Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
12. “It was said to her that the elder shall serve the younger.” While this primarily means the election of Isaac to the progenitorship, and the reprobation of Esau to the same, it has here a potent symbolic meaning which is not to be overlooked, i.e., that the old Adamic nature in us is to serve the new creature imparted by the Holy Ghost in regeneration. The word “serve” means a slave, involving the perfect submission of the old man. 13. “As has been written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” This is the language of Malachi 1:2, 3, five hundred years after the time of these men. Hence it does not apply to these men personally, but representatively to Israel, a godly people, and the Edomites, very wicked idolators. 14. “Then what shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? It could not be so. 15. “For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I do have mercy, and will compassionate whom I do compassionate” (Exodus 3:19). This progenitorship was a great and signal mercy, yet it did not exclude the reprobated from grace and glory but does imply from a place in the honored Messianic progenitorship. 16. “Then therefore it is not of him that willeth nor him that runneth, but of God who showeth mercy.” This progenitorship, the greatest blessing this side of heaven, was bestowed on Abraham and his seed by the sovereign discriminating mercy of God. Yet while it was special to Abraham and his seed, instead of excluding all others from the kingdom of grace and glory, it was the provision of God’s redeeming love for the whole human race. 17. “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, that for this very thing have I raised thee up, that I may show forth my power in thee, in order that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” At that time Pharaoh was absolute monarch of the only organized government on the globe. He built the pyramids, the world’s greatest wonder to this day; there being no mechanical powers on the earth at the present day competent to erect them. It has been estimated that it would take twenty thousand men one hundred years to build Cheops. When I climbed to the top and stood on its pinnacle, five hundred and fifty feet above the earth, and looked down the huge mass covering thirteen acres of ground, I no longer doubted the estimate. God did not mock Pharaoh. He sent him His two best preachers, Moses and Aaron, to preach the gospel. to him that he might be saved. Of course the gospel resisted hardened his heart, as in every other case. The same sun that softens the wax, hardens the clay; so the same gospel that saves those who receive it, hardens and augments the damnation of all who reject it. Hence souls lost in Christendom reach a hotter hell than the heathens. If Pharaoh had been converted, he was the very man to glorify God in all the earth, by sending the gospel to the ends of the earth. He had the men and the money, and was competent to preach the gospel and proclaim the true God in all the earth. Pharaoh did like millions of other sinners, rejected the gospel and plunged into ruin for time and eternity, defeating the purposes of God for which He had raised him up, that he might be converted under the preaching of Moses and Aaron and preach the gospel of God’s truth and righteousness to all the earth. 20. “O vain man, who art thou that repliest against God? Whether shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus?
21. “Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?” The removal of the clay from the bank to the pottery is regeneration. The purification of the clay from all trash, pebbles and foreign materials, by desiccation, commination and sifting, is sanctification. The diversified work in the formation of the vessel is character building; while the final ornamentation, putting on the beautiful gloss, is glorification. Timee, “honor,” here means financial remuneration; while “dishonor” means no financial value. Since the potter, like all other mechanics, simply prosecutes his employment for the money that is in it, he invaritably sets out to make an honorable vessel. Why does he fail? Because, after he has done his best, the clay mars in his hand so that the vessel is spoiled and utterly worthless, consequently he casts it away into the ditch, as it is a well-known fact that these marred vessels can not be worked over. They are actually fit for nothing. If you put them on the turnpike pike, they will dissolve and become mud. Hence the potter always throws them away as utterly worthless. Now let us make the application. When God sets out to make a man, He invariably proposes to make a good one. Why does He not succeed, since He is Omnipotent? It is not a mere question of power. The human will is involved. If your will falls in line and reciprocates God’s will, He is certain to make you a vessel to honor, just as the potter always does his best to make a good, sound vessel that will be current in the market, but, despite all he can do, the vessel mars in his hands and turns out a failure. Even so, while God is doing His best to make a good man, your will antagonizes His will till the vessel is spoiled. Then He can only leave you for Satan’s heap of rubbish, tumbled down into hell. If God were to ignore your free will, He would dehumanize you. He does not want a machine. If he did, He would make it. He wants a man. Hence He can not make you good without the co-operation of your will, lest He unman you. While the potter is doing his best to make an honorable vessel, the clay mars in his hands till the vessel is spoiled. Just so, while God has laid heaven, earth and hell under contribution to make a good man of you, this does not settle the question, because your will is free. If you sink away into the will of God, He is certain to make you a vessel unto honor. If you contravene His will, you will become a vessel unto dishonor, fit only for the ditch of damnation. 