wisdom very often makes him to become a fool (1Cor 3:18-21). According to His own writings, God fore-ordained and created us to perform good works (Eph 2:10; Tit 2:14; Heb 10:24); would the Apostle here affirm the opposite? May it never be! Allow these verses their proper meaning in this context and the sense becomes clear: God’s good purpose in calling, election, covenants and all human interaction, is based on His perfect wisdom and foreknowledge. He knows exactly what is best and He will accomplish it (Is 55:11). There is no unrighteousness in Him.
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Jacob and Esau are used here as representative names for the two nations they engendered, as also in the passage quoted in verse 13: I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness (Mal 1:2-3). Jacob’s descendants were blessed with the covenants, the promises and the Law, while Esau’s descendants were aliens and strangers to God (v4-5). Calvinists mistakenly take Jacob and Esau personally to be the topic here, but that is impossible. Esau never served Jacob, who lived in fear of his brother for most of his life.
Adam Clarke points out that “the children” (v11) is not in the Greek and that the passage quoted in verse 12 was not about Jacob and Esau either. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger(Gen 25:23). So this example is given to explain God’s choice of the nation of Israel, which is the general topic of chapters 9-11. It is not specifically a lesson on personal salvation, but of God’s rejection of blood Jews and His calling and election of Jews according to Faith (v24).
Esau have I hated. “Hate” seems a strong word in light of verses like 1John 3:15, Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: any ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. On the other hand, Jesus warned in Luke 14:26, If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. Nevertheless, the word hate is the natural opposite of love. There is no in-between ground here! Either our works demonstrate that we love God, or they demonstrate that we hate Him (Mat 6:24). God loves righteousness but hates evil. He hates even the excellency of Jacob if it be wicked (Amos 6:8).
Any theology or doctrine that depicts God as unfair or capricious in loving Jacob but hating Esau is blasphemous. It must be rejected immediately. Is there unrighteousness with God? Never. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He (Deut 32:4). We argued in the previous chapter that our God exists outside of time and is perfect in knowledge and wisdom; so of course He knows every event from that God-only perspective (see note for Rom 8:29). All things are naked and opened unto (His) eyes (Heb 4:13), but our limited minds are completely incapable of understanding an existence without time.
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. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
The Apostle quotes this passage to prove his answer in the previous verse, that there is no unrighteousness with God. In that occasion, God gave Moses a sign of His high character, saying: I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy (Ex 33:19). Our God is all-wise and all-good, so He will always bestow mercy and compassion judiciously and fairly. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful (Ps 116:5); for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth (Dan 9:14). His judgments are true and righteous (Rev 16:7). Always! His mercy and compassion is ready to be poured into the hearts of those who sincerely search for Him. He is actively looking for people who humble themselves to seek His grace (1Pet 5:5).
Willingness of heart and full effort to win the prize are essential characteristics found in every saved person, but there is no work of Man that can earn him the grace of God. No force of will, no strength of effort can acquire salvation for oneself. This we saw in chapter four. By doing good works no man (or nation) will be justified before God (see note Rom 4:5), and that’s because Man’s righteousness, being always mixed with unrighteousness, is never strong enough to obligate God to act mercifully. He decides, and nobody else (Is 40:13-14). Salvation depends entirely on God’s mercy and grace, and not upon justice or merit (Rom 11:6). No man can say, “God owes me salvation.” Or justice, or mercy. God is entirely free to bless whomsoever He chooses.
The Scriptures testify that God is very longsuffering and patient with Man. He receives all who come to Him for spiritual healing and forgiveness of sins (John 6:37). Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom 10:13). If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1John 1:9). So while God alone decides when and to whom He will extend mercy, we know that He is moved by man’s sincere expressions of humility and faith. God’s introduction to Moses at Mount Sinai is noteworthy: And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation (Ex 34:6-7). This is how God wanted to be known – very gracious, yet fully just. He will not clear the guilty (those who refuse to obey Him), but will show mercy and forgive the iniquities of every humbled heart.
