Romans 9

[Guest]

As I was reading Romans 9 many times, it gave me an impression that while Paul was trying to tell something, at the same time ( in his mind )he was also trying to anticipate the questions his reader might have and therefore he tried to answer that. Which means that there 3 things that Paul was trying to do simultaneously in Romans 9 and these are the following:
1) Tell us something
2) Anticipate the question his readers might have regarding his previous statement.
3) Answer the question that his readers might have regarding his previous statement.

For example in Romans 9:4-5. Paul was telling to us that the Israelites are privilege individuals because the law and covenant was entrusted to them.
but then out of nowhere Paul followed this by explaining that God did not fail.

The reason he said that God did not fail is because Paul was anticipating a question that might arise from his readers. The question that might arise from his readers are the following: If the Israelites are chosen and privilege people how come most of them disobeyed God? Did God failed to save the jews. Paul answered this question by saying that God did not fail because it was not the physical descendant but rather the people who will believe in Christ are the one who will be save. Then he continued by telling us from whose bloodline Christ will come and he said from Abraham then Isaac that the Christ will come. But suddenly Paul seems to jumped to another topic by saying the following: " before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand". He seems to be out of his original topic. The truth is that Paul is very much within his topic
he is still telling us from whose bloodline Jesus will come. Remember Rebekah had twins and therefore Paul had to tell us who among the twins will carry the honor of receiving Christ in their bloodline. According to jewish traditions that the eldest should always have the honor for everything and that will be Esau.
But this is not the case with Jacob and Esau therefore Paul again had to explain the question that he already anticipated that his readers will have.
And that question is " why Christ will come from Jacob's bloodline when Jacob is the younger". He answered this question by saying the following:
" 14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion"

In short Paul is telling us that God has the right to choose from whose bloodline Christ will come and that's all nothing else.

Then Paul continued in v.17-18 by giving the Pharaoh as an example that God chooses to do things as he wishes.

v.17-18
"I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."[g] 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

In this particular verse God said that he raised the pharaoh to display His power but it did not say that God raised the pharaoh to harden his heart even in Exodus it does not say that God raised pharaoh to harden his heart. Pharaoh's heart was already hard even before God said that He will hardens the Pharaoh's heart. The question is this, can God display His power without hardening Pharaoh's heart? of course God can!
If the Pharaoh was a Godly man then obviously God will display His power through Pharaoh in different manner. But how will God display his power if the Pharaoh was a godly man? The answer is by showing his mercy to the Pharaoh that is why there is a contrast between mercy and hardening which means that if the Pharaoh was Godly God will display His power by showing mercy and if the Pharaoh was evil God will show his power by hardening his heart.