In Romans 9:1-5 the Apostle Paul grieves over Israel’s rejection of the crucified Jesus as Israel’s Messiah, and is now the resurrected Christ, for Paul would be accursed for his fellow Israelites if it would change them; Israel had God’s promises, the adoption, the law, and who in agreement with the flesh, has the Messiah that is forever blessed, yet Israel rejected their Messiah-Christ-King.
In Romans 9:6-13 Paul sees Israel’s rejection of Jesus, the resurrected Christ-Messiah as God’s purpose to include Jacob’s descendants in His salvation plan, because not all Abraham’s descendants are counted in the promised “seed”, but only the descendants of Isaac are Israelites, for Esau’s descendants are not counted in God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; God chose the younger Jacob over his older twin Esau, and God’s choice stands throughout eternity.
Romans 9:14-21 is Paul’s illustration of God’s mercy being stronger than God’s judgment, for God showed His mercy to Moses, when Moses pleaded for Israel, when they worship the golden calf, and Moses asked God to remove his name from the Book of Life, if He removed Israel’s name, but God told Moses, He has mercy on whomever He chooses, and hardens whomever He chooses; He told Egypt’s King Pharaoh He had created him for one purpose…to reveal His power by destroying him for the cruelty against the Israelites, so everyone would know God’s name and His judgment against human cruelty.
Does this make God unjust, cruel, unloving, and unmerciful? No! It only reveals the character of God, our before the creation of anything (Ephesians 1:3-14; Psalm 139:13-16). Whose mercy withholds His wrath, until His wrath is an absolute necessity for correction and training in righteousness and holiness (Hebrews 12:3-11), so none of God’s creation has the authority and power to judge the knowledge and wisdom of our Creator-King, who knows every minute detail about everything, and this is clean in 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, because we only know and understand what God chooses to reveal to us, so we are never qualified to be His advisors, counselors, or judges, even though as humble, submissive Christians, members of Christ’s body, the church, we allow the mind of Christ to control our every move.
Romans 9:22-29 is God’s merciful character revealed in His longsuffering, waiting patiently for those deserving His judgmental wrath to humbly submit to His plan and will, so He can bless them abundantly, and “people who are not His people, to become His people”; “the unloved people to experience His love”, and “all the remnant of Israel to be saved”, those still alive after the great tribulation under the seven-year reign of “the man of sin and Antichrist.
And Romans 9:30-33 is Israel’s present condition of misunderstanding and rejection of God’s grace and mercy for His including Gentiles in Abraham’s covenant, to make Israel jealous, and come back to Him, but Israel refused God’s purpose and became even more determined to live by the OT law, rejecting Jesus their Messiah; Christ, their resurrected Head, their membership into His body, the church, and the Holy Spirit, their Comforter, Guide, and Counselor, for the Godhead became their “stumbling stone and rock of offense”, but when the remnant finally believe and accepts Him, they will be saved (Romans 11:25-27).
Jim Nabors