The Calvinist idea is that the will or disposition to be saved is foreign to all men; they are utterly depraved beasts that are not capable of choosing between right and wrong. They think that God indiscriminately and randomly “elects” certain men and within these He puts the desire to be saved. And these cannot do else but be saved; they are irresistibly drawn and forcibly saved. These ideas do not come from the Word of Truth, but are pressed uncomfortably upon it.
Abraham thought to make his own plans to become a father of many nations, praying, O that Ishmael might live before Thee! (Gen 17:18). But God had purposed something different. Isaac too made his own plans to bless Esau when God had chosen differently. God shows mercy according to His own good purpose and will. Jacob, for instance, wrestled with the Angel and refused to let go without a blessing. He was rewarded for his tenacity and perseverance.
In two important ways, the above Scriptures give shape to the Apostle’s point that God’s purpose is accomplished by His mercy and not by Man’s works. First, God does not show mercy arbitrarily, but according to His wisdom, foreknowledge and goodness. Second, God’s power is infinitely greater than Man’s will and efforts, but because Man is a responsible moral being, he does contribute a necessary component to be saved. According to the rules of logic, it does not follow that, Not of him that willeth, removes every aspect of Man from the salvation process.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
God’s dealings with Pharaoh is another exhibition of His foreknowledge working out His good purpose even while Man acts in the freedom of his own will. Pharaoh was a remarkably obstinate individual who refused God’s signs, miracles and divine proclamations again and again. Each time that Pharaoh asked for mercy God relented, but his constant rebellions eventually occasioned his death in the Red Sea. There were many Pharaohs, but God selected this one to declare His name and power in all the earth. As with Esau, so with Pharaoh – by His perfect foreknowledge God predicted this all beforehand. I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt…and they shall know that I am the Lord (Ex 7:1-5).
God did not subvert Pharaoh’s free will, but brought events into his life that forced a decision. And Pharaoh chose wrong, just as God knew he would. Meanwhile, the king of Nineveh humbled his heart and God extended mercy (Jonah 3:4-10). And this is how God works with Mankind to accomplish His good purpose. By His infinite wisdom and power, He works to make us either cold or hot (Rev 3:15-16), bringing into our lives all sorts of experiences and events that put us in the test crucible of decision where we will either be purified or be burned up. So it was with Pharaoh.
Shortly, the Apostle will describe how God blinded physical Israel and accepted the Gentiles through the Jews’ unbelief (Rom 11:7-8). Again we see that He did not harden their hearts against their will, but brought events and experiences into their lives that put them squarely in the Test – chose or reject the Messiah of God. Jesus Himself taught this principle (Mat 13:12; 25:29), for He does not want half-hearted followers. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on [the Jews] which fell, severity; but toward [the grafted-in Gentiles], goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off (Rom 11:22). This is Paul’s point here.
The Calvinistic view of God’s interaction with Man is fatalistic and spirit-crushing. God becomes an ogre who saves arbitrarily, extending forgiveness to men who have not asked for it and damning others who seek His favor. Read in a certain way, these verses could be used to support Calvin’s theology, but there is a far better and Scripturally-consistent view which we have advanced throughout these notes. Rather than creating human robots that move at His command, God’s technique is a masterful, undetected maneuvering of events and experiences to construct a marvelous, spiritual Edifice. In this life we will never completely understand the multi-fold manners and designs whereby God directs human affair, but we can glimpse His hand at work in the history of the world! Why did God warn Joseph in a dream to take Jesus into Egypt instead of simply ending the wicked Herod’s life a few years early? Why did He allow John the Baptist to languish in prison and then suffer a sudden and ignominious death? We don’t have the answers. Shall we that are formed say to Him, Why hast thou made me thus?
