Chapters 9 to 11 demonstrate the righteousness of God revealed in predestination, esp. in respect of the past and future history of Israel.

• Chapter 9 speaks of God's mercy, corresponding to ch 1-3;
• Chapter 10 speaks of God's faithfulness, corresponding to ch 4-6;
• Chapter 11 speaks of God's grace, corresponding to ch 7-8.

v1: What Paul is teaching is important;

• I tell the truth in Christ;
• I am not lying,
• my conscious also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit.

We cannot therefore neglect these things as irrelevant.

v2: Paul has great sorrow and unceasing anguish, continual grief; this is not inconsistent with his joy in Christ. The unbelief of the people of Israel lays heavy on his heart.

v3: Paul's special desire; that the whole of Israel be redeemed. His attitude is like Christ's, even that he should be cursed, if that were possible, for their sakes. See also Ex 32.32, where Moses expresses a similar heart for the people. Even though Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, he cannot prevent his love for the Jewish people.

v4-5: The privileges of Israel, past and present;

• the adoption, as the people of God;
• the glory, of being His people on the earth;
• the covenants, through Abraham and Moses;
• the giving of the law, the very oracles of God;
• the service (worship) of God, in the tabernacle and later the temple;
• the promises of God, which cannot be broken;
• the patriarchs, the fathers, all the respected men of the past.

And it is from this race that Jesus Christ was born; the eternal God was born a Jew; such a great and climatic privilege that He should choose this race in this way.

v6: The next question, 'Has God's word failed?' No! The calling and salvation of the Jews under the covenants is not the same as the calling and salvation in Jesus Christ. Nor does the unbelief of some, or even many, mean that God has failed, see 3.3-4.

v7: Not all of Israel, ie: descendants of Jacob, are known by God; compare 2.28-29. To illustrate the truth, we are reminded that not all the seed of Abraham were children of the promise, but only those born to Sarah, and in the line of Isaac.

v8-9: Others were children of Abraham, but were children of the flesh, rather than children of the promise, Gal 4.22-26.

v10-13: "Not only that;" the promise continued through Jacob, not Esau. Esau and his seed fell out of the blessings which God promised through Abraham and Isaac. Although Esau rejected the birthright and the blessing, his position 'behind' Jacob was set out by God beforehand.

Election is not of works, but is of God (John 1.13), and precedes works. The natural order is reversed, as in Jacob and Esau, as well as in Ishmael and Isaac.

Paul quotes also from Malachi, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau I hated." By that time, Esau (Edom) had been destroyed. This verse refers therefore to the nation, rather than the individuals within it.

v14-15: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy;" the better, literal translation; God's decision precedes His action. To the accusation of injustice, the answer is clear; why should God have mercy on any? The amazing thing is not that He 'misses' some, but that He chooses any!

v16: Again, election is not of human will or effort, but of God. It is the election of mercy, Eph 2.8-9. And God's mercy is something real and powerful.

v17-18: God raised up Pharaoh, and let him live, Ex 9.16. He could have killed him earlier, but there was a greater purpose, "that I might display my power in you" as a testimony in all the earth. Even today, people refer to the plagues that fell on Egypt.

Yet Pharaoh was responsible for his own rebellion; and God judged him by hardening his heart.

God's intervention is always according to His purpose, often to bring judgment, and to restrain man's wickedness. He restrains wickedness by acting at the right time, such as the flood; or by acting in a specific geographic area, such as Sodom and Gomorrah; or by working in a particular way, such as at the Tower of Babel. The key is that no man is worthy of mercy, but God's mercies are great (2 Sam 14.14).

All God's acts are that His Name be declared in all the earth; His character, being perfect, is thus made known by His works.

v19: The next question; the natural man criticises God, 'That is unfair!' "Then why does God still blame us?" 'How can He apportion blame if He chooses on whom to have mercy?'

We are not prohibited from questioning God, but our questions must reflect a godly submission, not an arrogant criticism.

v20: We are but men; we have no right to "talk back to God" in this way. Our very breath is held in His hand. We should not question God's wisdom and purposes, but rather have confidence in His character.

We notice the balance in His character;

• mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, Ps 85.10;
• truth and righteousness, Ps 85.11;
• righteousness and justice, mercy and truth, Ps 89.14.

And ultimately, this perfect balance is revealed in Jesus Christ.

v21: God as the potter, the merciful God. All problems come from the clay; a potter would reject any bad clay, but God keeps it and uses it. And He remakes pots for Himself.

v22: God has endured unbelievers "with great patience;" and they will be condemned for their unbelief.

v23: The riches of His glory are displayed in the objects of mercy. It is His prerogative to show mercy, as in v15. His decision to show mercy precedes His actions of mercy. He has prepared many to be the recipients of His mercy.

v24: And God's mercy extends beyond the Jews to the Gentiles. Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, the herald of God's glorious grace to the Gentiles.

v25-26: Paul uses scriptures originally addressed to Jews as being relevant to Gentiles also. The main theme is that we may have and enjoy relationship with God; we are His people, sons of the living God.

Paul quotes from Isaiah and Hosea, whose names refer to God the Saviour.

v27-28: Of Israel, the word is that few will be faithful, only a remnant.

v29: Unless God had intervened on behalf of Israel, the destruction would have been total, and none would have survived. This again is God's mercy, giving life to those who can never deserve it.

v30-33: The right response, to believe in Jesus Christ, the stone, the rock in Zion. By Him comes the righteousness of faith.

Israel had stumbled at the stumbling stone of Christ, pursuing righteousness by the law, which cannot be attained. The issue is not that the Gentiles are better than Jews; the key to faith is realising our personal guilt, and our need of Christ.