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Romans
11: God Has Not Rejected His People!
Rabbi
Paul systematically outlines the major doctrines
of the Messianic Faith in his letter to the Messianic
Community at Rome. Paul wrote Romans before he
visited the congregation there. As a result he
does not address any problems in the congregation,
as he does in many of his other letters.
Paul devotes
3 of the 16 chapters (9-11) to the continuing
place that the Jewish people have in the plans
of God. Obviously his was a very important subject
that the Apostle to the Gentiles wanted those
in the capital of the Roman Empire to understand.
Unfortunately, the Church has neglected this teaching
since the first century. It is essential for
all followers of Messiah to understand Israel's
ongoing role in God's plans. God has called Messianic
Gentiles to a special relationship with His original
Chosen People. If the Church is to fulfill
her calling she must sucessfully deal with the
Jewish people.
I say
then, God has not rejected His people, has He?
May it never be! For I too an Israelite, a descendant
of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Romans
11:1
In Romans
11 Paul raises the question, "Has God rejected
His people?" He answers his own question by
stating, May it never be! God has clearly
not rejected Israel. If this was Paul's only response,
it would have been sufficient and should settle
once and for whether God has rejected His people.
However, throughout the rest of Chapter 11 Paul
will give additional arguments why God is not
finished with the Jewish people.
The fact
that Paul raises this question using the phrase,
"His people," tells us that a special
relationship between God and the nation of Israel
continues to exist. Paul doesn't say that Israel
is "His ex-people," but "His people."
The covenants that Paul previously referred to
as belonging to Israel (Romans 9:4) are still
in effect; the Jews are still an unique nation
with a special relationship with God. The nation
of Israel still has an ongoing covenant relationship
with God that causes her to be "His people."
I too
am an Israelite. Paul points out that he himself
is still part of the people of Israel. Paul's
Jewish identity didn't change when he met the
King of the Jews. Although he was the Apostle
to the Gentiles, Paul never denied his Jewishness.
Paul describes himself as an Israelite, a descendant
of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul
shows that being Jewish and believing in Yeshua
are in no way incompatible or mutually exclusive.
In spite of Paul's example, the Church has often
demanded that Jewish people who believe in the
Messiah renounce their heritage.
Paul is
a great example that God has not rejected Israel.
Once the greatest persecutor of the early Messianic
movement, Paul became the greatest propagator
of the faith that he once opposed. If God had
rejected His people, a Jew like Paul, who at first
opposed Yeshua would never have become His Apostle
to the Gentiles. Paul can be considered an example
in miniature of the destiny of the whole of Israel
who, like Paul, initially opposed the messianic
claims of Yeshua. Israel will have her own "Damascus
Road" experience encountering the risen Lord
Yeshua. Like Paul, the Jewish people will eventually
fulfill their destiny to be God's apostle and
light to the Gentile nations.
God
has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.
Romans 11:2
Paul reiterates
the statement that God has not rejected "His
people". Paul goes on to state that the Jewish
people were known beforehand by God. God, the
One who knows the end of all things from the beginning,
foretold through the prophets that the majority
of His Chosen People wouldn't receive the Messiah
when He first came among us.
Seven
hundred years before Yeshua came, God forewarned
Israel that Messiah would be "despised and rejected."
According to Isaiah 53, the Messiah would be "pierced
through for our transgressions" and "crushed for
our iniquities." "The Lord was pleased to crush
Him" because through His rejection and death,
salvation would come to Israel and the nations.
God foreknew all of this, yet He loved and chose
Israel anyway.
Or
do you not know what the Scripture says in the
passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against
Israel? Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, they
have torn down Thy altars, and I alone am left,
and they are seeking my life. But what is the
divine response to him? I have kept for Myself
seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee
to Baal. In the same way then, there has also
come to be at the present time a remnant according
to God's gracious choice. But if it is by grace,
it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise
grace is no longer grace. What then? That which
Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained, but
those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest
were hardened. Romans 11:2-7.
Paul shows
a precedent for God's continuing faithfulness
to Israel in spite of her lack of faith. He recounts
Elijah's lament to God that he was the only Jew
left still serving Him. The Lord corrected him
and informed him that among the millions of Israelis
in his day there was a remnant of seven thousand
who had not worshipped the false god Baal. In
these verses, Paul elaborates on the concept of
the "Remnant." The "Remnant"
refers to "those who remain." Throughout
Israel's history there have been few times when
the majority of God's Chosen People were in a
right relationship with Him. The majority of Israel
usually went astray, and only a faithful minority
or "Remnant" served Him.
