God continues to reveal His ways in our text today. God declared important facts about Himself all through the Scripture. The apostle Paul was directed to refer back to the time of Moses in verses 15-16. Paul referred back to Exodus 33:19. The context of that verse has to do with Moses’ responsibilities as the human leader of the nation of Israel. God had called him to a great responsibility, and Moses needed assurance that God would go with him and with the nation of Israel. God assured Moses that He makes His choices based upon His mercy and grace. God promised Moses that He would go with them and He also has the right to treat each individual according to His mercy and grace. Those who know Him have blessings that the lost don’t know.
God knows the heart of each person and He responds to what He knows, not according to what people might try to convince Him of. That is why it is so important to be real with God. There is no point in pretending to be saved and loving God when that is not the truth. We cannot fool God.
In verse 17 God went further and showed His purpose for Pharaoh. Pharaoh was given the privilege of being the king of Egypt. He chose power and human glory over God’s glory. God knew Pharaoh’s heart and He chose to use him even though he was an ungodly man. He used Pharaoh to provide for the nation of Israel in its fledgling years. He also gave the Pharaohs some 400 years to see the importance of turning to the true God. Yet the Pharaohs chose to reject God and to abuse His chosen nation. The particular Pharaoh spoken of here is the one who saw the power of God in the plagues and who lost his firstborn in the final plague and then his own life in the Red Sea.
God gives every person the opportunity to know Him. Those who insist on not knowing Him will come to a place where He hardens their hearts. We do not know when that time is, but He does. It is important not to tempt God. It is important to repent and be saved while He is calling.
In verse 19 we are reminded that we have no right to question God’s actions. The immediate context here is to the Jews. The chapter began with talking about the Jews and the fact that not all Israelites were the spiritual seed of Abraham. Many would reject God and they would suffer for that.
In verse 20 we are reminded that God has every right to deal with men as He sees fit. He made man. He gave man His law. Adam chose to reject His law and he fell into sin. Cain chose to reject God’s law and he remained in his sin. Abel chose to believe in God and he was declared righteous by God. We can go on but the point is made in this text.
In verse 21 God continued to point out that He acts differently than we do. He is not accountable to us, but we are accountable to Him. The Jews, according to the context here were accountable to Him. God knows the heart and His choice is always right.
God used the illustration of the potter. He makes every vessel. Some vessels are made for honour such as the fancy teapot and cups used to serve guests. Some vessels are made for dishonour such as those used in the washroom. All the vessels are made by the potter and each one is to glorify the potter. The vessel does not choose its place of service.
In the same way, the Jews were all called upon to serve God. Moses was their leader. Joshua was the next. The people grumbled and complained against Moses at times. They did not like it that he was their leader. They assumed they were just as good as he was. They missed out on the blessing they could have known in serving God in the place He wanted them to be. Instead of serving Him, they complained until they died off in the wilderness.
In the time of the apostle Paul, many Jews were still rejecting God and they were suffering and many were perishing. In verses 22-24 God brought the point closer to home for the Jews. He chose them to be a glory to Him. They were to be a shining city on a hill. Yet they chose to reject Him and they adopted the idolatry of the pagans around them. Thus God would turn His wrath against them. He had every right to do that. Just because they were Jews, did not mean they had the right to defy Him. The lost Jews were acting like spoiled children. They did not want to honour God and yet they insisted that He bless them. They had the same attitude that Cain had. They were guilty but did not want to admit guilt. Thus there was no hope for them.
Many Jews have perished over the centuries. There are still many Jews perishing today. Sadly many Jews were slaughtered on October 7 of last year. Probably most if not all of them were lost. Some were taken hostage. We have not heard if any of those were saved Jews or not. There is an uneasy tension in Israel today. There are those who are being influenced by left wing forces to resist the current government. They may not realize it but they would invite another October 7th event and then cry again. Spiritual blindness is the worst kind of blindness there is.
In verse 24 Paul reminded the Jews that God has the right to call Jews and Gentiles. He has the right to be merciful to all. He chooses those who are saved as vessels of mercy, prepared for His glory. He is not limited in whom He can use. The important factor is to know Him.
The apostle Paul had resisted God. He repented and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. He called Him, Lord. He was a changed man and as a changed man he was called to be an apostle. There were others that were saved that were not apostles. God does the choosing. Those who are saved needed to be reminded of Who saved them. We need to be careful that we do not get in the flesh and face God’s rebuke.
God’s salvation is offered to all. His call for those who are saved is specific to the saved person. Some are called to preach and others are called to be evangelists. Some are called to serve in other ways. Each saved person needs to listen to God and follow Him.
Pastor Bartel