Understanding the Potter and the Clay in Romans 9

Romans chapter 9 is one of the most disputed chapters in the Bible. In it we find an allegory about the potter and the clay, which has been interpreted in different ways. The apostle Paul used this allegory consistent with how the Old Testament prophets used it. So, let’s find out what he meant by it.

Reviewing Romans

A common reason for misinterpreting controversial passages in the book of Romans is reading them in isolation without considering their context. It’s also essential to look at the context of the Old Testament passages Paul quotes in Romans. To understand the intended meaning of the potter and the clay, let’s review the main themes of Romans, then the context of chapter 9, and lastly examine the context of each quoted Old Testament passage.

In Romans chapters 1-3, Paul demonstrates how both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, and in chapters 3-5 how individuals, whether Jew or Gentile, are justified not by works of the law, but by God’s grace through faith.  In 6-7 he discusses the struggles of living in an unredeemed physical body, and in chapter 8 he proclaims believers’ victory over those struggles and the hope they have in their promised glorious destiny in Christ.

But in Romans 9, he changes the topic from individual salvation to Israel. Chapters 9-11 should be understood as one whole discussion, the foundation of which was laid in the previous chapters.

Paul’s love for his countrymen

At the beginning of Romans 9, Paul expresses his desire for his countrymen the Jews to be saved:

For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah….  (Romans 9:3-5)

God had promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation who would represent him and bring great blessing to the world. He also gave them his divine presence, the law, the temple worship, and the promises. And through them the Messiah would come and bring salvation to Israel and to all peoples.

Did God’s promise to Abraham fail?

But Jesus the promised Messiah had now come, and Israel had mostly rejected him. This presented a huge problem, so in verse 6, Paul declares:

It is not as though God’s word had failed. (Romans 9:6)

So, the question Romans 9 answers is, “Did God’s promise to Abraham fail after most of Israel rejected their Messiah?” God elected Israel to carry his message of salvation to the nations, but now Israel rejected the very message they were supposed to carry. How could God’s redemptive plan be fulfilled? Did the Jews’ unbelief thwart God’s promise? Are all God’s promises to Israel now null and void? And if not, how did God intend to fulfill his promise that all nations would be blessed through Abraham?

Not all Jews are truly Israel

Paul partially answers this in the next verse:

For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.  Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”  (Romans 9:6-7)

Many Jews had come to believe that anyone born a Jew had good standing with God and would without exception inherit his blessings. They wrongly assumed that every individual born into the chosen nation had salvation. But as Paul explained in chapters 3-5, a person is justified by God’s grace through their faith, not by their nationality or physical birth.

However, God as the master Potter still chose Israel to represent him and be a blessing to all nations by spreading his message of salvation. But not every Jew could fulfill this purpose since most didn’t believe this message. Many instead rebelled against God’s word. So, not all who descended from Abraham are truly God’s children or his chosen servants. Paul demonstrates this in verses 7-9 by citing the story of Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 16 and 21). Even though both were Abraham’s sons, God chose Isaac and not Ishmael to produce the nation of Israel and be the ancestor of the Messiah who would be Savior for the world.

Jacob and Esau in Romans 9

Paul then recounts the story of the birth of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26).

Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”  (Romans 9:10-12)

God promised that Jacob would be God’s choice to carry Abraham’s blessing and not Esau, though they were both Isaac’s sons through Rebekah. Jacob was unimpressive as a spiritual leader and somewhat devious, as he cheated his elder brother Esau out of his father’s blessing. But God can use anyone he chooses to fulfill his promises. So, he chose Jacob in spite of his flaws. Through Jacob would come God’s chosen nation and Messiah, not Esau. When Rebekah questioned God as to why her twin babies were jostling in her womb, God told her:

Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.  (Genesis 25:23)

So in these passages, Jacob and Esau represent the two nations that would come from them, Israel and Edom. Israel would be the stronger nation and Edom would be subservient.

Esau’s curse

The next verse in Romans is one of the most misunderstood and misquoted verses in the Bible:

Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  (Romans 9:13)

Does God hate babies before they are born? No. Remember, Paul is talking about nations. If this was about individuals, then this passage would imply that God loves only certain people he chooses to save, and he hates all the rest, before they’re even born. Unfortunately, some Bible teachers teach this very doctrine.

