God’s Chosen People

Romans 9:1-29

May 6, 2007 Pastor Jack Harpold

Paul has explained the glories of God's grace but his heart is heavy because he knows these glories will not be enjoyed by his own people. The Jews were God's chosen people with a special place in God's plan, yet as a whole they rejected God’s Son and crucified Him. Does Israel still have a place in God's plan?

In A.D. 70 Jerusalem along with the Temple was burned and the Jews scattered. With Israel set aside the ancient promises seemed no longer valid.

Israel had many privileges. God’s favor was toward Israel. Israel was adopted as God's chosen family. She was given a special relationship with God distinct from all other nations, the only nation God ever called His "son." Israel had "the glory" (the Shekinah glory), the cloud overshadowed Israel by day, and the pillar of fire led and protected them by night. The children of Israel are the only people who have ever had the visible presence of God. There is no visible presence of God today. Why? Now the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, making the living Christ real. Israel had “the Covenant.” God made many covenants with Abraham, with David, with Israel - many have been carried out - He would make Israel a blessing to all nations - Messiah would be in David’s line. God made no such covenants with any other people.

Israel had "the law.” Israel could never plead ignorance of God's will, because God had given them His law through Moses. Israel had "the service". The temple and the tabernacle with daily sacrifices and yearly festivals were unique to Israel. In the future millennial kingdom the nation Israel will once again be God's priests upon the earth. Israel had "the promises" including the forgiveness of sins, the inheritance of the promised land, and the coming of the Messiah. Israel had "the fathers" - that is, the ancestors of the Jewish people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been examples of faith and godliness. Israel was blessed above all with "the Christ,” the Messiah of the Jews. He came in the flesh, born as a babe to Israel. In spite of these privileges, Israel turned its back on God, and rejected the Messiah she brought into the world.

God loves His people, but God's justice cannot overlook sin. In justice, God had to punish Israel and set the nation aside.

Now Paul sets about the task of justifying God's ways with Israel.

Verse 6 says God's word has not failed. The promises made to Israel are still valid. Paul says, "It is not as though the word of God has taken no effect, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel; nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham." Only Jews with Abraham's faith are his true offspring.

In God's plan for Israel (as well as for all mankind), God has always made a selection. Some were chosen and others were rejected. It is God’s sovereign right to choose and to bless whomever He wills at any time. "Sovereignty" means God has absolute power and He is free to do whatever He wills to do - anywhere, at any time.

Two cases illustrate the sovereignty of God. There was Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Both were blood-descendants of Abraham. Ishmael was the son of natural human processes. Isaac was the son of promise, born by impossible circumstances from a human point of view. Of these two sons, God made a choice. God has the liberty to choose (to elect) whom He wills, and to set aside whom He wills. God elected Isaac; He set aside Ishmael.

The second illustration is with Isaac's twin sons, Jacob and Esau. God made a choice between them before they were born. God chose Jacob and rejected Esau.

With Abraham's sons, some may say because Ishmael was born of a bondwoman, God rejected him. But with Isaac's sons there was no such distinction. Jacob and Esau were born of the same parents, at the same time, with the same circumstances. God chose between them before they were born, when they had done nothing good or bad - to deserve favor or blame. The choice was based on the will of God alone.

God has the freedom to choose whomever He wills. Everything belongs to Him by creation. What God does is right - simply because He is God.

God's choices of Isaac and Jacob rather than Ishmael and Esau, may lead some to question the righteous character of God. Verse 14 says, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." If God is just why does He give the promises to Isaac and Jacob, and exclude Ishmael and Esau? If God is just, why do some folks have the advantage of living in North America? If God is a just God, why does He make a distinction among people (regarding talents, health, appearance)? This is His universe. He is sovereign. I am but a little creature and He could take away my breath at any moment. Dare I stand before God and question what He does? That would be rebellion. I bow before my Redeemer, knowing His choices are right.

Paul says in verse 15: "For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." God has the sovereign right to dispense mercy according to His will, because He is God.

Verse 16 says His mercy is not in response to human resolve or effort - but God's mercy is given according to His own mind and will.

When asked to release Israel from Egyptian bondage Pharaoh said, "Who is God that I should obey him?" (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh challenged God - God accepted the challenge and destroyed Pharaoh. When Scripture says God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it means God forced Pharaoh to make the decision that was in his heart.

Another objection is raised. If God is sovereign and makes decisions according to His will, how can God blame men who reject Him? If God makes the choice, doesn't that abolish human responsibility? The hardened heart may say, “I am what you made me; I can't help that you chose me to do wrong; therefore you shouldn't blame me when I do wrong." Paul denounces such a spirit. If we dare to raise an objection about what God does verse 20 says, "O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him that formed it, why have you made me like this?”

It is foolish and wicked for puny man to question God's dealings. Who are we to question what God does? Verse 21 says, "Does not the potter have a right over the clay?” The potter may form vessels of clay as he desires. He can make the finest pottery, or a simple dog dish - it is up to him. Just so God can do as He wishes with us.

We don't fully understand the sovereignty of God but we may make a few observations. Verses 22 and 23 speak of "vessels of wrath " and "vessels of mercy," figures of speech speaking of the saved and the lost. It does not say God fits and prepares people for destruction (vessels of wrath). It does say God fits and prepares people for Heaven (vessels of mercy). Men fit themselves for Hell, but God fits people for Heaven.

God never elects or predestines anyone for destruction. If you go to Hell, you will go there because of your own choice. God is sovereign and He can do as He wills, but He is not a monster who delights to use His sovereignty to dash men to pieces.

Someone said to Dr. Spurgeon, "I can't understand why God would say He hated Esau." Spurgeon replied, "That's not my trouble; my difficulty is to understand how God could say He loved Jacob." Jacob was wayward, crafty, self-seeking - yet God loved him. God delights in mercy, even though we are unworthy of receiving His mercy.

We may notice God's judgments have always been preceded by much long suffering. Think how long suffering God was with Sodom. Abraham pleaded until God said, "If there are just ten righteous souls there, I will spare the city." That is true also with Pharaoh. God sent warning after warning, judgment after judgment, until Pharaoh crossed the line, and there was no repentance with him. Nine times the Bible says God hardened Pharaoh's heart- but seven times it infers Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Never forget that God hardened Pharaoh's heart only after Pharaoh himself had persistently hardened his own heart.

God has in mercy based every move and every plan for our lives upon His foreknowledge of the choices He knew we would make. God looks down through the avenue of time, and sees the response that will come from the heart of every person.

God is sovereign. He makes decisions according to His own will, yet each person must make up his own mind about his relationship with God. We can either accept the Gospel or reject it. We can determine to obey God or disobey. We don't understand completely the sovereignty of God (He does what He does simply because He is God), but it is taught in the Bible. We don't understand completely the free will of man (and it’s relationship to God's sovereignty), but it is taught in the Bible. The Scriptures plainly teach and emphasize both, God's sovereignty, and man's free power of choice - and then let it at that. We must do the same.

For the present, it is true that Israel is on the side-track - but the day is coming when God will return to Israel, and take the nation up again in His purpose -and once again, He is going to make Israel a channel of blessing to this sick old world. We shall discover more about God's plan for Israel in future chapters.