Has Israel Permanently Fallen?

Recap

In this section between Romans 9 to 11, Paul has been discussing the role and future of Israel. Paul has been asking the question: Does Israel’s rejection of the good news of Yeshua the Messiah mean that the promises made by Adonai to Beni Yisrael have failed?

In Rom. 9:6 to Rom. 9:24 we covered the questions of whether or not God was to blame, or was Israel to blame? Then in Chapter 10 we spoke about how the zeal of many in Israel has been misdirected toward a righteousness that comes by internal will power as opposed to a righteousness that is given by Adonai. And in Rom. 11:1-10 Paul answerd a very specific question: Just because the majority of Israelites rejected the good news of Yeshua, does that mean that God has rejected Israel?

Now Paul asks whether or not the stumble of many in Israel has led to their complete and permanent downfall.

Let’s read Rom. 11:11-24

Romans 11:11–24 TLV

I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their false step salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke Israel to jealousy. Now if their transgression leads to riches for the world, and their loss riches for the Gentiles, then how much more their fullness! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Insofar as I am an emissary to the Gentiles, I spotlight my ministry if somehow I might provoke to jealousy my own flesh and blood and save some of them. For if their rejection leads to the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the firstfruit is holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off and you—being a wild olive—were grafted in among them and became a partaker of the root of the olive tree with its richness, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, it is not you who support the root but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” True enough. They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear— for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Notice then the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell; but God’s kindness toward you, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off! And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of that which by nature is a wild olive tree, and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

Stumble vs. Fall

To start with I would like to point out how Paul pharases the question. He asks whether or not Israel has stumbled, or trippped and he contrasts that with falling. I think that many of us have used smilar language to this. We talk about how we had a “slip up” or a “relapse”, but we make a distinction from this to when a person who has “fallen away” from the Lord. We should understand that a trip-up or stumble does not mean that we have stopped running, but rather that we are not running as efficiently as we could.

The author of Hebrews says the same in Heb. 12:1-2

Hebrews 12:1–2 TLV

Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

We are all called to ‘get rid of” or to overcome the sins that entangle us and trip us up. Paul is using the same language as it relates to the situation with the unbelieving Jewish people of his day. Their rejection of Yeshua is a stumbling in the way. Think of the “Rock of stumbling” that Paul had mentioned eariler when he quoted from Isa. 28:16. And this trip-up or false step is not permanent. The word that is translated as false-step is also translated as transgression, which means to “cross the line.” With the analogy that Paul is using, we could imagine that a runner has comitted a foul by accidently stepping on one of the sidelines. It does not disqualify the runner from the race, but is counted against him.

Paul is adimate, this false-step of the unbelieving Jewish people of his day, is not a disqualifying step, nor is it permanent, rather it is temporary and it is overcomable, as we will soon see.

Provoke Israel to Jealousy

Paul now goes into the result of this false-step. Paul points out that salvation has come to the Gentiles because of this stumble of the Jewish people not receiving Yeshua as Messiah, but also with a specific purpose in Adonai’s plan. Last week we read from Deut. 32:21

Deuteronomy 32:21 TLV

They made Me jealous with a non-god. They vexed Me with airy idols. So I will make them jealous with a non-people. With a foolish nation I will vex them.

We pointed out that Adonai was jealous. So we need to understand that there is a good jealousy and a bad jealousy.

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Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible Jealousy

JEALOUSY

Heb. qinʾâ; Gk. zḗlos, phthónos describe an intense emotional range for which English has no single word—both negative, “jealousy,” and positive, “zeal,” “anger,” and “devotion.” In the OT the term denotes a passion for justice in a particular situation and is associated more with the covenant God than with people. God is decribed as “jealous” when the prohibition of the worship of other gods is not observed (Exod. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 5:9; 6:15). Jealousy is like a fire (Ezek. 36:5; Zeph. 1:18) and typifies the warrior God in action (Isa. 42:13). It is protective of the people (Isa. 26:11) and the land (Joel 2:18) and even of God (Num. 25:11). Joshua’s dedication to Moses is described as jealous (Num. 11:29; cf. 1 Kgs. 19:10). The sons of Jacob were jealous of Joseph (Gen. 37:11), as were the Philistines of Isaac (26:14). Jealousy kept the Israelite kingdoms divided (Isa. 11:13). It can destroy the one who possesses it as well as its object (Job 5:2; Prov. 6:34; Cant. 8:6).

