For He is finishing the work and has cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth."
Truth to Learn
God has already determined what He is going to do with regard to mankind.
Behind the Words
“Is finishing” is from the Greek verb sunteleō, composed of sun, used as an intensifier and teleō, meaning “to finish.” So we see that this word means “to completely finish.”
The words “cut it short” are translated from the Greek word suntemnō, which is made up of sun, again used as an intensifier and temnō, meaning “to divide” or “to cut.” Hence, it means “to cut short.” With regard to words, it means “to make concise.” Figuratively, it means “to decide, determine, or make a decree.” You can see from the Hebrew translation quoted below that it is this figurative meaning which Paul intended.
Meaning Explained
This is a quotation of Isaiah 10:23 and is quoted in conjunction with the previous verse. Paul is reciting the Septuagint version of the Isaiah passage here. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was translated from Hebrew into Greek somewhere between 300 and 200 years before the time of Christ. It was the version of the Law and the Prophets that many Greek speaking Jews read in the Roman Empire and, therefore, is the version that the Roman Jewish Christians would have known best. The Hebrew translation of this verse is:
For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a determined end in the midst of all the land. (Isaiah 10:23)
The Greek version preserves the basic intent of the passage but expresses it in a slightly different manner. It starts off with, “For He is finishing the work.” That is to say that God is about to end the work with respect to Jews (implied from the previous verse). The phrase “cut it short in righteousness” means that He will make a determination (a choice) and do so in a righteous manner.
So the effect of this passage is:
God is about to end His work with respect to Jews and He will do so by His own decision and do so in righteousness based on what He previously determined.
You can clearly see that this is in keeping with what Paul has been saying all along with respect to the fact that God does not save all and, in fact, has chosen ahead of time whom He will save and will do so in a righteous manner. Paul is also warning the Jewish Christians in Rome that God is about to end His dealings with the Jewish people (at least, until the time of the end as spoken by the prophet Daniel in chapter 9 of his book).
An interesting thing to note is that this letter was written sometime around 53 AD and Jerusalem was totally destroyed, with all the inhabitants being slain, by the Romans a mere 17 years later.
Application
God alone decides what He is going to do with regard to the lives of men. He did so with the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and He does so with regard to His adopted children. What God decides is not controlled by the will of man. God’s will is supreme. He is sovereign over all.
In God's service, for His glory,
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