22. “But if God, wishing to show forth his indignation and make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath which had been perfected for destruction.” “Fitted,” E.V., which I translate “having been made perfect,” is the identical word constantly translated “perfect,” setting forth Christian perfection. Hence it involves the conclusion that there is a perfecting for destruction as well as salvation. No soul goes to heaven till perfected for glory. Even so no one goes to hell till perfected for damnation. The potter never gives up the vessel while there is hope. God is the Omnipotent. Hence He works on every vessel so long as there is hope. When the human will so contravenes the divine will as to disqualify Omnipotent grace to make you a vessel to honor, then you are perfected for destruction. God is Omniscient. He sees you will never let Him save you. Consequently He lets you drop into hell. There is no other place for you. He has made heaven for you, but you will not let Him love you, consequently you are a vessel unto dishonor perfected for damnation, i.e., ripe for hell. 23. “In order that he may make known the riches of his glory unto the vessels of mercy, which he before prepared unto glory.” “Glory” here means the glorification of spirit, soul and body, which awaits all the saints at the end of this life, spirit and mind being glorified simultaneously with the evacuation of the body, the latter receiving glorification in the resurrection, unless, fortunately, we should be honored with the translation, going up in the rapture “to meet the Lord in the air,” in which
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21. “Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor and another unto<br />
dishonor?” The removal of the clay from the bank to the pottery is regeneration. The purification<br />
of the clay from all trash, pebbles and foreign materials, by desiccation, commination and sifting,<br />
is sanctification. The diversified work in the formation of the vessel is character building; while the<br />
final ornamentation, putting on the beautiful gloss, is glorification. Timee, “honor,” here means<br />
financial remuneration; while “dishonor” means no financial value. Since the potter, like all other<br />
mechanics, simply prosecutes his employment for the money that is in it, he invaritably sets out to<br />
make an honorable vessel. Why does he fail? Because, after he has done his best, the clay mars in<br />
his hand so that the vessel is spoiled and utterly worthless, consequently he casts it away into the<br />
ditch, as it is a well-known fact that these marred vessels can not be worked over. They are actually<br />
fit for nothing. If you put them on the turnpike pike, they will dissolve and become mud. Hence the<br />
potter always throws them away as utterly worthless. Now let us make the application. When God<br />
sets out to make a man, He invariably proposes to make a good one. Why does He not succeed, since<br />
He is Omnipotent? It is not a mere question of power. The human will is involved. If your will falls<br />
in line and reciprocates God’s will, He is certain to make you a vessel to honor, just as the potter<br />
always does his best to make a good, sound vessel that will be current in the market, but, despite all<br />
he can do, the vessel mars in his hands and turns out a failure. Even so, while God is doing <strong>His</strong> best<br />
to make a good man, your will antagonizes <strong>His</strong> will till the vessel is spoiled. Then He can only leave<br />
you for Satan’s heap of rubbish, tumbled down into hell. If God were to ignore your free will, He<br />
would dehumanize you. He does not want a machine. If he did, He would make it. He wants a man.<br />
Hence He can not make you good without the co-operation of your will, lest He unman you. While<br />
the potter is doing his best to make an honorable vessel, the clay mars in his hands till the vessel is<br />
spoiled. Just so, while God has laid heaven, earth and hell under contribution to make a good man<br />
of you, this does not settle the question, because your will is free. If you sink away into the will of<br />
God, He is certain to make you a vessel unto honor. If you contravene <strong>His</strong> will, you will become a<br />
vessel unto dishonor, fit only for the ditch of damnation.<br />
22. “But if God, wishing to show forth his indignation and make his power known, endured with<br />
much long-suffering the vessels of wrath which had been perfected for destruction.” “Fitted,” E.V.,<br />
which I translate “having been made perfect,” is the identical word constantly translated “perfect,”<br />
setting forth Christian perfection. Hence it involves the conclusion that there is a perfecting for<br />
destruction as well as salvation. No soul goes to heaven till perfected for glory. Even so no one goes<br />
to hell till perfected for damnation. The potter never gives up the vessel while there is hope. God is<br />
the Omnipotent. Hence He works on every vessel so long as there is hope. When the human will so<br />
contravenes the divine will as to disqualify Omnipotent grace to make you a vessel to honor, then<br />
you are perfected for destruction. God is Omniscient. He sees you will never let Him save you.<br />
Consequently He lets you drop into hell. There is no other place for you. He has made heaven for<br />
you, but you will not let Him love you, consequently you are a vessel unto dishonor perfected for<br />
damnation, i.e., ripe for hell.<br />
23. “In order that he may make known the riches of his glory unto the vessels of mercy, which he<br />
before prepared unto glory.” “Glory” here means the glorification of spirit, soul and body, which<br />
awaits all the saints at the end of this life, spirit and mind being glorified simultaneously with the<br />
evacuation of the body, the latter receiving glorification in the resurrection, unless, fortunately, we<br />
should be honored with the translation, going up in the rapture “to meet the Lord in the air,” in which
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