Romans 9.32b-Israel Stumbled By Means Of The Stone Which Causes Stumbling-Jesus Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 28, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:32b-Israel Stumbled By Means Of The Stone Which Causes Stumbling-Jesus Christ
Lesson # 326
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:30.
In Romans 9:30, Paul presents a paradoxical conclusion based upon what he taught in Romans 9:6-29 that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness like the Jews, obtained it by faith.
Then, in Romans 9:31, he teaches that in contrast to the Gentiles even though the nation of Israel zealously pursued righteousness that is based upon obedience to the Mosaic Law, they never measured up to the Law.
Sunday morning we noted Romans 9:32a, in which Paul teaches that the reason why Israel never measured up to the Law was that they never zealously pursued it on the basis of faith as the source of justification but rather on the basis of a meritorious system of works.
This evening we will note Romans 9:32b, in which the apostle Paul teaches that Israel stumbled over the stumbling stone, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s read Romans 9:30-33 and then concentrate on verse 32b for the rest of the evening.
Romans 9:30-33, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’”
Let’s now concentrate on verse 32b.
Notice that there is no connective between the sentence “they stumbled over the stumbling stone” and the previous one “because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.”
The reason for this is because Paul is employing the figure of “asyndeton.”
“Asyndeton” is employed here by Paul in Romans 9:32b where he does not use a conjunction to connect the statement “they stumbled over the stumbling stone” with the previous statement in Romans 9:32a.
He uses this figure in order to emphasize with his readers that he intended his words to be read with solemn emphasis since this statement reveals the heart of the matter.
With this statement “they stumbled over the stumbling stone” Paul reveals with solemn emphasis that justification by faith alone in Christ alone was an offense to the majority of the citizens of the nation of Israel.
The reason is that justification by faith in Christ was totally antithetical to their own popular religious philosophy of meritorious system of works to be justified and became the obstacle that brought about their fall as a nation.
Romans 9:32b, “They stumbled over the stumbling stone.”
The apostle Paul employs the “stone” imagery from Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16 as indicated by the quotation in Romans 9:33.
Isaiah 8:14-15, “Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many will stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught.”
Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.’”
Romans 9:33, “Just as it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’”
Romans 9:32b, “They stumbled over the stumbling stone.”
“They stumbled over” is the third person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb proskopto (proskovptw) (pros-kop-to), which is a compound word composed of the preposition pros, “toward, against” and the verb kopto, “to strike, beat,” thus the word literally means “to strike against.”
In Romans 9:32, the verb proskopto is used in an intransitive sense meaning “stumbling” and is used in a metaphorical sense of the “spiritual stumbling” of the nation of Israel.
They “stumbled” in a spiritual sense because they never zealously pursued the Law by means of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior but rather by means of a meritorious system of works.
The apostle Peter employs this verb in the same manner with reference to nation of Israel’s rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah in 1 Peter 2:8.
1 Peter 2:4-8, “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,’ and, ‘A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE’; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.”
Israel’s zealous pursuit of the Law by means of a meritorious system of works rather than through faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah prevented them from seeing their need for Him as a Savior.
Paul teaches in Romans 10:3 that Israel sought to establish their own righteousness rather than subjecting themselves to the righteousness of God in the impeccable Person of Jesus Christ.
By doing this, they never could see their need for Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior.
Romans 10:1-3, “Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”
Israel’s zealous pursuit of the Law to produce their own righteousness through a meritorious system of works was the result of misunderstanding the purpose of the Law.
Paul teaches in Galatians 3:19-24 that the Law was designed to be a temporary guardian until the coming of Christ, the Suffering Messiah Savior.
However, Israel approached the Law as a system of merit, shifting from a faith basis to a works basis (Exodus 19:8; Romans 10:3).
So ultimately, the purpose of the Law was to lead people to Christ (Gal. 3:24).
Jesus Christ came to free Israel from the condemnation of the Law but Israel rejected Him because they erroneously believed that they could establish their own righteousness, which would be accepted by God for justification.
However, they could not produce the perfect righteousness required by a holy God.
Only, Jesus Christ who is impeccable was perfect in His obedience to the Law.
But the Jews stumbled over Him because of their self-righteous arrogance, which manifested itself by pursuing the Law so as to produce their own relative righteousness.
Thus, they failed to see their need for a Savior in a spiritual sense.
The majority in Israel like Judas Iscariot only viewed Jesus of Nazareth as a “political” Messiah and when He failed to live up to their expectations, they rejected Him and by doing so, they rejected the only means of salvation!
Romans 9:32b, “They stumbled over the stumbling stone.”
“The stumbling stone” is composed of the articular dative masculine singular form of the noun lithos (livqo$) (lee-thos), “the stone” and the articular genitive neuter singular form of the noun proskomma (provskomma) (pros-kom-mah), “stumbling.”
In Romans 9:32, the noun lithos is used of the Lord Jesus Christ in relation to His rejection by the nation of Israel during His First Advent.
The word is also used in this manner in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17 and Acts 4:11.
The apostle Peter employs lithos in the same manner with reference to nation of Israel’s rejection of Jesus of Nazareth in 1 Peter 2:8.
The word functions as a “dative instrumental of means” indicating that Jesus Christ is the “means by which” the nation of Israel stumbled.
In Romans 9:32, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is not in view here but rather He is the presented as the Father’s instrument in causing the nation of Israel to stumble because they were on a works program.
The noun proskomma indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ is said to cause the nation of Israel to stumble in a spiritual sense.
The noun functions as a “genitive of product” indicating that the Lord Jesus “produced” or “caused” the nation of Israel to stumble in a spiritual sense.