14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. ~ 2 Peter 3:14-18
Paul’s writings are hard. They’re difficult to understand, which adds an even higher chance of misinterpretation to all of his letters. Romans 9 is a chapter that is amongst the hardest to understand. Paul writes what sounds like God creates some specifically for Hell and others specifically for Heaven, and there’s nothing we can do to change that. But is this true? If we read just this chapter alone and nothing else, it sure sounds like that, but in the context of Scripture, it can’t be.
Peter assures us that:
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
If God desires all to reach repentance, then He cannot withhold the ability to repent from some or create some specifically for Hell. As Paul is explaining these things, he quotes the book of Exodus.
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Romans 9:14-16
Paul is quoting Exodus 33:19. The very chapter before the people of Israel had created a golden calf. What was the LORD’s response? He told Moses He was going to consume all of the people of Israel and start over with Moses. So, Moses interceded on their behalf. Then he came down, condemned the people, and then returned to the LORD the next day in hopes of making atonement for their grievous sin. It is during Moses’ intercession that God makes this statement. God says to Moses:
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:17
The most interesting part of this is that God tells Moses He will show mercy to whom He will show mercy as a response to Moses hearing that the people will be spared and then asking to see the Glory of God. God then places Moses in the cleft of a rock, covers him with His hand, and then removes His hand so that Moses can see the LORD’s back. See, God tells Moses I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy because not everyone receives mercy. The people didn’t receive mercy because they sought the LORD. It was too late. The LORD was ready to bring judgment on them, but because Moses had sought the LORD while He could be found, He could seek and plead on their behalf.
Sometimes, it’s too late because the LORD has given us chance after chance, and we refused to take it. The LORD gave Pharaoh chance after chance, but Pharaoh continuously hardened his own heart. So, the LORD then gave Pharaoh over to his own desires and refused to have mercy on him. Paul warns us that today is the day of salvation. Not just because tomorrow is promised to no one, but also because tomorrow may be one day too late. He may not be able to be found. You may have hardened your heart so much that the LORD gives you over to that hardness and you have no more hope.
This is where intercession is so important. If Moses would not have interceded, then all of those people in the wilderness would have perished. But because Moses had found favor with the LORD and prayed and sought Him on their behalf, they were given another chance. The LORD looks for only one person to stand in the gap. One person to intercede. Therefore, if you see that family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor who is consistently pushing off the tugging of the LORD, pray for them. Seek His face on their behalf, lest the LORD stop tugging and they lose their opportunity.
Dear LORD, I’m sorry for all of the times I have hardened my heart. For all of the times I ran from Your call and refused to humble myself before You. I’m sorry for all of the times that I gave in to my flesh and sinned knowingly. Please forgive me. Please give me another opportunity to be saved. Another opportunity to seek Your face. Draw me close to You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
Dear LORD, please don’t give up on [insert name here]. Please soften their heart and do not give them over to their own flesh. Please tug at their heartstrings. Keep them up at night with thoughts of You. Distracted throughout the day with You on their mind. Call out to them, LORD, that they might hear Your voice and come to You. Remember Your Will that none should perish, but all come to acceptance. Remember Your plan that You have for their lives. Please LORD, intervene in their lives, even now as I pray. Let their hearts be not content with this world but uneasy in all of its false splendor. Draw them close to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.