In the NT jealousy is rarely used of God. It applies to humans in the positive sense of zeal (2 Cor. 9:2; 11:2; Rom. 10:2), but also negatively, as envy (Matt. 27:18; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 3:3; 13:4; 2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20; Jas. 3:14; 1 Pet. 2:1). God can be provoked to jealousy (1 Cor. 10:22). Jewish religious leaders were jealous of the success of the early Christian preaching (Acts 5:17; 17:5). But Paul mentions a pious jealousy among the Romans (Rom. 10:2; 11:11, 14). A Christian should have zeal for the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1), for what is right (1 Pet. 3:13), and for good deeds (Tit. 2:14). While God has made to dwell in us a spirit tending toward jealousy, he also bestows a greater grace to the humble and resists the proud (Jas. 4:5–6).

Let me try to simplify this:

Jealousy/Zeal is when we become angry or stired up because something that is ours has been taken.

Whereas Envy/Coveteousness is when we become angry because we want to take what is someone elses.

This applies to both physical and intangible things. For example:

If some other man attempted to win the affections of my wife, I would become jealous, angry that something that is mine is being taken by another. We see the same in Scripture when Adonai is jealous for the affections of his people, and does not want to share that first-place in their lives with any other god (Think of the 1st & 2nd commandments).

But if I attempted to take the wife of another man, I would be envious of that man. Another word for this would be coveoutous, which would be breaking the 10th commandment.

So what does this mean in the context of Romans 11:11? “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their false step salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke Israel to jealousy.”

Salvation, a new/soft heart, and the infilling of the Ruach HaKodesh were all promised to the Jewish people throughout their prophets. This New Covenant with Adonai, that we all experience, is, by birth-right, the property of the Jewish people.

So when Gentiles experience salvation because of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, receive a new heart as part of the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah to the House of Israel and House of Judah, and are filled with the Ruach l’Adonai which was promised in Joel to the Jewish people, then the Jewish people are right to feel jealous for that which is rightfully theirs.

Think about it this way:

Today billions of Gentiles around the world are following the Jewish Messiah, are filled with the Ruach l’Adonai promised to the Jewish people, and are adopted into the family of Adonai, are singing worship songs created by the Jewish king David and are experiencing the same relationship that Moses had with Adonai because of what the Jewish Messiah has done in their lives! Can you see some reasons why the Jewish people might be jealous?

How much more their fullness

Paul then makes an exclaimation. If Adonai has used the miss-step of the Jewish people who have not believed in Yeshua to make a way for Gentiles to be Saved, then what happens when Jewish people do believe in their Messiah? It is not as though God has a limited amount of grace, not that only a limited number of people can be accepted by Him. On the contrary, as Paul will write later on in his life, 1 Tim. 2:4

1 Timothy 2:4 TLV

He desires all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth.

God desires that all people everywhere would be saved. Adonai’s grace is sufficient for all people at all time, unfortunately God is not going to get what He wants, because He created us with a free-will, the ability to choose him. This means we can also choose our own way.

But back to the passage, it is the most natural thing in the world for a Jewish person to choose to follow Yeshua! And when this happens, we find that very quickly that person is able to understand the Scriptures from a cultural and historical background that is already ingrounded in them.

Paul’s reason for this argument

Paul now specifically addresses the Gentile believers in the Congregation at Rome. Paul wants to explain that the reason for these previous 5 questions is to bring Jewish people who have not yet chosen to follow Yeshua to salvation, to a place of reconsiliation with Adonai through Yeshua.

Paul points out that for the moment, as David Stern writes:

The Jewish New Testament Commentary Romans, Chapter 11

Israel’s eclipse is not permanent, she is only temporarily placed in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles. Although in itself this may seem bad, in the context of God’s long-range plan it is good; as will be shown, it is part of how God brings salvation to the Jewish people.

Israel’s forthcoming full commitment to Yeshua the Messiah, which is what Israel in its fullness implies, will bring even greater riches, even greater good, to humanity than their temporary abasement has brought.

In fact, when the nation of Israel as a whole, accepts Yeshua as Messiah (as we will soon read in Zech. 12 and Matt. 23), then this will be the time when the dead will be raised from the dead! Resurrection Life!

The olive tree

In vs. 16, Paul now jumps between analogies. He goes from the running a race, to the Challah first fruit offering that comes from a batch of dough and then settles on the picture of an ancient olive tree.

Paul is pointing to the same idea through all of these pictures. If the begining of something is holy, set apart to God and accepted by Him, then what comes after, or grows from that foundation is more likely than not to be holy.

Who is the root?

