What do we do with Israel?

Did God Fail Israel?

intro

Romans 9:1–3 NASB 2020

1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen according to the flesh,

Paul was an Israelite. A born and bread proud, zealous, God fearing Jew.

His heart is broken for Israel.

Why?

Because, unbelievably, somehow, inexplicably ISRAEL is lost.

Paul’s deepest desire is

Romans 10:1 NASB 2020

1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

That Israel is lost and in need of salvation makes absolutely no sense at all.

Its like a man who eats 3 healthy meals every day and starves to death. HOW??????

Ill:

If i say that Bill has 3 nutritious meals everyday.

and that Bill starved to death.

One of these has to be a lie. So if you find Bills body and an autopsy revels that he did starve to death, what does that say about my statement: Bill eats 3 nutritious balanced meals a day?

That its a lie!

This is the core problem of Romans 9-11.

Its summed up in these opening verses.

Claim 1: Israel is chosen.

Romans 9:1–5 NASB 2020

1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises; 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

God is clearly saying that He provided all the spiritual requirements for salvation to Israel.

Claim 2: Israel is lost

John 1:11 NASB 2020

11 He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.

Israel did not receive salvation.

-

Someone is lying!

Either Israel was called and chosen by God for salvation or they were not.

Its clear that they were, so why are they not saved?

Who is lying?

This is perfectly summed up in:

Romans 9:6 NASB 2020

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

The apostle, having made his way to that which he had to say, concerning the rejection of the body of his countrymen, with a protestation of his own affection for them and a concession of their undoubted privileges, comes in these verses, and the following part of the chapter, to prove that the rejection of the Jews, by the establishment of the gospel dispensation, did not at all invalidate the word of God’s promise to the patriarchs: Not as though the word of God hath taken no effect (v. 6), which, considering the present state of the Jews, which created to Paul so much heaviness and continual sorrow (v. 2), might be suspected.

So the question is:

If Bill did in fact eat 3 meals a day, HOW could Bill possibly have starved to death?

And if we believe we have been given life giving food, How do WE know that WE also wont starve to death?

This is the problem and question that Paul answers in these chapters.

Step 1:

Israel vs Israel

When we talk about Israel, we need to make sure we are talking about the right and same thing.

“What is Israel?”

1: Israel is a country in the Middle East.

2: Israel refers to the People God called His own.

1 is true.

2 is true.

But is 1 = 2?

NO!

Romans 9:6–7 NASB 2020

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your Descendants shall be named.”

Here is what you HAVE TO UNDERSTAND.

To the first century Jew point 1 and point 2 were synonyms.

Thus to the Jews, Jesus was totally unnecessary.

Why on earth would i need salvation when I am a member of God’s Covenant with Abraham to bless all his children?

Jesus made this false way of thinking crystal clear when he told the Jews:

Matthew 3:9 NASB 2020

9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.

Until you understand that the Jewish people truly believed in “Hereditary Salvation” nothing en Romans will make sense.

So back to our question:

Who or what is the “Israel” refereed to here in Romans?

It is referring to the country and citizens or to the Covenant and Promises?

Well Paul tells us:

Romans 9:8 NASB 2020

8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Ethnic Israel is not synonyms with Covenant Israel.

This really matters as we will soon see.

So Paul says that God’s shift from Israel to the Church in no way indicates that God promises to Israel failed.

Paul is reminding the Jews, even as Jesus Christ Himself reminded them that their status as God’s chosen Nation had nothing to do with them as a people.

They were not special so that God chose them.

Its that God chose them that made them special.

And God could have easily chose any other nation just as easily.

Matthew 3:9 NASB 2020

9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.

And what had happened since the Jews rejected Jesus is that the covalent relationship between God and Israel and expanded to include other nations, specifically: The gentiles.

So to summerize:

Abraham had 2 sons. Each son represents a covenant.

A covenant of Slavery and a Covenant of Freedom.

Galatians 4:22–31 NASB 2020

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 This is speaking allegorically, for these women are two covenants: one coming from Mount Sinai giving birth to children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is enslaved with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27 For it is written: “Rejoice, infertile one, you who do not give birth; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For the children of the desolate one ARE more numerous Than THOSE of the one who has a husband.” 28 And you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time the son who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, so it is even now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.” 31 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.

PICTURE These two covenants are the difference between Ethnic Israel and Covenant or Remnant Israel.

And the point is clear:

Just because Abraham is your father does not mean that you are free.

One of his children is free - The child born of faith.

The other son is a slave - The Child born from a slave.

The remnant, the Israel of Sarah the free woman WILL BE SAVED!

Romans 11:25–27 NASB 2020

25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

But what about now?

Have Gentiles replaces Israel?

Why did God seem to abandon Israel for Gentiles?

Next week.