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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
March 23
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Today's Pathway:
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In today's passage Paul continues his argument that God has the right and the authority to make decisions. Once again we need to note that the discussion here ultimately centers around God's dealings with nations, and not with individuals' souls. God's choosing of the nation of Israel is the primary subject under examination in chapters 9-11, and the principal application of the passage is to Israel as a whole.
We saw yesterday from verse 18 that God can be merciful to whom He wishes, and also can harden those that He chooses to. John Wesley made these comments on this verse:
"Therefore, though He hath mercy on whom He willeth, and whom He willeth He hardeneth, that is, suffers to be hardened in consequence of their obstinate wickedness; yet His is not the will of an arbitrary, capricious, or tyrannical being. He wills nothing but what is infinitely wise and good; and therefore His will is a most proper rule of judgment. He will show mercy, as He hath assured us, to none but true believers, nor harden any but such as obstinately refuse His mercy."
In verse 19 Paul anticipates an argument from the Jews, just as he did in verse 6. This question goes something like this: "If God chose to harden someone, how can that person be held responsible for his actions? Since we can't resist God's will, our rebellion must be His fault because of His choices." In verses 20-21 Paul responds with the illustration of the potter and the clay. He begins by asking those raising this complaint "Who do you think you are to contradict God". He then shows that the clay, which in this illustration is the nation of Israel, does not get to tell the Potter what it wants to be. The Potter gets to make the decisions. He can take the same lump of clay and make one item that is honorable and another that is of no value. The Calvinist sees this passage as teaching that God arbitrarily chose before the foundation of the world to send some people to Hell and chose to send others to Heaven, and that no one should complain about this because God is God and He can do what He pleases. However, this is not the intention of the passage.
In order to clearly understand what Paul is saying, we need to look to the Old Testament to see what was meant there when the illustration of the potter and the clay was used. Verse 20 is a quotation from Isaiah 29:16. The context of that chapter deals with God's judgment on the city of Jerusalem (referred to as "Ariel" in that chapter). The reason for this judgment is given in Isaiah 29:13-15:
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?".
God was going to judge Jerusalem because of their rebellion against Him. This is not the Potter predetermining a man's eternal destiny. This is the Potter responding to the wickedness of an entire nation and bringing destruction upon them.
Jeremiah 18:1-10 also talks about the potter and the clay. The clay was marred and the potter had to remake it. In verse 6 God says,
"O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
He then adds in verse 7,
"At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it..."
Paul knew what God meant in the Old Testament when He talked about the potter and the clay, and so did the Jews. He knew that God was speaking about His dealings with nations, specifically the nation of Israel. The Calvinist interpretation of this passage is incorrect. The context and the quotations show what Paul, and God, really meant.
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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