In
the same way then, there has also come to be at
the present time a remnant according to God's
gracious choice. Paul shows that the "Remnant
Principle" operative in Elijah's day is still
in effect since a faithful remnant existed in
Paul's day. The faithful remnant of Israel in
the time of Paul consisted of men like the Apostles
and the 3000 Jews from all over the world who
believed in Yeshua on the day of Shavuot (Pentecost).
They quickly grew to 5000, and then to tens of
thousands (Acts 21:20). Not only were Yeshua's
first Jewish disciples the leaders of the Messianic
movement, but they were also considered part of
the faithful remnant within Israel.
That
which Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained,
but those who were chosen obtained it, and the
rest were hardened.
Paul reiterates
the idea that among the Chosen People, of whom
a majority are hardened toward God, a faithful
remnant exists. The covenants God made with Israel
as a chosen nation, do not insure salvation and
eternal life for each individual within the nation.
Only those chosen individuals who welcomed God's
way of salvation have obtained it throughout Israel's
history. Since the coming of Yeshua it is Messianic
Jews who have obtained salvation within the Chosen
People.
Just
as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to
this very day. And David says, let their table
become a snare and a trap, and a stumbling block
and a retribution to them. Let their eyes be darkened
to see not, and bend their backs forever.
Romans 11:8-10
In these
verses Paul relates three additional instances
in Scripture that demonstrate the "Remnant
Principle." Verse 8 refers to passages written
by both Moses in Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah in
Isaiah 29:10. Verses 9 and 10 refer to a passage
in Psalm 69:22-23 written by King David.
Paul's
quotation from Deuteronomy records Moses' lament
over Israel's spiritual blindness and deafness
in spite of the great signs and wonders she witnessed.
After wandering for 40 years in the wilderness,
most Israelis couldn't see or hear God. Moses
was opposed by the majority of Israel and was
faced with a subversive element who wanted to
kill him and return to Egypt. In spite of the
faithlessness of all but two of the 600,000 men
who left Egypt, God did not reject His People
during the days of Moses. Nor has God rejected
His People because the majority of Israel in the
days of Yeshua saw Him do great signs and wonders
and went astray.
When God
first called Isaiah into His service, he warned
him that Israel was spiritually asleep and would
not listen to him. "Go and tell this people:
Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on
looking, but do not understand... Then I said,
Lord, how long? And He answered, until cities
are devastated and without inhabitant" Isaiah
6:9-11. In the time of Isaiah, the majority of
Israel was asleep and could neither see nor hear
God. But God did not reject His people in the
days of Isaiah.
The passage
Paul quotes from Psalm 69 is a prayer in which
David asks God to punish his enemies. The enemies
David refers to were among his own people. David
experienced opposition from many within Israel,
even though he was a "messiah" or "anointed one."
God did not reject His People because the majority
of Israel rebelled against David and would not
accept him nor has God rejected His People because
the majority went astray by not recognizing God's
ultimate "Anointed One," the Messiah Yeshua.
God raised
up Elijah, Moses, Isaiah and David to lead Israel.
All were rejected by the majority of Israel in
their generations. Throughout Jewish history the
majority of Israel has gone astray but God has
never rejected His People for our rebelliousness.
Instead, the Lord has consistently demonstrated
unilateral faithfulness to Israel. Paul demonstrates
that Yeshua, the greatest leader ever raised up
for Israel, was rejected by the majority of His
generation just as Elijah, Moses, Isaiah and David
were rejected by theirs. He concludes, therefore,
that God has not rejected His People even though
we were unfaithful to Messiah Yeshua.
I say
then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did
they? May it never be! But by their transgression
salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them
jealous. Romans 11:11
Israel's
rejection of Messiah did not result in a permanent
fall from grace. To the notion that Israel stumbled
never to recover Paul emphatically declares, "May
it never be!" Israel's stumble is a temporary
fall from which we will rise and recover.
By
their transgression salvation has come to the
Gentiles. Israel plays a special role in the
plan of God. God has used Israel's rejection of
the Messiah to usher in salvation for the Gentiles.
The non-Jewish nations have been forgiven, reconciled
to God, endowed with His Spirit and given eternal
life because of Israel's stumble over Messiah.
As a result of the majority's rejection of Messiah,
the doors of God's Kingdom are forever opened
to those outside of Israel.
Salvation
has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
Because of the way that God has used Israel to
bring salvation to the nations, the Gentiles owe
a tremendous debt to Israel in return. Paul admonishes
all Gentile Christians to guard against reacting
with contempt toward fallen Israel. Instead, all
Messianic Gentiles have a special obligation to
help the Jewish people come into a relationship
with Yeshua. Rather than blaming and persecuting
the Jews for the death of Yeshua, true Christians
should reach out to the Jewish people with love
and help them find their Messiah. The Gentiles
are called to make Israel jealous by demonstrating
the love and reconciliation they have with Israel's
God. Israel should be challenged to re-evaluate
her rejection of Messiah Yeshua after witnessing
the fruits of love and forgiveness in the lives
of Messianic Gentiles.
