April 14th, 2023

The Trials and Triumphs of Israel

Introduction

The Challenge of King Frederick the Great of Prussia

1. Frederick's skepticism towards Christianity and the Bible

2. The challenge to the court chaplain to prove the Bible's truth in one word

B. The Chaplain's Response: "Israel"

1. The miracle of Israel as a nation

2. The detailed history of Israel

3. The remarkable continuity and longevity of Israel despite numerous challenges

The tumultuous history of Israel

1. From Abram's journey to Canaan to Israel's enslavement in Egypt

2. God's redemption of His people and their establishment as a nation

3. The Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem

4. The Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the nation

5. The Holocaust and the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948

Israel’s Survival is a Miracle!

B. The miracle of Israel's survival

1. The biblical justification for Israel's continued existence

2. Jeremiah's prophecies affirming God's unending commitment to Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37)

Jeremiah 31:35–37 ESV

35 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name: 36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”

As we enter Romans 11 we are entering the conclusion of Paul’s three chapter story of the salvation history of Israel.

Romans I. Introduction: The Bible in a Word

The Bible is not a fortune-telling book, but it is a fact-telling book. Israel has a past, present, and a future as a nation. The person who denies the facts of Israel’s future, as laid out in Romans 11, would be as foolish as one who denied the facts of her past and present.

God has always been faithful to preserve the elect in Israel.

Romans 11:1–10 ESV

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Romans A. God Has Always Preserved the Elect in Israel (11:1–10)

by no means! (me genoito)

10 out of 14 times Pauls uses this phrase it is in the book of Romans.

Romans 11:1 ESV

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

Paul offers himself as proof positive that God has not rejected his people. Paul was a living testament to God's, continuing relationship with his people in gods capacity, to preserve those whom he has elected.

Romans 11:2–4 ESV

2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

Paul reminds the Jews of gods faithfulness in the past, with the story of Elijah. The same question is asked, and answered in Elijah's day, and also in Paul's day.

1 Kings 18:22 ESV

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.

Hasn’t Isreal rejected her God?

1 Kings 19:18 ESV

18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

No, God has preserved a remnant. God is not done with Israel

Romans 11:1 ESV

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

Has God rejected His people

Romans 11:5 ESV

5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

No, there is a chosen remnant.

God continues to be faithful in preserving those He has chosen.

Romans 11:5–6 ESV

5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Heritage and Merit were super highly valued traits among the Jews. They took pride in these traits.

Philippians 3:4 ESV

4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

But God has chosen and continues to chose Israel out of Mercy

Romans 9:14–16 ESV

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

God has chosen the nation of Israel but God continues to separate and preserve a remnant of Israel by his grace and compassion

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

grace was such a massive part of Paul’s story

Paul received grace from God personally

Romans 1:5 ESV

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

The promise comes by grace

Romans 4:16 ESV

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

Those who have received salvation stand in the grace of God

Romans 5:2 ESV

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

God’s grace overcame the sin of Adam

Romans 5:15 ESV

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

No sin is too big for God’s grace

Romans 5:20 ESV

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

God’s grace is the driving force in all of salvation history

Romans 5:21 ESV

21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Grace. Grace God's grace greater than all our sin!

Paul reminds us that salvation has always been about the grace of God.

If a Jewish remnant is going to be preserved, it's going to be because of God's grace. If we have salvation today, it's because of God's grace. Because of the grace of God and his promises to Israel, stand, and because of his love for the nation he preserves a remnant.

Romans 11:7–10 ESV

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

so god has elected israel as a nation but only eleected som eof Israel to beleive. So where do we go from here?

We know that God gives wisdom and understanding

We also know that apart from God’s enlightenment some spiritual things are beyond the understanding of the natural man.

In this passage paul refers to a couple verses

Deuteronomy 29:4 ESV

4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.

This is in the context of the renewal of the covenant for the Israelites after 40 years of wandering in the desert.

In their natural selves they had no awareness of God’s power.

another passage paul refers to is Isaiah 29:10

Isaiah 29:10 ESV

10 For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).

this is a time of great sinfullness in the nation of Israel. God says He will bring a period of stupor on them because of their sin.

If Israel wasn’t going to fulfil God’s mandate to be a blessing to the world around by sharing God’s word to them, God would prevent them from seeing the light theselves.

Romans A. God Has Always Preserved the Elect in Israel (11:1–10)

The comparison could be made to a person who collects all the newest and fanciest tools in his workshop, but never builds anything, versus the carpenter who owns a few basic, well-worn tools with which he has constructed shelters and furniture for many. Israel’s workshop was beyond compare when it came to available resources (Rom. 9:4–5). The problem was that they had not used their tools for God’s purposes, and God took their tools away.

In Jesus day the religious leaders didn’t want to hear.

Matthew 13:15 ESV

15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

because they were not ready to hear, God didn’t speak to them.

The Parable of the sower

Mark 4:3–9 ESV

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And then he explains the parable.

Mark 4:10–20 ESV

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

But note what he says in verse 13

Mark 4:13 ESV

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

In order to understand the rest of His parables the disciples need to get this one. In order for the word of God to take root and bear fruit, the soil must be responsive.

Romans A. God Has Always Preserved the Elect in Israel (11:1–10)

Israel thought they could do it all; now they can do nothing. Israel thought they could hear it all; now they can hear nothing. To have ears that hear and eyes that see is a prerequisite of entering the kingdom. Otherwise, the response will be like that of the deaf and blind: “What kingdom?”

Conclusion

I'm going to wrap up our message here because, as Denis has reminded me, I owe you all 15 minutes from a couple of weeks ago :-) :-) It's also Mother's Day. But I want to point to encouragement from this passage. First, God is persistently capable of keeping his promises and preserving those he lacks. Rest today in the power of God to hold you.

The second encouragement is to remember what Jesus said. If you want to understand all of his parables, you need to understand the parable of the sower. Take time to reread Mark Chapter 4. Take time today to meditate on where your heart is. Are you receptive, willing, and ready to hear and respond to gods call on your life?

Israel was like a carpenter with all the best tools who barely put them to use. Don't be like Israel. Take action and use the tools of faith and faithfulness. God gives to you.