Romans 9:19-33
For the Lord will quickly settle his full account with the world." (Romans 9, v 28)
This verse appears incredible – in the literal sense: unbelievable! What does it mean by “quickly” and what is this “account”?
This very difficult verse wasn’t written by Paul: he is quoting Isaiah who wrote it some 2,500 years ago. Paul (and Isaiah) are grappling with cosmic outcomes here. In the latter part of Romans 9 there are very complicated ideas about freewill and human destiny and justice and mercy – questions that hardly seem fit subjects for a devotional.
But wait! This verse stands in direct opposition to the prevailing post-modern view that there is no rime or reason for the universe; that it just is – no story, no outcome, no meaning.
Our hearts cry out against meaninglessness! Paul wrestles with meaning because for him there is a meaning, not put there by pure reasoning, but revealed by God himself! God has an account – a story, a credit and debit, an outcome with this world, with humanity. There is a story – an important story for us, because there is going to be a “settling of account”, so we had better attend!
And complex and difficult though that story might be, and hard to understand, it is somehow a comfort. Someone (God) knows what is going on and someone (God) is going to see it out. It may not seem swift to us, but in God’s mercy, that time is a period that He has allowed for humanity to come back to God by accepting what Jesus did on the cross. How nice is that!
And Paul ends this chapter with another quote: “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.” Rom 9 v33 [GNB]
Those are words full of meaning and challenge. “You won’t be disappointed”, God is saying! What a wonderful thing to ponder on this day.
