Romans 9:29 – General God the Merciful
And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
Truth to Learn
The leader of Heaven’s army chooses to save only a few.
Behind the Words
The words “said before” are from the Greek verb proereō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position” and ereō, meaning “to say or proclaim.” Thus we see that proereō means “to speak in advance” or “to foretell.”
The word “Lord” is from the Greek word kurios, meaning “master or ruler.”
“Sabaoth” is not a Greek word, but a transliteration of the Hebrew word tseva’ah, which means “armies or military hosts organized for war.” It is a reference to the armies of heaven, the angelic hosts.
The word “seed” is sperma, meaning “that which is sown, containing the germ of life which will produce new fruit.” In Isaiah’s passage it is the Hebrew word sariyd, meaning “a survivor, or one who remains after a battle.”
Meaning Explained
Paul now quotes another of Isaiah’s prophesies from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament.
Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9)
He makes reference to the Lord of the hosts of Heaven, the great and powerful leader of the mightiest of all armies. As the leader of the most powerful army ever, He will do as He determines and none can stop Him.
Isaiah’s point is that unless the mighty God had chosen to preserve a small number of survivors of Israel, they would have been completely destroyed just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for lack of 10 righteous people. This is a reference to the fact that Abraham negotiated with God for saving Sodom if only 10 righteous people were found in the city. As it turned out there were only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters. You can read all about these events in Genesis chapters 18 and 19.
Now, Paul’s point is the same as the previous verse, namely that God might cast off the entire nation because they have followed after other gods, saving only a few as His chosen ones. Thus, Paul demonstrates that God is ultimately the one who chooses who is destroyed and who is preserved. This is especially poignant given what Paul has already told us way back in Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,
The net effect of all this is that the Jewish Christians in Rome (and all of us who are God’s chosen ones) should fall to their knees and thank the Lord of hosts that he has not cut them off as they deserve, but has chosen to impute to them His righteousness and allow them into His eternal presence.
Application
Instead of complaining that it isn’t fair for God to destroy most of humanity and preserve only a few by His choice, let’s be eternally grateful that He opened our eyes to the truth of the gospel. He chose to save us even though we don’t deserve it.
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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