Romans 9:¹⁹ “Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

Why, then, do Heaven and hell exist? Why does God punish people? Is He not the one who determines things? To answer this question and to help us really understand it, we will start with what Paul stated here in the Book of Romans and then explain further. I am not saying Paul didn’t understand it, I am just saying he did not put it in the book of Romans. But my explanation is consistent with scriptures so that we do not stumble at this Rock of offense.

So, why blame Pharaoh when You are the One who hardened his heart to destroy him? Romans 9:^20-21 “No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?” (emphasis added). So, the first thing is to Submit To The Sovereignty Of God. Otherwise, you can’t even begin to understand these things. You are just a mere human being. Acknowledge that God is God, and He knows more than you. There is an ultimate counsel of God that by the time you understand it, you will exclaim and say, “Now I get it”. However, you may never get it on this side of eternity. So, first and foremost, you must understand that God is God, and He is just in all His ways.

The second thing is that you need to see and appreciate what is known as The Foreknowledge of God. God knows you even before you were born, and He knows the choices you will make even before you make them. So, if God wants to hypothetically move a person or a nation from point A to point B, and God knows that accomplishing this requires someone who is brutal, hard-hearted, prideful, and a cheat, but such a person is more likely to succeed than anyone else in moving that nation or person from point A to B God knows the person, so He will choose the person and empower the person to do it. When the person or nation gets to point B, God will remove the person He used and then punish the person for the bad things the person did.

The foreknowledge of God, as seen in Esau and Jacob, is that God already knew the choices Esau would make. And God said, I don’t like this guy, even before he was born or made those choices. God already knew the choices Isaac would make, and God said, I like this guy, before he was born and made those choices. David says in Psalm 51:⁴, “…That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.” (NKJV).

Prayer: Father, I submit completely to Your sovereignty, help me, in the Name of Jesus. Amen!

Romans 9:^11-12 “…a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.)…” (emphasis added).

People can argue from now till tomorrow that this person is good or bad, but if God has chosen the person, God has chosen the person. God chooses people according to His own purposes, not according to their good or bad works. God knows more than us. If we insist that our limited scope of knowledge must determine the affairs of life, we do ourselves a big disservice. Don’t you see people who are not even worthy of things being elevated to certain positions? And you wonder how it can be? It is because God chooses people according to His own purposes, not according to their good or bad works.

If God has a purpose and He knows that this person can accomplish it, He will raise the person to do it, and still punish the person for the bad things they have done. Take Pharaoh, for example, God wanted to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt and deal with Egypt for all the bad things they had done to the children of Israel. So, God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and that caused all the drama that happened (Read Exodus 1 – 14). In the end, Israel entered into their promised land, and Pharaoh was dealt with. God can raise someone who is destined for destruction and use the person to achieve His purposes for your life.

Do you know God can feed you with Ravens? Ravens are very stingy Birds, yet God used them to feed Elijah. God chooses according to His purposes. I am completely committed to His purposes only. His plans can change, but God’s purposes exist forever. If God wants to promote you, He can choose to use anyone for that purpose. Don’t get too sentimental with God; you may not like the person He is using. But if He is using them, just receive the blessing and move on. Romans 9:^14-16 “Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!  For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”

Then what is the point, you may say, why can’t I just do what I want to do, and God will do whatever He wants to do? This is where understanding the complete picture becomes necessary. Romans 9:^17-18 “For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.” I pray that your heart will not be hardened.

Prayer: Father, I commit afresh to Your purposes for my generation, in Jesus Name. Amen!