Romans 9:19-29 Lesson 301

Romans 9:19-29
Lesson 301

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The great potter (9:20-21).

Anger and mercy.

Gentiles are called, Jews are rejected.

Clay pottery from the Holy Land.

Who was -

Osee -

Osee is another name for the prophet Hosea (meaning salvation). Hosea was the son of Beeri (Hosea 1:1), a member of one of Israel's northern tribes, the author of the Old Testament book of Hosea, and one of the minor prophets from the 7th century BC. Hosea spoke out against Israel's wickedness and idolatry and warned the people to repent. As with so many Old Testament prophets, Hosea was largely ignored by the Jewish people. When Israel was defeated by Assyria, and many of its citizens carried off into slavery, Hosea prophesied that God would restore the nation (Hosea 1:10-11) and He would be worshipped by both Jews and Gentiles. See the Book of Hosea for more information.

Esaias -

Esaias is the Greek name for Isaiah (meaning Jehovah is salvation). Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet who died in 681 BC. Considered by many as the greatest Jewish prophet, Isaiah wrote "The Book of the Prophet Isaiah," which spoke out against hypocrisy (Isaiah 29:13) and idol worship ((Isaiah 2:6-9). In response to Isaiah's warnings, people prayed and made insincere religious sacrifices (Isaiah 1:10-17; 29:13) but refused to repent. Isaiah warned that God would punish them for their disobedience (Isaiah 3:1-26). Sure enough, Babylon destroyed Israel and carried its citizens away as slaves. Isaiah also prophesized that King Cyrus of Persia would allow the abducted Jewish people to return to Jerusalem 80 years before being taken captive and over 100 years before Cyrus was born. He also predicted that Cyrus would allow the rebuilding of the Temple before it had been destroyed. He prophesied the fall of Babylon 100 years before it rose and the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 6:15; 7:14) 700 years before Christ's birth. The Bible does not tell us how or when Isaiah died. However, Jewish history reports that King Manasseh of Judah condemned Isaiah to death. Allegedly, he was found hiding in a hollow cedar tree and sawed in half with the tree. If this is true, then perhaps Hebrews 11:37 is referring to Isaiah. Isaiah is quoted over fifty times in the New Testament.

Study Tip:

Think up your own chapter titles to describe the main topic in each passage.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Romans

The King James Bible

Romans 9:19-29
Israel's disbelief

19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

Margin notes:

"Why doth he yet find fault?" (9:19) - "Why does God still find fault?" A rhetorical question, Paul is asking why God faults our actions when He is in control.

"Who art thou that repliest against God?" (9:20) - "Who are you to talk back to God."

"Hath not the potter power over the clay." (9:21) - Paul is comparing God to a potter working with clay. Just as the potter decides what to create and how to make it, God decided what His creation (including humanity) will be. God made each of us for a specific purpose. One clay pot may be used to carry water. Another to feed animals or carry waste. The potter designs each vessel to perform the task it was meant to do. God did the same with us. See "Today's Question" below. You can also find the "potters" theme in Isaiah 29:16, 45:8-10, and Jeremiah 18:2-6.

"Endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath." (9:22) - This means that God will patiently tolerate sin and then use the sinner as a vessel to show His anger.

"He might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels on mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory." (9:23) - God shows mercy on the righteous who are prepared for glory.  They are the vessels of His mercy.

"I will call them my people, which were not my people." (9:25) - After ten northern tribes of Israel were scattered by their enemies, Jews lost their religion and became as Gentiles. "Seven hundred years before Jesus' birth, Hosea (Osee) told of God's intention to restore his people (Hosea 2:23).  Paul applies Hosea's message to God's intention to bring Gentiles into his family after the Jews rejected his plan."  (From "The Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; page 2246)

"And it shall come to pass..." (9:26) - Paraphrased from Hosea 1:10.

"Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved..." (9:27) - From Isaiah 10:22, where Esaias prophesized that God would lose His patience, and despite being as numerous as the sand, only a "remnant" of Jews would be saved from the invading Assyrian army. Almost as a foreshadowing, hundreds of years later, as Paul preached to the Jewish people, only a "remnant" were saved.

"Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed..." (9:29) - From Isaiah 1:9. Sabaoth is Hebrew meaning "hosts."

"Sodoma, and...Gomorrha." (9:29) - "Sodom, and Gomorrah." These are two cities from the Old Testament whose names are synonymous with wickedness. Located in the "vale of Siddim" on the southeast shore of the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:2-3), God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with "brimstone and fire" (Genesis 19:24) due to the pride, idleness, disregard for the poor (Ezekiel 16:49-50), and rebellious and immoral lifestyle of their citizens (Genesis 18:20-19:29). Jesus mentions the two cities' demise in Matthew 10:15. Their destruction was so complete that even today, no trace of the cities can be found. Jude 1:7 and 2 Peter 2:6 remind us of Sodom and Gomorrah's fate.

New Living Translation

Romans 9:19-29

19 Well then, you might say, "Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven't they simply done what he makes them do?"

20 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?"

21 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?

22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.

23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,

  "Those who were not my people,
      I will now call my people.
   And I will love those
      whom I did not love before."

26 And,

  "Then, at the place where they were told,
      'You are not my people,'
   there they will be called
      'children of the living God.'"

27 And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out,

  "Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore,
      only a remnant will be saved.

28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth
      quickly and with finality."

29 And Isaiah said the same thing in another place:

  "If the Lord of Heaven's Armies
      had not spared a few of our children,
   we would have been wiped out like Sodom,
      destroyed like Gomorrah."

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Is Paul saying that some people are worth more than others? (9:21)

"The Bible will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from the Bible."

Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899)

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. No, Paul is simply saying that God has control over His creation. God distributes His bounty as He sees fit, and just like the potter's creation made from clay, we have little right and scant understanding to demand explanations from God. The English theologian John Wesley (1703-1791) wrote, "The time when we shall exist, the country where we shall live, our parents, our constitution of body and turn of mind; these, and numberless other circumstances, are doubtless ordered with perfect wisdom, but by rules that lie quite out of our sight. But God's methods of dealing with us, as our Governor and judge, are dearly revealed and perfectly known; namely, that he will finally reward every man according to his works: "He that believeth shalt be saved."

Application thought for the day:

God is our creator and our benefactor.
Whatever He does is just.

Re-read this lesson and ponder its message of God's sovereign nature.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2023 evolke

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