Vessels of Wrath

“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,” -Romans 9:22

In an attempt to shed further light on his argument that the potter [has the] right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use, Paul follows up with a moving question: What if?

In other words, since the potter has the authority over his clay as can be seen in the cases of Moses (he will show mercy on whomsoever he will) and Pharaoh (God chose to harden him), then What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

In rhetorical language, Paul’s argument is a kind of conditional enthymeme, a logical syllogism that uses ellipsis to make the point stronger. That is, he provides the prostasis (the clause containing the condition) but implies the apodosis (the clause in a conditional statement containing the conclusion). 

The prostasis is “What if God…?” 

The apodosis is implied by proxy of his former conclusion back in verse 14 regarding God’s justice in choosing one brother over the other: “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!” 

In whole, it would go like this: “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? Can anyone charge him with unrighteousness? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!” 

The matter of who are the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction is left unstated. But the inference seems to be pretty clear that Paul has in mind those who, like Pharaoh, God raised up for the purpose of showing his power. For he says to Pharaoh “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” -Exodus 9:16

In conclusion, let us keep in mind, the example of the one God raised up is the one who said: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”” -Exodus 5:2