Romans 9:6-9

Superficially it could look as though God had failed. He had given many promises to Israel, yet they had repeatedly rejected God. Worst of all, when God sent His own Son it was the religious establishment who were primarily responsible for crucifying Him. Moreover, after Pentecost when the gospel started to spread the Jews, on the whole, rejected it. Paul argues that God's word had not indeed failed.

The first step in his argument is that physical descent is not the key issue. Merely being a physical descendant of Abraham is not enough. Jesus said the same thing (John 8:39,40). Paul then refers to the fact that it is through Isaac that Abraham's descendants are reckoned. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was the result of a human attempt to fulfil God's plan (Genesis 16), while Isaac was the result of God's promise. Paul talks a lot more about this in Galatians 4:21-31. So right from the start it is God's promise that counts, not human effort. God's plans are fulfilled in God's way and in God's time.

This can seem a little arcane to us, we can wonder what practical relevance does it have to my life? Well, we are all live under the promise of God. At times it can seem as if we are getting nowhere, as happened to Abraham and Sarah (Gen 16). In these times we can be tempted to try and speed things up, to try and force things to happen. If we do so it will lead only to trouble. God will fulfil His promises, and we need to listen to the Spirit, and to do things His way, even if sometimes this means waiting patiently.

One final thought. Abraham and Sarah were not patient and did get it wrong. This did lead to all sorts of trouble. Yet God still fulfilled His promise. We have all got things wrong at times in our life, and this may have had serious consequences, but this does not mean that God's plans for our life will not be fulfilled. Whatever situation we are in today, today is the day to trust God, to obey Him, and to follow His leading.