I imagine God looking down from His heaven and building an eternal temple with human souls (Eph 2:19-22). He chooses this stone for one purpose and another stone for that particular place. He always selects the correct stone for its best-suited purpose because He knows each one intimately. He considers beforehand every mark of imperfection and nobility, every character weakness and strength. For while those features are unknown to beings confined to time, they are openly clear to Him who is outside of Time. Some stones are hard and unworkable, others He can shape and sand such that they shine even better in their God-given place in His temple.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Seeing that God will so assuredly accomplish His purpose, some men will attempt to justify their wickedness: “If God sends events into my life that result in me doing what He wished, then how can He blame me? He knew what would happen! Who can resist His will?” See this flawed argument in Rom 3:5-7 also. The point is dead-ended, for God does extend mercy to every person who asks in humility. If He finds fault with a man, its because he did not respond positively. God will not act contrary to His character. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) nor deny Himself (2Tim 2:13), so if we sincerely ask He will forgive (1John 1:9).
It is utterly impertinent and unreasonable for a man to question God’s reasons for creating us the way He did (read Is 45:9-11 in the LXX). Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves (Ps 100:3). The Creator absolutely deserves our reverence and praise. We exist only because of Him. But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand (Is 64:8). Can the clay understand the Potter? Does He not have the right to make of the clay whatsoever vessel He wishes?
A house contains a large variety of vessels, each with special design and purpose; some are made of gold and silver, others of wood and earth, some are used in formal settings, others fulfill menial tasks (2Tim 2:20). Everyone who humbles himself to be shaped and purged by the Potter shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work (2Tim 2:21).
The Potter and clay analogy is particularly relevant to the Apostle’s subject of God’s plan for Jews and Gentiles in the New Covenant of grace. God was patient with the vessels of wrath (v22) and did not re-mold the clay immediately, even though He had fore-ordained to bestow the riches of His glory upon the vessels of mercy (v23). This is a not-so-subtle reminder to the Jews of an unmistakable prophecy concerning the nation of Israel. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel….If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them…But if it do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them (Jer 18:1-10). Yet Israel did not obey, and the clay was marred in the hand of the Potter: so He made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the Potter to make it (Jer 18:4).
Early on, the Christian Jews had a very hard time accepting the Gentile sinners with their abominable idolatries (Gal 2:15; 1Pet 4:3). They were so focused on the general wickedness of the Gentiles that they could not see their own failures, nor appreciate the way that God had extended great mercy to them and their forefathers when they did not deserve it. Pharaoh saw God’s miracles but being an arrogant, obstinate person, he hardened his heart; well, so did the arrogant, stiff-necked Jews! They saw Jesus’ miracles and heard His preaching, yet their hardened hearts were blinded and they became vessels fit for destruction (v22). The book of Galatians reveals more of this contention in the early church.
The picture of God shaping a man (or people) to His purpose is beautiful and inspiring, but Man is much more than clay, which has no mind. It cannot talk back to its maker, much less refuse the work it was created to do. The intent of the analogy is to demonstrate the impropriety of Man questioning the designs and plans of the Creator, which is a towering problem among all people groups, not just the Jews.
The atheist/agnostic impugns God’s character by criticizing His creative hand and the Christian is often tempted to question/doubt God’s goodness when he encounters difficulties and strife (see Rom 8:35). It is an important lesson to learn. Allow God to be in control of your life and He will wisely administer events and circumstances so that your character and being are shaped to His good pleasure. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (1Pet 5:6; James 4:10). He wants to make of us a name and a praise among all people of the earth (Zeph 3:20). Will we let Him?
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: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
The imagery of the Potter making vessels out of clay continues in these verses. The vessels of wrath refer to the blood children of Abraham that rejected the Messiah, while the vessels of mercy refer to the spiritual children of Abraham, whether Jews or Gentiles (Gal 3:7). God had great mercy and longsuffering with natural Israel in delaying His choice of spiritual Israel, but the unbelieving Jews finally filled up their fathers’ cup of iniquity to the brim (Mat 23:32). The last generation in Judaism proved God righteousness in being finally willing to shew His wrath upon them, for they beheld signs that exceeded those He had wrought in Egypt. Israel had more reasons than Egypt to accept their Prophet and mend their evil ways. This illustrates again that God does not act arbitrarily nor counter to any man’s choice. He draws all men to Him. He is standing always calling, knocking, beckoning. He has promised that whosoever responds and cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).
