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ROMANS 11
This chapter discusses Israel’s future and answers the question, “Has God permanently cast aside His people, or is there a future for Israel?” Paul says the answer is “Yes!”, and presents several proofs.
I.
The Personal Proof (11:1)
“I am an Israelite!”
states Paul, “and my salvation is proof that God is not through with Israel.”
In 1 Tim.
1:16 Paul states that his conversion (told three times in Acts) was to be a pattern for other Jewish believers.
Certainly it is not a pattern for the conversion of a Gentile today, for no lost sinner sees the glorified Christ, hears Him speak, and is blinded for three days!
But Paul’s experience is a picture of the way Israel’s people will be converted at the coming of Christ in glory.
Like Paul, they will be in rebellion and unbelief.
They will see Him whom they pierced (Zech.
12:10 and Rev. 1:7) and will repent and be saved.
In 1 Cor.
15:8, Paul says he was “born out of due time”; that is, as a Jew, he saw Christ and was saved long before his people would have that same experience.
II.
The Historical Proof (11:2–10)
Paul reached back into 1 Kings to show that God has always had a faithful remnant even in the times of greatest unbelief.
In fact, as we read OT history, we cannot help but be impressed with the fact that it was always the remnant that God used and blessed.
See Isa.
1:9, for example.
It is a basic teaching of the Word that the majority falls from the faith and cannot be reformed, so God must take the remnant and begin over again.
Verse 5 states that God has a remnant according to grace, that is, in the body, which is the church.
Though not many, there are Jews in the body, although, of course, all national distinctions are removed in Christ.
But if God is saving Jews during this age of the church when Israel is blind, how much more will He do in that coming age when Israel moves back on the scene again?
God has never forsaken His people; this is the testimony of history.
We need to remind ourselves that during this church age, God is not dealing with the nation of Israel as such.
According to Eph. 2:14–17 and Gal.
3:28, we are all one in Christ.
No Jewish group can claim to be God’s elect remnant.
In vv.
8–10, Paul shows that this “blinding” of Israel as a nation was prophesied in Isa.
29:10 and Deut.
29:4.
(Compare Matt.
13:14–15 and Isa.
6:9–10.)
In vv.
9–10 he refers to Ps. 69:22, where God promises to turn Israel’s blessings into curses because it had refused His Word.
III.
The Dispensational Proof (11:11–24)
Paul in these verses is discussing Jews and Gentiles, not individual sinners or saints.
In this section he proves that God has a dispensational purpose behind the fall of Israel; namely, the salvation of the Gentiles.
Through Israel’s fall, God was able to commit all people to disobedience and thus have mercy upon all!
Gentiles do not have to become Jews before they can become Christians.
Paul argues that if the fall of the Jews has brought such blessing to the world, then how much greater will the blessing be when Israel is again restored!
The restoration of Israel will bring resurrection to the world (v.
15).
In other words, Paul was certain that there was a future for Israel as a nation.
The teaching that the church today is God’s Israel, and that the OT kingdom promises are now fulfilled in the church in a “spiritual way” is not scriptural.
Paul looked forward to the day when Israel would be received into fullness of blessing as a nation.
The parable of the olive tree must be examined carefully.
Paul is not talking about salvation of individual Christians, but the position of Jews and Gentiles as peoples in the program of God.
Israel is the olive tree that failed to bear fruit for God.
God then broke off some of the branches and grafted into the tree the Gentiles, “a wild olive tree.”
This was done “contrary to nature” (v.
24), for it is the practice to graft the good branch into the poorer stock; but God grafted the weak Gentiles into the good stock of Israel’s religious privileges!
This act shows the goodness and the severity of God: His goodness in saving the Gentiles, His severity in cutting off rebellious Israel.
But the Gentiles dare not boast because they now have Israel’s place of spiritual privilege, for God can cut them off too!
And He will do just that at the end of this age, when the Gentile nations join together in a world coalition that refuses the Word of God and the Son of God.
Then He will call out the true church, judge the Gentile nations, purge Israel, and set up His promised kingdom for Israel.
Again, remember that the theme of chapter 11 is national and not personal.
God will never “break off” true believers from their salvation, for there is no separation between Christ and His people (Rom.
8:35–39).
The church today is primarily made up of Gentiles, and we Gentiles benefit from the spiritual heritage of Israel (the rich sap of the olive tree).
In a spiritual sense, we are children of Abraham, who is the “father” of all who believe (Gal.
3:26–29).
IV.
The Scriptural Proof (11:25–36)
Paul has used the OT often in these three chapters, but in this section, he turns to Isa. 59:20–21, Isa.
27:9, and Ps.
14:7 to show that the OT promised a coming Deliverer who would cleanse and restore Israel.
He states the “mystery” of Israel’s blindness, a mystery being a truth hidden in past ages but now revealed in its fullness in the NT.
“The fullness of the Gentiles” (v.
25) refers to the number of Gentiles that will be saved during this church age.
When the body of Christ is completed, He will catch it away in the air; then will begin the seven-year Tribulation here on earth, “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer.
30:7).
At the end of that period, the Deliverer will come, and the believing remnant will enter into its kingdom.
“All Israel” does not mean every last Jew; rather, it means that the nation of Israel at that day will all be saved; it will be a redeemed, regenerated nation.
God’s promised covenant is quoted (Jer.
31:31–34) in v. 27.
This “new covenant” will apply to Israel when it trusts Christ as its Redeemer and turns from its sins.
Though the Jews may seem like enemies of God’s will today, they are still beloved in God’s sight because of the covenants He made with their fathers.
Men may change, but God cannot change or revoke His promises (v.
29).
In the final paragraph (vv.
30–32), Paul explains that the Gentiles at one time rejected God (Rom.
1:18ff), yet now were being saved by faith; so today the Jews are in unbelief, but shall one day receive mercy.
God had committed both Jews and Gentiles to unbelief and sin, that He might be able to save both through grace (v.
32).
After reviewing God’s gracious and wise plan for both Jews and Gentiles, is it any wonder Paul broke out in a hymn of praise to the Lord (vv.
33–36)!
part 2
THE PROPER WONDER OF THE BELIEVING HEART (vv.
33–35)
The expression of Paul’s wonder begins with the two exclamations in verse 33.
First we read, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” “Knowledge” is the gathering of information; “wisdom” is knowing what to do with it.
The old commentator Albert Bengel put it this way: “Wisdom directs all things to the best end; knowledge knows the end.…
” Paul marvels at how deep and rich God’s wisdom is, especially in reference to his dealings with Israel.
God had not failed Israel as a nation, even though Israel was then (and is now) rejected by him, for God had always worked through the principle of election (for example, Jacob and Esau).
He is the potter, and fallen humanity is the clay.
Israel, however—i.e., the individuals who make up Israel—is responsible to accept the simple gospel by which God lovingly stretches out his hands to sinners.
But they were hardened, so the gospel went out to the Gentiles.
However, one day the blessing is going to return to Israel and there will be a great national repentance (cf.
vv.
25–27).
Paul experienced a sense of wonder at a God who can so work in history.
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
One exclamation was not enough for the apostle, so he used another as well: “How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (v.
33).
How beyond us God is!
The word “unfathomable” (NASB; NIV “beyond tracing out”) literally means “untraceable.”
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