Many people have asked the question, “Who is the root?” David Stern points out that:

The Jewish New Testament Commentary Romans, Chapter 11

Three distinct possibilities are:

(1) The believing remnant of Israel that is truly Israel (9:6–7), that is, the Messianic Jews (11:1–15),

(2) Avraham (4:12) or all the Patriarchs (11:28),

(3) Yeshua the Messiah (8:29, 1C 15:20), who alone makes Israel holy.

Althought all of these are good options, I think that because of the discussion of Abraham in the previous chapters, and because Paul speaks of the firstfruits (something that comes before), the most likely option is Abraham and the Patriarchs. And while I understand why people might want to pick option 3, I think that when some of the Church Fathers did it, it was, as Stern writes, because of their “tendancy to want to deprive the Jews of their place as God’s people, the root and the firstfruits of faith.”

Who are the branches?

Well, the last few chapters Paul has been pointing to the reasons why Adonai’s promises to Israel have not been fully completed. The first thing that he points out with regards to the Olive Tree, is that some of the natural branches are currently seperated from Adonai because of their unbelief.

Since Paul is now directly speaking to the Gentile believers in Rome, the natural branches who should be a part of this ancient olive tree are the Jewish people, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.

Paul then says “you” to his current audience and labels the Gentile believers as wild olive branches. This makes sense especially since Paul has just called the Gentile believers, “a nation without understanding.” I guess “wild” and “foolish” still go hand-in-hand today.

And here is the glorious thing, Gentiles, who were “not God’s people” and “a foolish nation” and “a wild olive” branch have now become a partaker of the root. Gentiles now get to partake in the richness of God’s mercy that has been demonstrated to Abraham! This is a great mystery and an enormous gift of God’s grace.

The warning

One of the biggest problems that we face in life is pride. Paul is warning all Gentile believers that they must not be arrogant or boast against the Jewish people. There is no room for pride when it comes to God’s Kingdom. It is one thing in people that Adonai actively resists as it says in James 4:6

James 4:6 TLV

But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

It is true that the grafting in of Gentiles to the New Covenant is an amazingly gracious gift from God, and that Adonai has chosen to use the Gentile believers as a part of His plan to bring redemption to the world and specifically back to Israel. However, this should not make you feel good about yourselves, but rather should cause a shiver to run through your spine when you realise that God cuts people off because of their unbelief.

If you ever believed in the false notion of “once saved, always saved”, verses 21 through 23 absolutely and completely contradict that idea. These verses also reject the idea that a person is saved because of the actions of their parents or ancestors. God said through the prophet Ezekiel 18:1-3

Ezekiel 18:1–3 TLV

The word of Adonai came to me saying: “What do you mean by using this proverb in the land of Israel saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, so the children’s teeth are set on edge?’ As I live”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“you will never again use this proverb in Israel.

And here in Romans 11, Paul is pointing out that the root, the ancestors are holy, but that does not guarantee that all of the children/branches will remain grafted into that root-stock.

Now, as I mentioned before, there is a difference between stumbling and falling. So also we see that God’s kindness remains toward us as long as we remain in that place of humble, repentant faith and trust. But I know of people, who at one time trusted in Adonai, but now absolutely hate Him, and actively work to diswaid others from following Him. Do you think that these people will experience the kindness of God or the severity of God?

The hope

Paul is now coming to the conclusion of this discussion about the future and the hope of Israel, and once again he begins this with a question: Rom. 11:24

Romans 11:24 TLV

For if you were cut out of that which by nature is a wild olive tree, and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

We don’t have time today to go into this in detail, so we will save it for next time, but what is simple answer to this question?

Conclusion & Application

Let’s see if we can answer these questions:

Has Israel stumbled such that they have permanently fallen?

What is one purpose of God for Gentile believers? (Provoke the Jewish people to jealousy by living a New Covenant life filled with the Ruach HaKodesh).

Why is Paul brining these arguments? (He wants as many Jewish people as possible to follow and believe Yeshua their Messiah.)

Who does Pastor Robert believe that the Root represents? And why?

Who are the natural branches?

Who are the wild branches?

Can people previously part of the Olive Tree be cut off? How?

Is this accidental or deliberate?

What is Paul’s warning?

What is the hope?

How do we apply this passage to our lives today?

Firstly, there is no room for pride, arrogance or or any self-promotion in our lives. We are called in Micah 6:8

Micah 6:8 TLV

He has told you, humanity, what is good, and what Adonai is seeking from you: Only to practice justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

If we do this, we will be heeding Paul’s warning.

Secondly, our heart should break for the Jewish people in the same way that Paul’s did. And we should take every opportunity to share the love of Adonai with the Jewish people. This comes by living a life filled with the Ruach of Adonai and declaring that Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, has given us salvation, a salvation that was promised to the children of Israel!