Romans 9

After Paul’s extended section at the end of chapter 8 on the unfailing love of God for believers, in chapter 9 Paul launches into a three chapter discussion about Israel and its destiny.  It is almost as though he is answering an objection his readers may have had: “Oh, Paul, you say that God’s love will never end for us, but what about Israel; didn’t God stop loving them?”  At the end of these 3 chapters, the answer is “absolutely not, God still has a plan for Israel to be saved.”

These chapters have a great deal that is puzzling, even disturbing regarding God’s sovereign control over people’s lives. This is especially apparent as he illustrates this principle by using Jacob, Esau, and Pharaoh as examples. However you chose to interpret these chapters, Allow God to be God.  What I mean by that is He is the potter, we are the clay. We don’t tell Him how to be God, that is not a prerogative that we have.  At the end of these three chapters is the doxology I have inserted below. Always keep this in mind as you read through chapters 9-11. 

Rom. 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!                                      

 For who has known the mind of the Lord,

            or who has been his counselor?                                                                           

Or who has first given to God,

            that God needs to repay him?                                                                             

 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.

Our role is to do our best to understand our sovereign God whose judgments are unsearchable and whose ways are unfathomable. But when we don’t understand, we are not to tame Him by changing Him into our image, but rather to join Paul in the doxological worship that acknowledges that He does as He pleases, but what He does is always good.