1

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are

descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL

BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”

Rom 9:6-9What do we learn from this text?

1. God’s plans weren’t crushed because Israel did not believe.2. It isn’t the genetic line that makes people God’s people.3. It is the line of FAITH that brings people into the Covenant

that God made with Abraham.

2

“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, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is

there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I

HAVE COMPASSION.’” Rom 9:11-15

What do we learn here?

3

“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, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is

there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I

HAVE COMPASSION.’” Rom 9:11-15

1. People do not control or determine who gets God’s mercy.2. Since all mankind is fallen into sin all have no claim to mercy.3. God does choose to be merciful and compassionate to some

who are not entitled to receive mercy and He is holy and just to do so.

4

“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, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is

there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I

HAVE COMPASSION.’” Rom 9:11-15

May we venture in so boldly as to ask how God determines in His sovereign will how He chooses those to whom He

gives mercy and compassion?

5

Let’s review so that we can get a running start at the rest of our text.

So, acknowledging that man cannot, by force of will or effort, manipulate God into providing this valuable grace, can we learn the basis by which God determines who will

receive it?

1. We know that all men are equally fallen and devastated by the power of sin, enslaved to it and dying by it.

2. We know that man cannot awaken himself to the destruction of sin in which he lives and dies.

3. We know that without God’s grace man would be oblivious to his pathetic condition.

4. We know that some do respond to God’s offer of grace in free will and they become recipients of that grace.

5. We know that others are invited to repent and submit to God’s Perfect will, but they never even consider it.

6

“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who

has mercy.” Ro 9:16“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.’ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to

me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’” Ro 9:17–19

The argument is, if man does exactly what God raised him up to do, and he does what God raised him to do, then why does God judge the man for doing what He raised him up

to do? Let’s find our answer.

7

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

A key to understanding this is this word here in the Greek. It is the word “ἀνταποκρίνομαι”. It means “to answer with a judgment against something”. It is what Cain said against God when God asked him where Abel was. “What

a stupid thing to ask of me! Am I my brother’s keeper?”

8

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

So the sense of the word here is that when God moves in judgment against Pharaoh for his rebellion against God, and mankind says, “Hey – the guy did exactly what you

raised him up to do – You can’t rightly punish him for it”, Paul says, “Who are you to bring your pitiful judgment

against God’s determinations?”

9

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

And now we get to the key of the whole matter.

10

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

If God “programmed” Pharaoh, and made it so that he could not obey or honor God even if he wanted to, then how could it

be possible for God to “endure him with much patience”? That is like saying that I “endure” my walks with Sue in the

morning. If you don’t “like” something, you don’t have to do it. God doesn’t “endure” what He purposes.

11

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

When God hardens hearts He simply does not interfere with the natural course of their lusts and desires and leaves them

in their pride and rebellion. He knows He cannot change their direction without violating their determined will.

12

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

"The only hardening that is effected by God and which the Scriptures are acquainted with is judicial; the only

objects of this hardening are men who have first hardened themselves against all God’s mercy and have

done that to such an extent as to be beyond further reach of that mercy.” Lenski

13

“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? 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 What if God, although willing

to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”

Ro 9:20-22

"The only hardening that is effected by God and which the Scriptures are acquainted with is judicial; the only

objects of this hardening are men who have first hardened themselves against all God’s mercy and have

done that to such an extent as to be beyond further reach of that mercy.” Lenski

So it is the stinking, vulgar pride of men like Cain and Pharaoh, who will NOT yield, even to the gentle whispers of God who calls them to His Perfect will, whose will God will not overrun in His sovereignty, and so in deference to their will He abandons them to it, which is an irreversible

condition.

14

So both Pharaoh and Abimelech ran contrary to the Perfect will of God. Both of them were redirected to that

choice once His Perfect will was underscored.

That is why Romans 9:22 says God endured with much patience vessels fitted for destruction.

Abimelech repented immediately and restored Sarah to Abraham untouched. But Pharaoh was pounded 10 times

by that same freight train and even after all of that, he STILL rebelled against God’s plain desire to heal and

restore him. It reveals the irretrievable condition of his heart when he would rather die than yield to the will of

God.