Romans 11.1-God Has Not Rejected Israel And Paul Is Living Proof
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday June 16, 2009
Romans: Romans 11:1-God Has Not Rejected Israel And Paul Is Living Proof
Lesson # 352
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 11:1.
This evening will study Romans 11:1 and in this passage, Paul poses a rhetorical question that is the result of an inference that could be implied from Paul’s teaching in Romans chapters nine and ten, namely that God has rejected Israel.
He emphatically rejects this idea and then presents himself as living proof that this is not the case.
Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
“Then” is the “inferential” use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), which denotes that the rhetorical question that appears in Romans 11:1 is the result of an inference that could be implied from Paul’s teaching in Romans chapters nine and ten.
That the inference is from a possible implication from Paul’s teaching in Romans 9-10 is indicated by the fact that in these chapters he is discussing Israel’s rejection of Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Now, in Romans 11:1, Paul addresses the possible implication of this rejection by posing the rhetorical question, “God has not rejected His people, has He?”
This question is a logical one since Paul’s teaching in Romans 9-10 makes clear that Israel has no excuses in rejecting Christ as Savior since she was evangelized and heard and understood the gospel message but refused to believe in Christ.
Thus, in Romans 11:1, Paul is anticipating this possible implication from his teaching in Romans 9-10.
The question is posed from the Gentile Christian perspective since Paul is speaking primarily to Gentile believers in chapter 11.
He does so in order to protect them from getting arrogant towards the Jews for their rejection of Christ, which appears to have taken place as evidence by Paul’s gentle rebuke in this chapter and his statements in Romans 12-14, which deal with relationships between Jews and Gentiles.
Paul didn’t want Gentile believers to become arrogant towards the Jews just as the Jews looked at Gentiles with disdain and racial prejudice.
By posing this question, he also wants to prevent any idea that the Gentiles and the church had replaced Israel.
In this chapter as he has throughout the book of Romans, Paul has made clear that God’s purpose includes both Jews and Gentiles.
Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
“I say” is the first person singular present active indicative form of the verb lego (levgw) (leg-o), which means, “to ask” since it is connected to the rhetorical question that follows it.
“God” refers to the Father since the articular construction of this noun in the New Testament commonly signifies the first member of the Trinity.
“Has not rejected” is composed of the negative particle me (mhv) (may), “not,” which is followed by the third person singular aorist (deponent) middle indicative form of the verb apotheomai (a)pwqevomai) (ap-o-theh-o-my), “has rejected.”
In Romans 11:1, the verb apotheomai is used with God as the subject and the nation of Israel as its object and means “to reject.”
The verb’s meaning is negated by the negative particle me, which denies any idea of God rejecting Israel.
The rhetorical question is introduced by the negative particle me indicating that the rhetorical question demands a negative response.
“His people” is a reference to the nation of Israel.
“May it never be!” is the strongest negative Greek expression emphatically denying any possibility or thought of God rejecting Israel.
Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
“For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” is a “causal” clause that presents the reason for Paul’s rejection of the idea that God has rejected His covenant people, Israel.
God has not rejected Israel because he is living proof that this is not true since he is a Jewish Christian!
“An Israelite” speaks of the fact that the Jew is a member of a theocracy and is the heir of the covenant promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, aka, Israel.
“A descendant of Abraham” indicates that Paul is identifying himself as an individual who “descended from” Abraham in a biological sense.
“Of the tribe of Benjamin” denotes Paul descended from the tribe of Benjamin.
Paul identifies himself with this expression in Philippians 3:5.
“Benjamin” was the lone full brother of Joseph since they had the same mother “Rachel” whereas the mothers of Jacob’s other ten sons were Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah (See Genesis 30:22-24, Genesis 35:18, 43:29).
He was also the only one of Jacob’s sons that was born in the land of Canaan since his other eleven sons and his daughter Dinah were born in Paddan Aram.
Like his eleven brothers, “Benjamin” became the progenitor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, which bears his name.
He was the youngest son of Jacob by Rachel, who died in childbirth and was the last son of Jacob to be born and his birth took place on the road between Bethel and Ephrath (Bethlehem), a short distance from the latter.
His mother died immediately and with her last breath named him Ben-oni (“son of my pain”), which name the father changed.
Although his mother named him Ben-Oni, “son of my sorrow,” his father called him Benjamin, perhaps not wishing to be reminded of the loss of Rachel every time he called his son’s name (Gen. 35:18).
He is the focal point of the encounter of Joseph and his brothers in Egypt when the former was the prime minister of Egypt and unrecognized by his brothers.
Jacob’s prophecy regarding Benjamin’s descendants future lot, and the development of his personal character in his tribe, is brief.
Genesis 49:27, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the spoil.”
Israel’s prophecy concerning the descendants of Benjamin refers to the successful military victories that they would achieve in the future (See Judges 3:15-30; 5:14; 20:14-21; 1 Samuel 9:1; 13:3; 1 Chronicles 8:40; 12:2-27, 29; Esther 2:5; Romans 11:1).
One of the reasons why Paul mentions in Romans 11:1 that he is a member of the tribe of Benjamin is due to the fact that it did produce the first king of Israel (1 Sm. 9; Acts 13:21).
The apostle Paul thought more highly of the fact that Benjamin was the only son of Israel to be born in the land of promise, and born to Israel’s favorite wife Rachel as she died (Gn. 35:16-20).
The blessing of Moses describes Benjamin as the beloved of the Lord (Dt. 33:12).
The first of the judges (dictators) that emerged in Israel after the Canaan Invasion was Ehud of the tribe of Benjamin, who fought the Moabites.
The tribe of Benjamin participated in various battles such as that under Deborah and Barak against Sisera (Jdg. 5:14).
Benjamin was also the first tribe to oppose the Philistines.
After the division of the kingdom, following the death of Solomon, it was the tribe of Benjamin, or at least part of it, which in company with Judah kept loyal to the house of David (2 Sm. 2-3) and later formed the nucleus of the exiles who returned to restore the land of their fathers (Ezr. 4:1).
Other Benjamites of distinction were the prophet Jeremiah (1:1), Esther and Mordecai (Est. 2:5), and of course the apostle Paul (Rm. 11:1; Phlp. 3:5).
Therefore, Paul in Romans 11:1 poses a rhetorical question that is the result of an inference that could be implied from Paul’s teaching in Romans chapters nine and ten, namely that God has rejected Israel.
He emphatically rejects this idea and then presents himself as living proof that this is not the case.