No Back-Talking

When I was a child, living under my parents' authority, I was mouthy.  (Surprise!  Surprise!)  I had an objection or a ready retort to just about any parental direction.  My parents' response was: "No back-talking!"  Believe me, I heard that a lot, and I knew at that point to "hush it".

The overall theme of chapter 9 is God's sovereignty, and it is crystallized in verses 20 and 21:

20 But who indeed are you—a mere human being—to talk back to God?

Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?

(NET)

In this chapter Paul is anguished because it appears that God is leaving behind the back-talking, unrepentant, blind and Law-stumbling Jews, and taking to salvation only a remnant of the Jewish people (vs. 27 and 32) as well as to the Gentiles.  He makes the heart-breaking point that the Jews were entrusted with His message, His spiritual favor.  Listen.

To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 9:4b-5 (NET)

Recently, I gave a loved one a 3-pack gift of 1-hour massage sessions, from a reputable vendor here in town.  This dear one is "wound tight as a spring", you might say, and frankly, I was sort of at a loss for what to gift in this situation.  I was dismayed to realize that this loved one will in all likelihood reject this wonderful gift... will not use it.

It was like this with the Jews of Jesus' day.  The Israelites had all the spiritual advantages.  Yet, the Law had become a stumbling block to them, a boulder over which they tripped and fell headlong into theological error.  They were so entrenched in their man-made traditions and wrong-headed expectations that they were, by-and-large, unable to see or embrace the truth of God, revealed in Jesus Christ who, as Paul stated in verse 5, is "God over all".
They were so cemented in "children of God by Jewish birth" that they missed the truth of "children of God by promise".

In essence, they were spiritually "back-talking God".

Both Isaiah and Hosea saw and prophesied this, centuries before it occurred.  The first century Jews thought that they had God locked up in a box, all neat and tidy.  In reality, they had created and were worshipping a god of their own imagining, a god of their own creation, an idol.

It is easy for us to look at Romans 9 and wag our heads at these Jews of Jesus' day, isn't it?  The truth is that we are prone to do the same.

Paul makes the point to his first century converts and also to us that God is sovereign.  He bestows His mercy on whom He wants.  Furthermore, in all things He is free to do anything He wants, in accordance with His holy character.

There are American Christians today who are railing against God over the presidential primaries, for instance.  "Why is God allowing this?", they cry.  "We worked so hard!  We prayed so hard!"  And, they tear themselves up over it.  It is important to obediently engage our culture for righteousness' sake; but then, God will do as He pleases.  He is not a "genie God" or a "vending machine God".  He will accomplish His purposes and His plan in the earth (vs. 17).  Of this we can be sure.

What, then, should our response be, to Romans 9?  My personal take-away is found in verse 17:

“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 

I was created for these purposes and, if you are a Christian, so were you.  If His purposes don't line up with my purposes, then mine had better "get in line".  Our job is to allow His Holy Spirit to demonstrate His power in us and through us.  Our mission is to proclaim His name in all the earth. His purposes becoming our purposes...with no back-talking!

Did you realize that the Latin root for "listening" and "obedience" is the same?  We tend to "back-talk" because we have not first listened to God, through stillness and silence, through prayer, through His Word.

Father, I've been convicted this morning that I am a poor, poor listener, and an excellent back-talker to you.  I am ashamed.  Please forgive me my headstrong, willful spirit.  Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.  In Jesus' name, amen.