Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
The first verse of Romans 11 is emphatic when it states that God is not through with His Chosen People. That is so clear, especially today when we look at what is happening with Israel. It is a cup of trembling to the nations all around. Paul's miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus is a foreshadowing of what will happen to the Jewish nation when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:15 says that God has cast off His people but this does not mean that He has rejected all of them forever. Paul himself is proof that the casting away is not complete. After all, his credentials as a Jew were impeccable. Verses 2-10 talk about Israel's past history and verse 7 says that God has always kept a believing remnant according to the election of grace and the rest (the majority) were blinded.
Verse 11 goes on to ask, "Have they stumbled that they should fall?" Look at this girls...God's purposes, despite Israel's disobedience, are restorative...not only for the Jew but for the Gentile as well. His purpose is, that as a result of their fall, salvation should come to the Gentiles, thus provoking Israel to jealousy. This jealousy is designed to bring Israel back to God eventually. Look at the next verse...Rom 11:12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! Wow! Wow! Wow! God promised the Gentiles would be saved and He will keep His promise to Israel also. When Israel finally turns to the Lord she will become a channel of blessing for all the nations. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, tells his audience in the next verse that he is not only speaking to them to explain God's grace to them but to provoke his countrymen to jealousy. Ideally, the Jew would look at the spiritual riches of the Gentile believer and want what he had....Christ...the hope of glory!
Paul goes on later to say that concerning the gospel the Jews are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. God's original plan, had the Jews as the instrument of God's blessing to the Gentiles. When the Jews disobeyed or stumbled, God blessed the Gentiles anyway through the Jewish Messiah. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would still be sure. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God does not change. Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful. Someday all faithful Jews will share in God's mercy. God's plans will not be thwarted: He will "have mercy on everyone."
Do you see why after reading this chapter several times I was in worship mode. What an encouragement for me and for you. God's gifts and His calling are irrevocable...Malachi 3:6 says, "I am the Lord, I change not” God chose Israel in His grace, not because of any merit that she might have had. Israel is His beloved. We who believe, are His beloved. God will be true to Himself and consistent with His word no matter what we do. What a relief to know it does not depend on me or anything that I do or don't do. Romans 3:3 says shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Philippians 1:6 reminds us that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
I read the last several verses of Romans 11 and rejoiced along with Paul. Read and.pay special attention to the reason for Paul's hymn of praise at the end.
Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “ For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “ Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
I am amazed at the greatness of our God. His grace and His sovereignty abound. May I never lose sight of the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of our God. His judgments truly are unsearchable and His ways past finding out. I pray that I can meditate on His amazing love in the valleys and the difficult places that I know are coming. Reading this chapter put such joy in my heart and strengthened my faith. Truly God knows what He is doing even when we cannot imagine what that might be. He is the One who works all things together for good in our lives. He is the one who through Israel's fall brought salvation to the Gentiles.
Closing with a quote from Spurgeon that really spoke to my heart...
"Fate says the thing is and must be, so it is decreed. But the true doctrine is--God has appointed this and that, not because it must be, but because it is best that it should be. Fate is blind, but the destiny of Scripture is full of eyes. Fate is stern and adamantine, and has no tears for human sorrow. But the arrangements of providence are kind and good." --Charles Spurgeon
Love
Mom
Here is Romans 11 in its entirety:
Romans 11
Israel’s Rejection Not Total
1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?[a] 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b] 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.[c] But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written:
“ God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”[d]
9 And David says:
“ Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.”[e]
Israel’s Rejection Not Final
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness,[f] if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved,[g] as it is written:
“ The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”[h]
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “ For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”[i]
35 “ Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”[j]
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment