HankD,
Hello Hank, just finished driving, sorry for the delay....
I agree. the truth delights to be investigated as long as we keep the attributes of God as a hedge in our discussion and inquiries.
What truths are revealed are revealed for our study and benefit. Satan does not get a free pass.
We are just not told what would happen to him as a result of these wicked deeds at this time.
That is a proper caution that keeps us from taking God's name in vain.
Here is the way I have seen it taught or preached;
.
from precept Austin;
Paul is not teaching that God took vessels and prepared them for destruction. These vessels (from the same lump) were themselves prepared for destruction. For example, as discussed earlier, Pharaoh heard God's Word and clearly saw God's mighty power and yet he steadfastly refused to bow his knee to God, thus "fitting" (preparing) himself for destruction
And so continuing his picture of God as a potter, Paul refers to those whom God has not chosen for salvation, but rather allowed to incur the just penalty for their sin (God’s wrath).
Vessels of wrath are those whose sins make them subject to God’s wrath. They are prepared for destruction by their own sin, disobedience, and rebellion, and not by some arbitrary decree of God. (see below also)
Denney - Paul does not say how the
vessels of wrath (skeue orges) came to be what they are, the objects upon which the wrath and power of God are to be revealed; he only says that such as they are, God has shown great patience with them. (
Expositor's Greek)
Prepared (fitted) (
2675) (
katartizo [word study]from
katá = intensifies meaning +
artízo = fit, finish) means to make someone completely adequate or sufficient for something, causing them to be fully qualified, in this case for God's just wrath. The
perfect tense emphasizes the state or condition that was the result of their rejection of God's internal and external revelation of His nature. They rejected God at some point in time and they were still in that state. They were ripe (fitted) for destruction because of their own actions of rejecting the truth.
Warren Wiersbe -
The word “fitted” in Romans 9:22 does not suggest that God made Pharaoh a “vessel of wrath.” The verb is in what the Greek grammarians call the middle voice, making it a reflexive action verb. So, it should read: “fitted himself for destruction.” God prepares men for glory (Ro 9:23), but sinners prepare themselves for judgment. In Moses and Israel God revealed the riches of His mercy; in Pharaoh and Egypt He revealed His power and wrath. Since neither deserved any mercy, God cannot be charged with injustice. (Bible Exposition Commenary)
MacArthur -
The Greek verb rendered prepared is passive. God is not the subject doing the preparing. There is the very clear sense in this use of the passive voice to relieve God of the responsibility and to put it fully on the shoulders of those who refuse to heed His Word and believe in His Son. They are prepared by their own rejection for a place (hell) prepared by God, not originally for them but “for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41). (Ed: In other words if the verb prepared had been active voice, the picture would be of God actively preparing men for destruction, which is not the case! Substantiating this point is the fact that "prepared beforehand" in Ro 9:23 is active voice, indicating God did in fact actively prepare them for glory.) (Romans Commentary. Moody).
Bible Knowledge Commentary - The perfect participle “prepared” describes past action with a continuing result or state. “Prepared” may be reflexive (“prepared themselves”), but it seems preferable to take it as passive (“were prepared”). The thought is that they have been and are in a state of readiness or ripeness to receive God’s wrath. The objects of God’s wrath are the unsaved (Ro 1:18), who will suffer eternal judgment (Jn 3:36). God has patiently endured their antagonism to Him (cf. Acts 14:16 Ro 3:25), but their judgment is coming. Those who oppose Him and refuse to turn to Him (Mt 23:37) are then “prepared” by Him for condemnation. They are “storing up [God’s] wrath” against themselves (Ro 2:5). In hell they will experience His wrath, and His power will be made known (cf. Ro 9:17). God does not delight in wrath, and He did not choose some people to go to hell. Some are prepared by God for eternal judgment not because He delights to do so, but because of their sin. In view of their sin, which makes them “ripe” for destruction, God is willing to exhibit His wrath, and He will do so at the proper time.
God endured these Vessels of Wrath and did not destroy them immediately. Why has God endured them with much patience all these years? He had a purpose -- in order to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy. We fail to view the truths about God's sovereignty in salvation from His perspective but usually choose to view it from man's vantage point presupposing that we have rights, and forgetting that God can do as He pleases and be justified no matter what He does.
When God looks down on mankind, He sees all men under sin (Ro 5:12 all are in Adam and in desperate condition and need for His mercy and compassion). In view of that truth what does He have the right to do? Obviously as the Sovereign Creator He has the justifiable right to condemn all mankind to an eternal hell because all are sinners. If you think that this would make God an unfair Judge, then think back for a moment to what Paul taught in Romans 1.
I found these thoughts helpful.
