Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Romans 9:22-24.

 

“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

 

And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”  Romans 9:22-24.

 

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The sharp contrast between God’s dealings with “vessels of wrath” and God’s dealings with “vessels of mercy” helps us better understand the riches of His glory upon those “vessels of mercy”.    

 

Consider God’s action of making Israel see the Egyptians dead on the seashore after He delivered Israel through the Red Sea by His miracle of pulling back the sea so Israel could cross through the sea safely on dry land, but then letting down the sea thereafter to drown the pursuing Egyptians.   “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.”  Exodus 14:30-31.  

 

“⁷  A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
⁸  You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
⁹  For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.”  Psalm 32:8-9. 

 

““…  Hallelujah!  Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;  BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS;  for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.”  Revelation 19:1-2.

 

In the parable of the wheat (symbolizing the righteous) and the tares (symbolizing the wicked), we are given insight through this parable to why God does not immediately wipe-out the wicked from the presence of the righteous.  “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?’  And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’  The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’  But he *said, ‘No;  for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Allow both to grow together until the harvest;  and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up;  but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”  Matthew 13:27-30.

 

In Psalm 73, the Psalmist first wonders why God patiently tolerates the wicked:

“²  But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
³  For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”  Psalm 73:2-3.

 

But then, the Psalmist comes to his senses:

“¹⁶  When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my sight
¹⁷  Until I came into the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
¹⁸  Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
¹⁹ How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!”  Psalm 73:16-19. 

                                    

“Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!”  Psalm 73:1.

 

In conclusion, there is no common grace, but rather there is a sharp contrast between God’s dealings with “vessels of wrath” and God’s dealings with “vessels of mercy” which helps us better understand the riches of His glory upon those “vessels of mercy”.  Although the wicked may even appear to prosper and we may question why God endures with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, “He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy“.