Articles
Complaints to the Creator
During one of the lowest points in the history of the nation of Israel, the leaders sought deliverance from the Babylonian invaders — but not by God’s hand. No, despite the long history of His care and protection for them — and even deliverance when they finally decided to repent — they sought help from Egypt (cf. Isa. 30:1, 2). But these leaders did not do so openly; no, they falsely believed they could do this in secret and God would not know what they were doing.
Earlier in the writing of Isaiah, God even warned these self-deceived men, “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, “Who knows us?’” (Isa. 29:15); it was their false perception of who God was and a failure to understand His omniscience and omnipresence that led them to falsely believe they could hide something from God. By the fact He spoke to them through Isaiah about what they had been doing should have made it clear they failed to hide anything from Him. God knew.
If this were not bad enough, these leaders went further in their self-deception, and God again chastises them for their foolish thinking, saying, “Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; for shall the thing made say of him who made it, ‘He did not make me’? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?” (Isa. 29:16). They had gone beyond thinking that God could not see or hear what they were secretly plotting, but had gone to the point of denying God’s power over them — or that He was even their Creator!
In this text, God uses the illustration of a potter and clay to show His power over man, and what should have been a higher estimation of Him in the sight of mankind. He will again use this illustration to attempt to remind the Israelites of His power over them [and all nations] and of the need for them to repent (Jer. 18:1-11), but they refused, replying to Jeremiah, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart” (v. 12). They really did have things turned around! Needless to say, their foolishness led to their fall and captivity, and things happened just as God had warned.
Many years later, in the first century, Paul would write to the Christians in Rome and laid out the unfolding of events that explained how they had come to that point in time where the Gentiles had been “grafted in” (Rom. 11:19) to enjoy the blessings of God’s salvation, while the majority of the Jews had been “broken off.” In telling this, Paul argued for God’s right to do with man as He willed — not arbitrarily or capriciously, as some might think — to accomplish His plan for our salvation.
In accomplishing His plan, he “loved” Jacob and “hated” Esau (Rom. 9:13); this is not to be taken literally, but was hyperbole to show one branch of the descendants of Abraham would be the one through whom the Messiah would come. God chose the descendants of Jacob to be the line, thus showing more favor to that lineage than the other. Much of the Old Testament is a record of His favor shown to the descendants of Jacob — the people we know best as the Israelites. Little is said, in comparison, about the Edomites [the descendants of Esau].
Similarly, Paul noted, was God’s interaction with Pharaoh, in whose land the Israelites would dwell for a time, and over whom Pharaoh ruled — and whom he persecuted out of fear. If you remember the story of the ten plagues and God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, you know, then, how clearly God demonstrated His power over what was then the most powerful empire in the world. Before the plagues began, Pharaoh was told by God, through Moses and Aaron, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth” (Rom. 9:17; cf. Exod. 9:16). Paul concludes, after offering each of these examples, “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens” (Rom. 9:18).
This, of course, would lead to questions, which Paul openly admits: “You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?’” (Rom. 9:19); that is a reasonable question, is it not? At least superficially. The problem with the question lies in a misunderstanding of how and why God has mercy on whom He wills, and how and why He hardens whom He wills. Some take this to mean God shows mercy and hardens arbitrarily, without any consideration of the individual or nation, but that is patently false. In each of the cases cited [Jacob and Esau, and Pharaoh], God made a choice or took actions that would accomplish His plan, but did not do anything that violated the free will of any involved. Yes, Pharaoh’s heart was “hardened,” but that was his own doing (cf. Exod. 8:15, 32; Exod. 8:34). God “hardened” his heart by bringing those plagues on Egypt, but it was clear there was nothing that would have ever softened that same heart. In several cases throughout Scripture, similar actions by God [and some that were a lot less drastic] caused the people to repent, but it was because their hearts were open to repentance; a hardened heart just got harder.
But, ultimately, Paul argues to the Roman brethren, who are we to question God? He writes, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Rom. 9:20, 21). While the Israelites could have complained to God about why they were “broken off” from God’s promises and the Gentiles “grafted in,” they had not considered — sadly — that God had suffered long with them before that day finally came when the Messiah had come and ushered in the New Covenant He had promised would come (cf. Jer. 31:31-34). All the while, they should have been witnesses to the mercy and longsuffering of God, but so blind were they to God’s mercy that they would finally be the cause of their own downfall, rejecting and crucifying the very One through whom they could have been saved (Rom. 9:22-33).
From Paul’s words, we should consider a couple of things before we start complaining to our Creator about how we were created or why He is allowing us to go through whatever life’s trials we may be enduring. Before we ask God, Why have you made me like this?’ we should stop and consider two important factors:
We Don’t Know What God Knows. The truth that sets God apart from all men is the fact He knows everything — past, present, and future; we know only the present, and depend on our memory or fallible historical records to know anything of the past. God’s knowledge is perfect; ours is vastly imperfect.
God Is Perfectly Righteous. Second, man has a habit of being influenced by his prejudices and his emotions, while God makes only righteous judgments and acts in complete righteousness.
More next week. — Steven Harpers
