Rom. 9:19-21 - Why find Fault

19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"
20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?
21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

Who Are You, O Man...

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V. 19 - “Why does He still find fault” - The cry in our culture is, “It’s not my fault!” Or, “It’s not fair!” Or, “That is too strict!” We want to define how we will be saved. If it is God’s decision and not ours, why blame us? These complaints almost completely miss the point.

The book of Job puts it succinctly: “Suppose someone says to God, 'I am guilty but will offend no more. Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.' Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know.” (Job 34:31-33 [NIV])
The key is: shall God give you a kings-x because you choose to not accept or believe what He has told us? You admit that you’re not perfect, but you are ‘trying’. Besides, you’re not all that bad, are you? Surely He can overlook my ‘little white sins’. There is a simple problem with that way of thinking...

V. 20-21 - “who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” - You are deciding what is acceptable to God. You, who admittedly is imperfect, are telling a perfect God how to run His universe! We have the same right to tell God what to do as glob of clay can tell the artist what to make out of the clay. If you fold a paper airplane from a sheet of paper, you decide what form the plane will take. If you want to bake a pie, you decide whether it will be blackberry or apple. Neither the paper nor the fruit decides for you. If you have children, do they proscribe the parameters of their curfew, or the amount of their allowance? If they violate a family rule, do the children decide what the discipline will be? (I would hope not.)

In human terms: The government decides which streets are 25 mph speed limits, and which are 70 mph. You may choose to drive 70 in a 25 zone, but don't be surprised when you get a speeding ticket. God has set the parameters. You must decide for yourself; I cannot decide for you.

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Rom. 9:14-18 - It Depends on God

14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
15 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."
18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

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God’s Mercy and Compassion Shown

V. 14 - “There is no injustice with God, is there? “ - I think this NASB translation of verse 14 is mildly confusing. Other versions or translations eliminate the ‘double negative’ by putting it “Can we say God is unjust?” The answer to this rhetorical question is, “Of course not!”. One of the themes in scripture is that justice and righteousness dwell in the Lord. (See: Gen. 18:19; Job 37:23; Psa. 33:5; Isa. 15:5; Jer. 9:23, 24; Mic. 6:8, as a sample). God’s justice is not capricious, or unpredictable.

V. 15 -"I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY..." - Quoted from Exo. 33:19. It is part of a conversation Moses is having with God. (See also: Exo. 33:12-23.) Moses wants assurance that God is going to go with or before them. It is a good question because this is just after the golden calf incident. Moses does not want to go anywhere with these people unless God goes with them. Without God, how will anyone know that the Israelites are any different than any other nation on earth? God assures Moses He has chosen Israel and Moses to lead them. God will show His compassion and mercy on them because He has chosen them. The choice is based on the promise made to Abraham, and God will not change that promise.
Interestingly enough, God responds that it is His “goodness” that will be shown to Moses (and ‘Thy people”), not God’s glory. HIs glory would overwhelm, in fact it would slay anyone who sees because they are not ready. God’s grace and mercy (or compassion) once proclaimed will not be withdrawn. I tell you, we WANT to see His goodness toward us, His mercy toward us, His grace for us. These characteristics are part of the reason God sent His Son to take our penalty upon Himself.

V. 16 - “So then it does not depend “ - What is the “It” called out here? My salvation. My righteousness. My sanctification.

“On the man who wills or the man who runs” - My salvation does not happen by my exertion and effort, nor by my willing it to happen.

V. 17 -"FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU ..." - Quoted from Exo. 9:13-16. The event referenced is after the sixth plague has struck Egypt, and still the Pharaoh refuses to let God’s people go. Pharaoh is warned that he and all the Egyptians could be wiped out, but God is allowing Pharaoh to exist to demonstrate God‘s power to the whole world. Neither the Pharaoh’s actions nor his will power would have any impact on the outcome. God will free His people!
The connection is that it is God who saves us, not ourselves.

V. 18 - “He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” - I do not think this is a Calvinist statement, in that God points you, you and you - (indicating salvation); and points him, him and her - (indicating condemnation). God does not capriciously choose who will or who will not be saved. God’s mercy is shown to those who accept Him (including Jesus, of course) because that is how He has decided it will be done. Those who reject the gift of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be hardened to the point of condemnation. His desire is to save all who believe. Those who reject Him will receive their just desserts.

From a commentary by Matthew Henry, concerning this verse: "The various dealings of God, by which he makes some to differ from others, must be resolved into his absolute sovereignty. He is debtor to no man, his grace is his own, and he may give it or withhold it as it pleaseth him; we have none of us deserved it, nay, we have all justly forfeited it a thousand times, so that herein the work of our salvation is admirably well ordered that those who are saved must thank God only, and those who perish must thank themselves only, Hos. 13:9. We are bound, as God hath bound us, to do our utmost for the salvation of all we have to do with; but God is bound no further than he has been pleased to bind himself by his own covenant and promise, which is his revealed will; and that is that he will receive, and not cast out, those that come to Christ; but the drawing of souls in order to that coming is a preventing distinguishing favour to whom he will. Had he mercy on the Gentiles? It was because he would have mercy on them. Were the Jews hardened? It was because it was his own pleasure to deny them softening grace, and to give them up to their chosen affected unbelief."
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Rom. 9:9-13 - Sarah & Rebekah

9 For this is the word of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON."
10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
12 it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER."
13 Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."

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God’s Purpose Shown

V. 9 - “For this is the word of promise:' - Quoted from Gen. 18:10, 14. God had promised Abraham earlier he would have a son by Sarah (See: Gen. 17:5, 15-19). Both Abraham (17:17) and Sarah laughed (18:12) at the absurdity of two really old people having a child. Truly, Isaac was a miracle. “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (See: Gen. 18:14, compare to Luke 1:37)

V. 10 - “Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;” - See: Gen. 25:24.

V. 11-12 - “for though the twins were not yet born... God’s purpose according to His choice” - Pointing out the obvious - it was God’s choice, not because of any works the unborn children had done to earn the blessing.

“it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ " - quoted from Gen. 25:23. Look forward to the advent of our Messiah: the father of John the Baptist and Mary and Jospeh were told their babies would be called by God for a purpose. (See: Luke 1:11-20; 1:26-38; Matt. 1:18-25) This is not too far to leap: John the Baptist was chosen by God to be a ‘voice in the wilderness’ a herald announcing the arrival of the Messiah. (See: Matt. 3:3; Luk. 3:4; Jn 1:23; Isa.40:3-5).

V. 13 - “Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED." - Quoted from Mal. 1:2-3a. The book of Malachi is a soliloquy by God in which He lists 10 offenses the Israelites have committed against the Lord. He tells the Israelites they are loved. They demand to know when! God replies He chose Jacob over Esau - before they were born. These words - love and hate - in this verse express election and rejection, not emotional commitment.

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