However, in this difficult picture of natural Israel’s destruction, beauty came from ashes, for the wonderful result was that the Gentiles, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy (1Pet 2:10). God made known to the Gentiles the riches of His glory, while His wrath fell upon the Jews. Compare this language with Romans 11:11-12. He had afore prepared this choice long centuries before (repeating v11). But now, having endured long enough a disobedient and gainsaying people (Rom 10:21), He was ready to call a new people and to create new vessels of mercy.
In the New Covenant, God has called (kaleo) Jews and Gentiles according to the law of Faith (see notes for Rom 1:6; Mat 20:16). God’s plan was to make them one people (Eph 2:14), branches of the same olive tree (Rom 11:24), a chosen generation and an holy nation (1Pet 2:9), children of the living God (v26). This chapter shows by carefully details that this did not just happen. It was foreknown, planned and predestinated by God even before the world began. And that should testify powerfully to Jews and Gentiles.
25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
This remarkable prophecy from the book of Hosea foretells the Gentile inclusion into God’s Covenant with Man. There are other similar predictions of this mystery in the Old Testament. See especially Isaiah 54, which is an intricate prophecy of the barren woman (the Gentiles) rejoicing at being accepted at last. Somehow, the Jews did not understand these “hidden in plain sight” prophecies which had to be revealed to the Apostles (Col 1:26-27) little by little.
The first chapter of Hosea parallels Paul’s theme in these chapters. God told Hosea to prophecy of the imminent end of the kingdom of the house of Israel, for He would no more have mercy upon them. He would show mercy to the house of Judah and save them, but Israel? I will utterly take them away. Yet (He continues) the number of the children of Israel (not Judah) shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God (see Hos 1:4-11).
Historians can only speculate what happened to the people of Israel, the so-called “ten lost tribes” who the Assyrians defeated in battle and carried into captivity about 150 years before the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. Whatever their story, they were so completely dispersed among the surrounding nations, and their blood so inter-mingled with them, that they ceased to be a people. They must be called “Gentiles.” Yet, the Word of the Lord by the prophet Hosea says these same people, the children of Israel, would become like the sand of the sea for number and be called the children of the living God.
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
This prophecy from Isaiah foretells a great purging in the land of Israel, as a consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. Only a remnant would escape from Jacob and choose to stay upon the Lord (Is 10:20-23). This began to be fulfilled by John the Baptist, who first laid the axe to the root of the trees (Mat 3:7-12) and then Jesus came to finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness. This last half of Isaiah’s prophecy (v28) reads different in the Masoretic text of Isaiah 10:23, but Paul quotes the Septuagint version almost verbatim.
Do not misunderstand the usage of the future tense here. The topic is not of God’s present work nor is Paul speaking of the end of the New Covenant. He’s quoting Isaiah’s prophecy of the end of the Old Covenant and that has been the constant subject of this chapter. The short work that was cut short in righteousness is a reference to Christ’s earthly ministry. In fact, the latter phrase is remarkably similar to Daniel’s famous Seventy Week prophecy of the Messiah being suddenly cut off in order to finish the transgression and bring in everlasting righteousness (Dan 9:24-26). By His sudden death and resurrection, Jesus’ work (logos) was cut short. Logos is usually translated “word,” but sometimes it means a “matter” (Acts 8:21).
These verses completely defeat Futurism’s claim that all blood Jews are predestined to be saved (Rom 11:26). The Prophets have said that only a remnant of Israel would be saved, and the Apostle Paul affirmed the same. Of course, Hosea prophesied that God’s people would increase and be found in new lands. The events the New Testament establish the veracity of both prophecies. Most of the Jewish nation refused to accept Jesus the Nazarene as their long-awaited Messiah, but a remnant emerged out of Israel and believed on Him unto salvation (Rom 11:5). But the larger field of converts were Gentile children of Abraham, which have grown to far outnumber the Jews.
