Has God’s Word Failed

Introduction

As we saw last week, Paul’s desire is to see the people of Israel saved, but with so few coming to Jesus, it seems like God must have changed plans or something. And if you trace back through the past 2000 years of Israel’s history, it might seem like God has forgotten His people Israel. In fact, Israel ceased to be a people in the land around 132 AD during the Bar Kokhba revolt led by Simon bar Kokhba. The revolt failed and Emperor Hadrian crushed them. The Jews were scattered and barred from entrance into Jerusalem. Emperor Hadrian renamed the land to Palestine to erase the Jewish identity of the land. Much of Covenant Theology evolved in Christianity after this point because a literal Jewish people in the land seemed an impossibility.

These questions about the place in Israel are not mere theological ramblings. At stake in this debate is the character of God. How can I truly believe God is going to keep his promises to me when he didn’t keep them to Israel. It’s kinda like a BBB rating or a customer rating on Amazon. If I buy a product, I want to know how high the seller is rated. Clearly, there are going to be some customers who cannot be pleased with anything. You might have put every detail in the description, but they didn’t read it so they complain and it impacts your seller rating. But if I want to but something, that rating is going to be important. If the seller, is really lowly rated by other customers, how can I trust that he is going to do good business with me?

It is the same with God. God promised in Jeremiah 32:42 “For thus saith the Lord; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.” that He would do what He promised. In Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” it declares that God’s word always does what it was intended to do. But if God has some how changed plans on Israel, can I really trust Him?

Paul begins our section with a statement that he will then go on to prove. It is not as though the word of God has taken none effect- The word of God here refers back to the promises and covenants given to Abraham in vs 4. The words taken none effect means to suffer defeat, to drift off course, to fall. but probably the easiest word you could put in its place is failed. Has God’s word failed to do what it is supposed to do? Has God’s plan drifted off course so that now we won’t get where we intended to be? Even has it been defeated because of the unbelief of Israel? Is God powerless to accomplish his plans in light of Jewish unbelief; so now he has to change course? Paul affirms that this is not the case. Has God’s promise failed to Israel?

This morning we are going to begin by looking at two reasons, we know that God’s promises have not failed. Two reasons why we can still trust that God will fulfill his plan to Israel. We will divide the text up into the two points that Paul is making here in vs 6-9 and in vs 10-13. (Read the text)

Not all Jews inherit the promise

Romans 9:6–9 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.”

The first reason we can know that God has not failed to keep his promise is that the promise was never intended just for any and all people of Jewish descent. Paul makes the claim that they are not all Israel which are of Israel. Just because they were born a Jew doesn’t make them the spiritual benefactor of the promises made to Abraham. They had mistaken their national heritage with their spiritual standing before God. How many in our day and age make the same mistake? They assume because they were raised in a Christian home that they are good with God? Maybe their parents were good Christians, or their grandpa was a preacher; but they themselves have never placed their faith in Jesus to save them from their sins. They make the same mistake that the Jews did. They assumed their family ties took care of it for them. But Paul argues that just because you have Jewish blood that doesn’t make you part of the people of God.

vs 7 Paul first proof of this is the fact that not all of Abraham’s children inherited the promises. In Isaac shall thy seed be called. This is a quotation from

Genesis 21:12 “And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”

Abraham had more than one child. Prior to Isaac, Abraham and Sara had gotten impatient and Sarah had given her handmaid Hagar to Abraham as a wife. She had a son named Ishmael. It is after this once Isaac was born that God reminds Abraham that the promise would be through Isaac and not Ishmael and his descendants. Later Abraham would have more children by Keturah, but these as well were not the children of the promise. Show family tree.

Vs 8 So not every fleshly child of Abraham would inherit the promises though I believe God blessed them all. The relationship to God was different. The children of the promise= those through whom the promise would be fulfilled.

What is the promise?

Vs 9 answers that question. The promise that is being spoken of here is the promise that Abraham would have a son who would inherit the promises of the Abrahamic covenant.

Genesis 18:10 “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.”

Summary: The promise of a people was fulfilled through Isaac and his descendants and not through Ishmael and his descendants. So bloodline back to Abraham didn’t guarantee this status.

