When Paul brings in the example of Pharaoh, he references Exodus 9:15-16.

“For if by now I had put forth my hand and struck you and your pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth.  But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the nations.”

Pharaoh was wicked and disobedient to God, and God could have utterly destroyed him.  He would have been just in doing so.  But He didn’t.  Why didn’t He?  And why did he allow him to be raised up and remain in that position of power?  Well God says, that even though he could have utterly destroyed him, He allowed him to remain in order to show him His power and in order to proclaim his name throughout the nations.  By not initially destroying him, and instead strengthening him in his way, he was able to display His wonders to all nations through the plagues and through His great deliverance of the Israelites through the parting of the Red Sea. 

Now we can ask: does the fact that Pharaoh was given a position of great power and authority and that He was allowed to remain in order that God’s glory and great salvation might be shown to the nations, mean that he deserved to be a recipient of God’s salvation?  Of course not!  Everyone knows that he was wicked and disobedient.  God only allowed him to remain, in order that through his disobedience, God would make known his power, glory and salvation to all the peoples.

So how does this help Paul make his point?

Well it could be because, in this example, Pharaoh very closely resembles Israel.  God often wanted to destroy the nation of Israel due to their rebellion and disobedience. He did bring judgement, destruction, and captivity among them, but did not completely destroy them. As Paul references from Isaiah in 9:29, “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, we would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah. (Sodom and Gomorrah were both completely destroyed). After Jesus came, we know that there were many unbelieving Jews as well. Did God instantly destroy them for their unbelief. No he did not. Instead, He has allowed them to remain.

I am going to ask the same question that I asked with Pharaoh. Does the fact that God used Israel for special purposes and allowed them to remain mean that they all deserve to be recipients of salvation? No! Because some were wicked and disobedient and did not have faith. Just like God allowed pharaoh to remain and hardened him, he also has allowed the unbelieving Jews to remain and brought a partial hardening over them in order to display His power to them and proclaim His name among the nations (though the fulfillment of His promises and the extension of the gospel to the Gentiles).

By using the example of Pharaoh, he is using a familiar story in order to demonstrate how God’s actions are just with regards to how he is dealing with the nation of Israel.

Back to Romans 9 | Part 2