Romans 9:17-21 (WEL) For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up so that I could show my power in you and that my name might be publicized throughout the whole earth.” [Exodus 9:16] 18 Therefore, he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants. 19 So are you going to tell me, “Why does he still find fault, for who can stand against his will?” 20 No, on the contrary, O man, who are you to contradict God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded it, “Why have you made me this way?” [Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9] 21 Doesn’t the potter have the authority over the clay to shape pottery for honorable use as well as for dishonorable use from the same lump?
V17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up so that I could show my power in you and that my name might be publicized throughout the whole earth.” [Exodus 9:16]
There is a reason God raised up Pharaoh. It was not a random decree or choice. Egypt needed to be punished, Israel needed to be delivered from her bondage, and God raised up a man for the job—Pharaoh, a man who had proven to be evil, God rejecting, and cruel tyrant. God chose Abraham because God knew Abraham would believe and obey. God chose Pharaoh because God knew Pharaoh would not believe and would not obey.
God wanted to deliver Israel from its bondage to Egypt, yet He wanted to punish Egypt for all of its evils. Since the Egyptians put their trust in the many gods they had, God was going to reveal to the Egyptians that He, Israel’s God, is the one and only God.
God needed someone who was evil. Why? Because the nation of Egypt needed to be punished and for a revelation of Himself to Israel. God was going to show them His glory, power, authority, and His great love and protection of Israel. The one God chose to be the evil leader was this Pharaoh.
The Pharaoh of the Exodus is Amenhotep II, though there are other opinions with good logic presented by them.
Brave AI:
“The early date view, favored by many conservative and evangelical scholars, places the Exodus in 1446 BC and identifies Amenhotep II (c. 1455–1418 BC) as the pharaoh. This view is supported by the biblical chronology, which calculates the Exodus 480 years before Solomon began building the temple in 966 BC. Amenhotep II’s reign fits this timeline, and several circumstantial pieces of evidence are cited in his favor. These include a gap in his inscriptions between Year 4 and Year 7, which could accommodate the Exodus event , and the fact that he was not the firstborn son, which aligns with the biblical account that the pharaoh survived the 10th plague. Furthermore, his reign saw a significant decline in military campaigns after the Exodus date, which some interpret as a consequence of losing his army in the Red Sea. The possibility that Amenhotep II did not die in the Red Sea is also supported by the biblical text, which does not explicitly state that the pharaoh perished, and by Psalm 136, where the Hebrew word “na’ar” means “shook off” rather than “drowned.”
V18 Therefore, he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants.
This is not due to some secret will. This is conditional mercy. What are the conditions/s for God choosing someone for a certain task? Some chosen people include Jesus, John the Baptist, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and the prophets. Three things God requires of these persons are for them to be believers in God, willing, and obedient. It does not necessarily depend on one’s natural gifts, for God prepares the one He chooses. Of David, Scriptures tell us God seeks one after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), instead of their own heart (Ezekiel 13:17). This is one who seeks God, praying for God’s direction, wanting to live God’s way, and one who obeys God. These people are willing for God to change them to have the character traits of a godly person.
Hardening happens when one seeks their own heart, their own pleasures, and disobedience. God punishes evil with hardening of the conscience. See Exodus 7:22, Ezekiel 3:7, and Proverbs 29:1. God will eventually harden it more as in Exodus 14:4 and Exodus 14:17.
He does not harden without a purpose as some theologies teach.
V19 So are you going to tell me, “Why does He still find fault, for who can stand against His will?”
Is God evil for choosing one person for something? No, because He knows the beginning and end of everyone. That is His foreknowledge (prescience).
Can anyone find fault with God when He chooses one over another? No, because God is a great and only King. He is not a tyrant king; He is a shepherd king.
Many people blame God for what happens in their lives. Yet, most are from our bad decisions, someone else’s bad decisions, acts of God (earthquake, etc.), or age, disease, etc.
Comments:
Adam Clarke:
“The apostle here introduces the Jew making an objection similar to that in Rom 3:7: If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, that is, if God’s faithfulness is glorified by my wickedness, why yet am I also judged as a sinner? Why am I condemned for that which brings so much glory to him? The question here is: If God’s glory be so highly promoted and manifested by our obstinacy, and he suffers us to proceed in our hardness and infidelity, why does he find fault with us, or punish us for that which is according to his good pleasure?”
Kingswood Hart:
“This part of Romans 3 corresponds to Romans 9:19. Verse 7 of Romans 3 is the closest match with Romans 9:19. It asks a question, posed on behalf of an unbelieving ethnic Israelite, as to why this person is being condemned as a sinner, given that this person’s sinful actions have not prevented God from being glorified. God is able to use the ‘lie’ of this person to bring about a proclamation of his ‘truth’, so the person’s lie does not stop God from achieving his purposes and being glorified. The argument is that God is being glorified whether the person sins or not. So, the argument goes, why is God condemning the sinner when the sinner hasn’t prevented God from being glorified? We can see that Paul is very dismissive of such an argument by his statement at the end of Romans 3:8 – ‘their condemnation is just’.
“A similar question is being asked in Romans 9:19 – ‘Why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will?’ Why does God find fault with the unbelieving ethnic Israelites, as none of them are preventing God from being glorified? ‘Who has resisted his will?’ is a rhetorical question with the implied answer: no one has resisted his will. No one is stopping God from achieving what he wants to be achieved, so why find fault in anyone? The unbelief of these ethnic Israelites has actually led to the gospel being proclaimed to the Gentiles. God’s will to proclaim the good news to the whole world has not been resisted. If these ethnic Israelites had accepted Jesus, they would have taken the gospel message to the world themselves. On the other hand, with their rejection of Jesus, God still used this to achieve his will by using their rejection of Jesus as a means to promote the spread of the gospel.” Source https://evangelicalarminians.org/romans-919-20-is-it-right-for-god-to-find-fault-with-unbelieving-ethnic-israelites/
V20 No, on the contrary, O man, who are YOU to contradict God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded it, “Why have you made me this way?” [Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9]
People harden their own hearts. Esau hardened his heart to reject the birthright and blessings of the firstborn for a bowl of stew. When God punishes, no one can blame God for evil and unjust.
God is sovereign. God though is not a tyrant but a shepherd. He can make a sovereign decision overriding a human or other being’s will. An example would be death. He can also make a general law that we can choose to obey or not. Obeying brings glory and peace; disobedience brings punishment.
God is not without a plan but He in His sovereignty has allowed a measured libertarian free will.
V21 Doesn’t the potter have the authority over the clay to shape pottery for honorable use as well as for dishonorable use from the same lump?
God is King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He is the sovereign. It truly is God’s way or no way. God’s ways are just and right.
The NLT explains it this way—Romans 10:3 (NLT) For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.” Also, see Luke 7:29
Luke 18:9-12 is the opposite of God’s ways.
We learn:
- God is sovereign.
- God makes His choices based on knowledge of a person.
- God is righteous in His choices.
Questions
- God allows a libertarian free will, how are you using it to glory God?
- Do you blame God for your actions?