In the first half of Romans 9 Paul has defended the claim ‘it is not as though the word of God has failed’ by outlining God’s choice of Isaac and Jacob as God’s true and chosen Israel. However, that has led to another potential accusation about whether God is just and why, if He is sovereign, He still finds fault? Having started with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Paul now moves on to Moses and Pharaoh, to demonstrate that God has mercy on whom He chooses to have mercy. His argument demonstates God’s majesty and how He uses all things to reflect the ‘riches of His glory’ to those who believe. We reflect on the necessity of both God’s sovereignty (over all things) and our responsibility (He still finds fault). That God is a God of both justice and grace, of holiness and forgiveness, of wrath and mercy… It gives us confidence to rest in the security of His promises and the purpose to live a life utterly devoted to God.