However, this is not a quote from Genesis, but from Malachi 1:1-4, written about 1500 years after Jacob lived. This passage isn’t referring to the individual salvation or condemnation of Jacob or Esau, which some theologians maintain. It’s about why God chose Jacob’s descendants and not Esau’s to fulfill his promises.

Esau’s descendants eventually became the nation of Edom. So, why did God hate Edom? Because Edom made itself God’s enemy. This nation denied the Israelites passage through their land (Numbers 20:14-21) and continually fought against Israel throughout their history. Their numerous attacks and battles with Israel are recorded in Numbers, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings.

In Genesis 12:3 God declared to Abraham concerning his descendants, “I will curse those who curse you.” The Edomites cursed Israel and thus brought the curse of Genesis 12:3 upon their nation. If we read Malachi 1 closely, God is saying that in spite of Edom’s opposition to Israel, his purposes for Israel will still stand. He will also destroy the nation of Edom for their overt wickedness. And in spite of Israel’s disobedience, God the Potter still considered them important to his plan.

God’s mercy

Paul then asks a question his detractors and critics probably asked him:

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? (Romans 9:14)

In other words, is God unjust for selecting disobedient Israel and not the wicked Edom to carry out his plan? To answer this question, he quotes God’s word to Moses from Exodus 33:

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:15-16)

At first glance it appears God’s mercy is arbitrary. But reading Exodus 33, God was angry with the Israelites after they had worshipped the golden calf. Moses then pleaded with God to continue to go with them on their journey in spite of their disobedience. God then reassured Moses that he would have mercy on Israel and would go with them.

Paul’s point is that we can’t accuse God of being unjust for having mercy on one nation to accomplish a certain purpose. The Edomites deserved God’s condemnation for their wickedness. But the Israelites didn’t deserve his grace either. Actually, no nation or individual deserves God’s grace but can only ask for his mercy. And as Israel’s representative, Moses asked God for his mercy, and because God is merciful, he granted Moses’ request.

God’s mercy in salvation

So, God’s mercy is not indiscriminate or arbitrary. With regard to salvation, to whom does God show his mercy? Later in chapter 9:23-24, Paul mentions the “objects of God’s mercy… whom he called.” Who are they? Refer back to Romans 8:28-30 which says those whom God called, he also justified and glorified.

And how are they justified? Romans 3-5 already answered this important question: not through human effort or righteousness, or by works of the law or nationality, but by God’s grace through faith in his word. Those who have faith in God’s promise to forgive, who can pray, “God have mercy on me a sinner” (Luke 18:13-14) are justified. This is anything but arbitrary.

God’s sovereignty in selecting his servants

With regard to service, people don’t earn the right to serve God. And the fulfillment of his promises doesn’t depend on the successes or failures of the messengers. Likewise, God will fulfill his promises to Abraham even if Israel fails to complete their responsibility.

God selects people and nations for certain roles and tasks, not based on human effort or desire but his own sovereign wisdom. As an example, Paul then cites how God chose an ungodly Egyptian Pharaoh for the purpose of demonstrating his power in saving the Israelites:

For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.  (Romans 9:17-18)

This verse is not about Pharaoh’s personal salvation. It’s about God using his obstinance to accomplish a magnificent purpose—that of delivering Israel from oppression and slavery. And God’s fame and glory would be proclaimed throughout the earth when people hear that story. Not all the Pharaohs were obstinate. But this Pharaoh already had a hard heart against God (Exodus 5:1-21). God further hardened him to use him in this drama of rescuing the Israelites from Egypt’s cruel grip (Exodus 7:3-4). Because of Pharaoh’s defiance, God used him to teach the nations a lesson but also made him and his army fit for destruction (Exodus chapters 6-14).