29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
This quotes an earlier prophecy (Is 1:9) and also comes from the Septuagint version. At the same place, the Masoretic text speaks of a remnant, while the Septuagint makes reference to a seed (see note Gal 3:19). The general meaning remains unchanged. Isaiah was warning Judah of her grave spiritual condition which would grow even worse until finally God allowed the armies of Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the city of Jerusalem with Solomon’s beautiful temple and carry the surviving Jews into captivity in Babylon for seventy long years.
The pattern would repeat some 500 years later, when again Judah’s blind and hardened hearts brought destruction upon them. The Jews were so hardened of heart that Jesus said Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have repented in ashes if they had seen His works (see Mat 11:20-24). Israel’s unbelieving hearts were the direct cause for the city of Jerusalem’s utter destruction. The pride of the Jews, the Temple on Zion’s hill, was so completely demolished that it is said that the Roman conquerors ran a plow over the grounds to demonstrate its shocking destruction.
Yet, thanks to God, a very small remnant (Is 1:9) escaped from the house of Jacob (Is 10:20) to become the Messiah’s New Covenant people. A time of great trouble shook the nation of Judah and left it thoroughly purged. The honorable and willing were delivered, and the rest were scattered throughout the nations even to the present day (Eze 5:12-15). The end of this Age will see a similar great purging and deliverance of the true Israel of God (Dan 12:1-3).
The expression, the Lord of Sabaoth was a title that the prophet Isaiah used often (50 times in the LXX). The Greek word sabaoth is a transliteration of the Hebrew word tsaba, and is usually translated, Lord of hosts in the KJV. It is apparently a false cognitive of “sabbath” (Greek – sabbata, Hebrew – shabbath).
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Until the coming of Christ, the Gentiles were aliens and strangers from the Law and the Covenant, and without God in the world (Eph 2:12). They were cruel, wicked idol-worshipers. Very few were interested in seeking God. Nevertheless, without seeking for it (Rom 10:20) and apart from works (obviously), God chose them to also be recipients of the righteousness which is of faith by becoming equally children of Abraham through adoption. Israel after the flesh meanwhile, was so engrossed in following their Law of righteousness that they missed their King of Righteousness (Is 32:1; Heb 7:2).
What shall we say then? The Greek phrase occurs six times in the book of Romans, but nowhere else in the Scriptures. It marks the beginning of a new point, a step forward in the argument for the New Covenant people of God. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Is 35:10).
32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Israel after the flesh failed to obtain the promises (Rom 11:7) because they were too engrossed in doing the works of the Law, which they had shockingly modified and remolded to their liking. They were not able to see that the Law of Moses had become to them a broken reed…whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it (Is 36:6). By refusing the Giver of the Law, the Jews stumbled over that Rock of offence (1Pet 2:8; Is 8:14), for the humble, peace-teaching Jesus did not fulfill their dreams of the Messiah (1Cor 1:23). However, a godly remnant, or seed, did believe on Christ and together with the Gentiles of faith, these received the promises. The very Stone that the Jews had stumbled upon was the cause of Gentile salvation (1Pet 2:6). Simeon prophesied that Mary’s child would cause this great division in Israel (Luke 2:34).
Two prophecies of Isaiah are combined in this quotation. The first is Isaiah 8:14-15, And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. The second is Isaiah 28:16, Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste (or, be confounded, LXX).
Surely these verses pricked the consciences of those faith-less Jews who had them in memory. Peter used this same passage in his fearless defense of Christ before the Sanhedrim (Acts 4:10-13), and Jesus cited a similar prophecy from Psalms 118:22 (see Mat 21:42). The Jews are seen stumbling over Christ again in the last of this three-chapter plea (see Rom 11:11).