Romans 9:6-18 – The Sovereignty of God

In verses 6-13, Paul corrected the suggestion that God had failed in His promise to Israel. He stood his ground saying that although Israel has failed, God’s Word has not. Using two sets of Old Testament characters: Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob and Esau, he straightened their erroneous assumption that God’s promise to bless was based on ancestry. Although both Isaac and Ishmael were Abraham’s son, yet it was Isaac who was God’s choice. Then again both Jacob and Esau were conceived by Rebekah and while still in her womb and had as yet not done neither good nor bad, God had already made His choice for Jacob. Paul’s point is this: God is faithful and His blessing was entirely based on His sovereign choice and not on human ancestry. Faith is an intensely personal matter. Everyone who had found access to God found it through personal faith in Christ. None of us can depend on our parent’s faith to obtain our acceptance with God

From verses 14-18, it appears that Paul anticipated that some would doubt God’s fairness. Their logic would be this: since God is the One Who sovereignly chooses whom to bless, wouldn’t it be unfair in the sense that He would have to miss out on some. But Paul here insisted that God is fair. To Paul it was unthinkable to say that God is unfair, so he emphatically retorted in verse 14, saying “… May it never be!” Paul showed here that God’s choice of the vessel He blesses has nothing to do with fairness, but has all to do with mercy.

The truth is that God is perfect in every way – in knowledge, wisdom, power, faithfulness, goodness, justice, mercy, grace, love, and holiness. Therefore, there is no question about His choice. It will definitely be perfect all the time. God does not have to answer to anyone. He is responsible to Himself and His sovereignty is absolute. Quoting Exodus 33:19, Paul also shows us that God’s mercy cannot be received outside of His grace. Those Israelites who made the golden calves and worshiped them were spared, not because they deserved it, but because of God’s mercy.    

In verse 17, Paul went on to illustrate from the account concerning Pharaoh and his hardened heart. Paul concluded that God alone has the absolute liberty to bestow mercy on whomever He chooses. Although Pharaoh deserved death, yet God did not destroy him but permitted him to continue to live and reign. Why? So that God could demonstrate His power in pharaoh’s repeated defeats. In that, God’s supremacy would be seen.

In verse 18, Paul only mentioned that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but did not refer to Pharaoh hardening his own heart, which was also revealed in the Exodus account. The naked truth is that God gave Pharaoh many opportunities to repent, but he resisted and thus hardened himself to God’s work. Look at it this way: while sun may melt ice, it also can harden clay. God was not unfair to Pharaoh for He had given him ample opportunities to respond and believe. Unfortunately, Pharaoh chose not to respond to God’s grace. Paul’s conclusion is this: God is sovereign. He only acts on His own will and purposes. And He is perfectly true and just because He is God.

We know that our Lord will never take us to where His grace cannot sustain us. What blessed thought! We need only to trust and obey. It’s the only way to His blessing and love!