“You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?’ But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Rom 9:19-21) Is it true that God, as moral governor (a dictator), has created and reprobated a world of men to eternal perdition, merely for his own good pleasure?— > Let’s study the parable of the potter in context:
“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: ‘Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.’ Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the LORD. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!’ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it." (Jeremiah 18:1-10)
Jeremiah saw it as a pulling down and building up of nations, not individuals. “Let not Israel therefore say to God, ‘Thou hast no right to make of me anything else than a vessel of honor; and thou hast no right to make of that other body, the Gentiles, anything else than a base vessel.’” (F. Godet) So, in more specific words, it is a matter of church privilege, proclaiming and preservering the faith. God had the right to choose the firstborn of every household, as well as the right to pass over some based on no merit of the individuals. He had the right to give the prerogative of firstborn to Aaron’s sons. And most recently, He had the right to take it away from the house of Israel and to give it to in universal church of the firstborn.
“The apostle continues his answer to the Jew. Hath not God shown, by the parable of the potter, Jeremiah 18:1, that He may justly dispose of nations, and of the Jews in particular, according as He in His infinite wisdom may judge most right and fitting even as the potter has a right, out of the same lump of clay, to make one vessel to a more honourable and another to a less honourable use, as His own judgment and skill may direct; for no potter will take pains to make a vessel merely that He may show that he has power to dash it to pieces?… The reference to this parable shows most positively that the apostle is speaking of men, not individually, but nationally; and it is strange that men should have given his words any other application with this Scripture (Jeremiah 18:1-10) before their eyes.” (Adam Clarke)
In another place: God told the children of Israel through Moses— the prophet: “‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”—Exodus 19:5-6. But they would not heed His voice and a change had come. "But when men shall call a solid answer to their groundless conceits about the meaning of the Scriptures, a replying against God, it savours more of the spirit who was seen falling like lightning from heaven, than of His, who saw him in this his fall.” (John Goodwin)
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Acts 10:34-35
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