Chapter 9
V1-3 Paul is about to pour out his heart regarding the great deal of sorrow he feels for his Jewish people who are stuck in fleshly pursuit of justification through their own futile attempt to follow Torah. If he could he’d be prepared to be ostracised from Messiah if it could save them from their dire state of spiritual blindness cf Ex 32:31-32.
V4-5 He goes on to describe the irony of this blindness amongst the very people initially to whom the covenant promises and Torah pointing towards the predestined invitation to conform unto the image of Messiah by faith, unto adoption as sons of Elohim and ultimate glory were given.
V6-8 Paul then points out the startling fact for the chosen people, that nominal claim of being in the congregation of Yah by physical lineage of their forefathers is not sufficient, as only those who follow Torah in Spirit and not through fleshly desires are eligible to be adopted as sons of Elohim. This pride amongst the Jews of ethnic superiority and rights to the Kingdom of Elohim is what caused much disagreement between Yeshua and the scribes and Pharisees cf Jn 8:31-44.
V9-13 Paul then illustrates the process of election through invitation/calling of Yehovah of His true servants, by narrating the Jews’ forefathers’ election and calling. Isaac was chosen over Ishmael, and Jacob over Esau before their births because Yehovah is outside the realm of time and knows beginning from end. He knew how Ishmael and Esau would turn out to be despite being given equal opportunities of predestined invitations to righteousness.
Ishmael was known before his birth, to later develop into a wild man Gen 16:12, a character not predetermined and forced upon him by Elohim, but one borne out of his own freewill. Equally Esau’s lack of respect for his birth right and rebellion against his parents in choosing a wife Gen 36:2 was of his own freewill and against the will of Elohim. Isaac and Jacob on the other hand walked in the will of Elohim for the greater part of their lives and hence the covenant promises were bestowed upon them
V14-23 needs to be studied as a block to not lose the biblical truth revealed here. Does Elohim create some people deliberately for destruction, and unfairly others for eternal life and glory?
V14 Paul vehemently says Elohim forbid such foolish talk.
V15 quoting Ex 33:19. Very important to read Exodus ch 33 as a whole to understand the context of this statement, as confusion has arisen as to whether or not Yehovah is a capricious Elohim who unjustly favours whom He pleases over others. Exodus 33 follows on from Israel’s evil of the golden calf episode, Moses’ intercession on their part, and Yehovah’s fury and desire to wipe out the whole sinful nation and start afresh with Moses as the patriarch through whom Yehovah would uphold His covenant promises. He rightfully states that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, i.e. on those who heed His invitation and submit to Him, not just randomly have mercy on whom He pleases as some have erroneously interpreted.
V16 then reiterates that this mercy is not dispensed upon one’s own pursuit of justification of their own deeds, as no matter how hard we try and keep Yehovah’s Torah of our own accord, no amount of our good deeds will be enough as they are inevitably countered by our bad ones and render our efforts null and void. Hence Elohim’s mercy is indeed true compassion for an undeserving creation.
V17 quoting Ex 9:16
V18-19 Does v17 then mean that Yehovah deliberately created some for predetermined destruction? And if so, then why punish a creature already predestined for destruction?
V20 Paul clearly exasperated by such a foolish deduction based on an unsound grasp of scripture, asks how dare we brazenly, arrogantly and audaciously question our very Creator in such a disrespectful manner.
V21 cf Isa 29:16; Isa 45:9 We are made from the same lump of clay. Hence, we are born with the same innocence. The choices we freely make in life are out of Elohim’s control. We choose to accept or reject His will of our own volition; hence one is made unto honour and another unfortunately unto dishonour purely of their own choosing. We cannot blame Elohim for rejecting Him wilfully. The blood is fully on our own heads.
V22-23 Hence why evil men are sometimes allowed to live long and carry out their actions. Yehovah in His infinite wisdom, endures with great forbearance such people to use them as an example for mankind of the futility of evil and how it ultimately never wins. Pharaoh was subjected to 10 plagues and even lost his first-born son yet refused to repent. Some people are so depraved that no matter how much of Elohim’s power is manifested in their midst, they prefer evil and Yehovah hence uses them to their destruction. These evil men are used as examples to further strengthen the resolve of the good as they see Elohim’s power clearly used against the enemy, as the Israelites and repentant mixed multitudes did of Pharaoh in the exodus narrative.
V24-26 Therefore the Jews needed to understand that all mankind is formed from the same lump of clay, and effectively all are called and given the opportunity to respond positively to become sons of Elohim too cf Hos 2:23. The Jews who were offered first and the majority of which rejected Elohim, did not derail His ultimate plan to invite the rest of mankind.
V27-29 Thankfully a remnant of believers in Israel shall be saved in order for the promises given to their forefathers to be accomplished Is 10:22-23; Hos 1:10.
V28 is a reference to the last days where much evil shall prevail, necessitating the intervention of Elohim to save His remnant cf Matt 24:21-22 and Mk13:19-20.
V29 Isa 1:9 Israel’s sins have been akin to, and at times surpassed those of Sodom and Gomorrah as scripture has testified to cf Jer 23:14, Matt 10:15.
V30-33 Israel failed and still fails to this day to attain the law of righteousness, due to their refusal to accept and believe in Yeshua by whom justification comes. Ironically the Gentile world which was in complete darkness before the gospel was evangelised, and hence never even knew how to seek righteousness as Torah was alien to them, has to a greater deal than Israel accepted Yeshua unto righteousness in Holy Spirit life, whilst Israel which always had Torah continues to seek justification through deeds of the flesh and stubbornly refuses to submit to the stumbling block that is Yeshua haMashiach Son of the Most High Elohim.
V33 quotes Isa 8:14; 28:16