The Potter and the clay in Isaiah

Paul then asks another question from his detractors:

One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”  (Romans 9:19)

In other words, if God can use anyone he wants, and no one can resist his plans, then he predetermines everything, including our bad choices. So how can he blame us for anything? Paul’s answer:

But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”   (Romans 9:20)

Paul was not affirming the idea that God predetermines everything, including evil. He was rebuking the questioner of verse 19 who was challenging God’s motives and methods. In his rebuke, he quotes Isaiah which reads:

Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’? (Isaiah 45:9)

The context of this passage is in Isaiah 44:24-28 and 45:1-13, where God revealed that he would use ungodly nations or kings to accomplish his purposes. These prophetic words were fulfilled when the Persian king Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.   Cyrus then released the Israelites from their Babylonian captors and allowed them to resettle their homeland and rebuild Jerusalem. It was God’s choice to use Cyrus for this noble purpose. So, humans have no right to argue with God.

The Potter and the clay in Jeremiah

Paul then continues the potter and clay theme, this time borrowed from Jeremiah:

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?  (Romans 9:21)

God gave the prophet Jeremiah the unsavory ministry of denouncing the nation of Israel for abandoning the Lord. To illustrate how he would deal with Israel, he also gave Jeremiah the allegory of the potter and the clay:

So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.  (Jeremiah 18:3-10)

In this allegory Israel (not individuals) is the clay and God is the Potter who is forming the clay into a vessel. The clay had become marred (or spoiled) and unsuitable to make a pot for noble purposes. So, the Potter reformed the clay and made another vessel for an ignoble use.

God set out to form Israel into a nation that would glorify him and serve his highest purposes. Israel was to be a special people singled out from all other nations. They would be a light to other nations, a kingdom of priests, and the source of the knowledge of God to all peoples.

But Israel continually rebelled, and God was displeased with them. So, God promised to destroy their nation and send them into exile, symbolized by Jeremiah shattering a pot at the city gate (Jeremiah 19).

Salvation comes to the Gentiles

God still used the marred clay vessel of rebellious Israel, but not for carrying the message. As Paul explains later in Romans 11, because of Israel’s disobedience, the gospel was then sent to the Gentiles.

Originally, the Gentiles didn’t acknowledge or worship the Lord. They had no standing before God or position in his plan and because of their wickedness incurred his wrath (Rom. 1:18-25). God could have brought all the gentile nations to an end. But God bore with great patience these “objects of wrath” (Rom. 9:22) and now had mercy on them, including them in his plan of salvation.

After Israel rejected the Messiah, the Gentiles then had an opportunity to turn to the Lord. Now, believing Gentiles are considered “objects of his mercy” (Rom. 9:23) and are “grafted in” to Israel (Rom. 11:17-24). God’s purpose was also to use the Gentiles to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy, that they might again turn back to the Lord (Rom. 11:11-12).

Lessons from the potter and clay

Romans 9 is not about God predestining some to salvation and others to condemnation. Paul was describing God’s plans for the nation of Israel after their rejection of the Messiah, and his gracious inclusion of the Gentiles into his plan of salvation. God has the right to use a nation for any purpose he desires. The Potter can make something noble or ignoble from the same lump of clay, but his choice is not arbitrary.

Historically, God chose only a small portion of the clay of Israel to carry out the noble purpose of carrying his message of salvation to the world. He then took the remaining clay, the faithless and rebellious nation and made a pot for ignoble purposes. This pot still had a use in God’s plan, but not to carry the message. He eventually destroyed it, so it couldn’t be used for its original purpose. But it could still be used for the lesser purpose of teaching a lesson and demonstrating God’s wisdom to other peoples.

God can bless a nation if they obey him or punish a nation if they rebel. Either way, his purposes will still be accomplished. If the people rebel and later repent, he has the right to change course and remake them into a vessel of honor. God will raise that nation up again to prominence, as Romans 11:25-32 suggests that he will do for Israel in the future.

The greatest promise

What is the most important lesson from Romans 9? That God keeps his promises! God used a portion of the lump of clay of Israel to fulfill his greatest promise to Abraham. In spite of disobedience from his servants and opposition from his enemies, through Abraham’s descendants he brought blessing to all nations by providing a Savior in Jesus Christ. He will now save all who put their trust in Christ!

Resources

For a more in-depth look at this topic, I recommend the following resources:

• Leighton Flowers, The Potter’s Promise, A Biblical Defense of Traditional Soteriology, 2017
• Shawn Lazar, Chosen to Serve, Why Divine Election is to Service, Not to Eternal Life, 2017

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