We should never look to riches and power to assess God’s favor in our life. Sometimes they are blessings from his hand, but sometimes God uses them as a curse. Scripture tells us that out of the same lump of clay, God makes vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor (Romans 9:21). He prepares the vessels of wrath for destruction. This destruction shows the vessels of honor the riches of his glory, for they have received mercy (Romans 9:23).

When we read God’s statement in scripture where he says, “For this very purpose I have raised you up,” commonplace religion has conditioned us always to expect the reason to be something positive for the person addressed. Perhaps God raised this person up to save a group of people from genocide, like Esther. Maybe God raised this person up to save a group of people from famine, like Joseph. However, in this passage of scripture, both guesses would be wrong.

In Romans 9:17, Paul tells us that God raised Pharaoh up to destroy him. The exact reason given is that I raised you up “that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” In other words, God increased Pharoah’s earthly wealth and power to enslave the people of God so that God might show how weak worldly wealth and power are against him. God used Pharoah to show his people that their most powerful enemies are nothing against his might.

We should never look to riches and power to assess God’s favor in our life. Sometimes they are blessings from his hand, but sometimes God uses them as a curse. Scripture tells us that out of the same lump of clay, God makes vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor (Romans 9:21). He prepares the vessels of wrath for destruction.

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