The election of a people is not earned

Romans 9:10–13 “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

vs 10 God narrows down his plan even further. In the previous example, there were two separate mothers, but in this example one father and one mother had two children. You might say OK that makes sense what you said about Isaac and Ishmael because Ishmael was born of a woman who wasn’t Abraham’s true wife. But what about those who came from the same family line.

vs 11- Verse 11 is a parenthesis explaining the purpose of God in doing things this way. This decision was made not on the basis of merit. God’s purpose= the word in vs 6 His plan for the people of God. Election here refers to be chosen as a people to inherit the promises of God. Might stand- this is the word for continue. God’s plan was going to continue not on the basis of human merit. It was not of works but God’s unconditional will that caused him to make this choice. No one becomes part of the people of God because they deserved it. No one is part of this election because they were a good guy. God made a decision: before they were born. This decision was all of God. Neither having done any good or evil- it wasn’t on the basis of anything Jacob or Esau would ever do. Though the bible is harsh with Esau for his sin and hard heart, Jacob had his problems too.

Two quotations proving this:

vs 12 I mentioned two weeks ago that this election is not primarily about individual salvation but God choosing a people to inherit the promises. This is seem clearly in the passage Paul quotes Genesis 25:23 “And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.” Notice that when God is making these promises to Rebecca, he says that two nations are in her womb. This is about a people.

vs 13 The second quote reinforces the same truth Malachi 1:2–3 “I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: Yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, And laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.” This statement was made many years after the death of Jacob and Esau and it was applied to the nation of Israel vs the nation of Edom. God unconditionally elected or chose that he was going to carry on the promises through the descendants of Isaac first and then through the descendants of Jacob. So his corporate election is unconditional.

Love and hate have thrown some people for a loop so let’s talk about this- Does this mean God hated Esau?Let’s look at three passages that use this same langauge:

Genesis 29:31 “And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.” If you remember the story of Jacob, you will remember that he worked 7 years to marry Rachel, but her daddy swapped out Leah on the wedding night forcing Jacob to marry Leah. Jacob worked another 7 years for Rachel to be his wife. He had loved her. In this text, it says the Lead has hated. Does this mean Jacob detested her? I don’t believe it does, but the fact that Jacob was in love with Rachel caused him to choose her over Leah.

Luke 14:26 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Jesus made a pretty harsh statement here. Did he really want us to hate our family and even our own lives? This phrase is used comparatively meaning in comparison to Jesus our love for our family and ourselves is like hate. But ultimately it also carries the idea of choice. Who do we choose when the choice is between family or Jesus? The choice has to be Jesus.

Proverbs 1:29 “For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the Lord:” This usage of the words hate and love as parallel with choice is made clear in Prov 1:29. Here the person who hates knowledge is the person who does not choose the fear of the Lord.

Hate = Not Choosing

Love= Choosing

Conclusion

Why is any of this important to us today? Because as I said God’s character is at stake. Can I trust god to keep his promises? From this passage, we can draw out three lessons about God and his promises.

Even though I may not understand it, God will keep his promises. Sometimes things don’t look like God is going to come through. I think more often than not, we get angry at God because we don’t understand what he truly promised. These Jews misunderstood God’s plan and promises made to Abraham. They didn’t understand how God could expand that plan to include Gentiles or that some Jews would not benefit from it because they didn’t understand that it was always by faith that people received the benefit of this corporate election. You might not understand what God is doing and if you could have your debate with God like job, he would have answers. God will be faithful to his promises.

You cannot earn God’s unconditional promises. There are some promises that belong to us because we are in Christ; they are not conditioned by anything. Sometimes we slip into thinking if I was just a better Christian God might bless me more. He might keep those promises. It was never about your performance. Christ earned them for you. Our job is to claim them.

God’s plans are not arbitrary. God has a purpose in narrowing down the corporate election the way he did. Jesus Christ would be born from that specific line. Really God’s plan isn’t about narrowing down because God expanded it to all believers Jew and Gentile and some day all Jews will be saved. But though it might be unconditional it is not made at the whim of God without purpose. This reminds us of Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

So can I trust God even when it doesn’t make sense? Yes. Can I trust God when I find myself having walked away from Him? Yes He still will. Can I trust God when I don’t know where all this is going? Yes God’s plans are not arbitrary. He is still going to be faithful to his promises just as he has been and will be to the nation of Israel. God’s word will not fail, but it will accomplish what God sent it to do.