Romans 9:22 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

What if God, willing, &c.— See on ch. Romans 1:18. Immediately after the instance of Pharaoh, whom God declared that he raised up to shew his power in him, Romans 9:17 it is subjoined, Romans 9:18, And whom he will he hardeneth; plainly with reference to the history of Pharaoh, who is said to harden himself, and whom God is said to harden, as may be seen in the parallel places of Exodus. What God's part in hardening is, we find in the words, Endured with much long-suffering. God sends Moses to Pharaoh with signs; Pharaoh's magicians do the like; and so he is not prevailed with. God sends a plague:while the plague is upon him, Pharaoh is mollified, and promises to let the people go: but as soon as God takes off the plague, he returns to his obstinacy, and refuses; and this repeatedly. God's being intreated by him to withdraw the severity of hishand, and his gracious compliance with Pharaoh's desire, was what God did in the case; and this was all goodness and bounty. But Pharaoh and his people made such ill use of his forbearance and long-suffering, as still to harden themselves the more for God's goodness and gentleness to them;—till they brought on themselves exemplary destruction, from the visible power and hand of God employed in it. This behaviour of theirs God foresaw, and so made use of their obstinate temper for his ownglory, as he himself declares, Exodus 7:3-5; Exodus 8:18; Exodus 8:32. The Apostle, by the instance of a potter's power over his clay, having demonstrated that God, by his dominion and sovereignty, had a right to set up or pull down what nation he pleased, and might, without any injustice, take onerace into his favour to be his peculiar people, or reject them, as he thought fit, in this general sense of privileges—In this verse he applies it to the subject in hand; namely, the rejection of the Jewish nation; whereof he speaks here in terms, which plainly make a parallel betweenthis and his dealing with the Egyptians, mentioned Romans 9:17.: and therefore that history, will best explain this verse, which will thence receive its full light. For it seems, at first sight, a somewhat strange sort of reasoning to say that God, to shew his wrath, endured with much long-suffering those who deserved his wrath, and were fit for destruction. But he who will read in Exodus God's dealings with Pharaoh and the Egyptians,—and how he passed over provocation upon provocation, and patiently endured those who by their first refusal, nay, by their former cruelty and oppression of the Israelites, deserved his wrath, and were fitted for destruction, that by a more signal vengeance on the Egyptians, and glorious deliverance of the Israelites, he might make his power and his goodness known,—will easily see the strong and natural sense of this and the following verse. See Locke and Doddridge.