Unfortunately
for most of the past 1900 years the Church has
failed to do this. Instead of attracting Jews
to Yeshua, centuries of anti-semitism in
the church has often been a stumbling block that
has kept Jews from Yeshua. Persecution
in the name of Yeshua by those who call themselves
Christians has made it extremely difficult for
most Jewish people to hear the Rabbi from Nazareth
calling His Jewish people back to Himself.
Now
if their transgression be riches for the world
and their failure be riches for the Gentiles,
how much more will their fulfillment be! But I
am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch
then as I am an apostles of Gentiles, I magnify
my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy
my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For
if their rejection be the reconciliation of the
world, what will their acceptance be but life
from the dead? Romans 11:12-15
In this
section Paul describes a time of fulfillment
that awaits Israel to replace transgression
and failure. The rejection Paul is referring
to in this passage is Israel's rejection of Messiah,
not God's rejection of Israel. Instead
of rejection, there will be acceptance.
There will come a time when the entire nation
of Israel, not just the faithful remnant, will
accept Messiah and reach fulfillment.
God used
Israel's failure to receive Yeshua as God's Messiah
to reconcile the entire world to Himself and bring
untold spiritual riches to the Gentiles. If Israel's
opposition to God's plan resulted in reconciliation
and untold spiritual riches for the Gentiles,
Israel's acceptance of Yeshua will result in greater
good for the whole world. When Israel says to
Yeshua, "Blessed is He who comes in the name
of the Lord," it will mean nothing less than
life from the dead. This age of suffering
will end and the resurrection and Yeshua's blessed
reign will begin. The final redemption of humanity
revolves around Israel's relationship to and acceptance
of Yeshua. Therefore, Israel's fulfillment
means the eternal blessing of the entire world.
Specifically
addressing non-Jewish Christians (But I am
speaking to you who are Gentiles), the Apostle
to the Gentiles explains that the Gentile's
highest well being hinges on Israel's relationship
to Yeshua. For their own well being (if for no
other reason) Gentile Christians should strive
to help the Jewish people find Yeshua. Consequently,
the Gentiles' highest evangelistic priority should
be to make Israel jealous. Paul, God's Apostle
to the Gentiles, magnifies or makes
much of his ministry to the Gentiles so that Jewish
people might be drawn to faith in Yeshua. Paul
reasons that since salvation has come to the Gentiles
to make Israel jealous, the more his ministry
to the Gentiles is blessed with success, the closer
we come to the goal of Israel's salvation.
Jewish
followers of Yeshua should be interested in Gentile
missions. The more the Gentile branch of the Church
grows and fulfills its purpose, especially that
of making Jewish people jealous of the Gentiles'
relationship to the God of Israel, the better
it will be for Israel. Israel's destiny and that
of the Gentiles are inextricably tied together
in the eternal plan of God. What happens to one
deeply affects the other.
And
if the first piece of dough be holy, the lump
is also; and if the root be holy, the branches
are too. Romans 11:16
In this
verse Paul gives a biblical principle that we
might call the "first fruit principle" which is,
"what God begins well He finishes well." In the
book of Numbers, Israel was instructed: "from
the first of your dough you shall give to the
Lord an offering throughout your generations."
The first piece of dough was to be set apart and
offered to God. This ceremony acknowledged that
Israel owes all to Him and that He is the One
who provides all that we need. If the first piece
of bread was holy and acceptable to God, He would
provide and bless the rest of our bread as well.
When dough
with good yeast is added to a larger lump of unleavened
dough, the whole batch will eventually turn into
good usable dough. A tree with a strong healthy
root will produce good branches and fruit.
Paul's analogy refers to the nation of Israel. God chose the
Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who are the root and the
first piece of dough. He blessed and gave His Chosen People a
good beginning by making an eternal covenant with the Patriarchs.
Because of this holy beginning, God has a special love for the
descendants of the Fathers and will never set Israel aside.
The firstfruits principle operates in both the natural and
spiritual realms. Israel, whose origins began with a covenant
with God, is thereby destined to be redeemed and consecrated to
God. Israel's future restoration will be in conformity with the
holy nature impressed on us at the beginning.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being
a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with
them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant
toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is
not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You
will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be
grafted in'. Quite right, they were broken off for their
unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Romans 11:17-20
Paul elaborates on his root and branch metaphor. God's
covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob guaranteeing that through
them all the nations of the world were to be blessed made them
the root that sprouted and grew branches - the Jewish people.
Throughout Jewish history some of the branches were good and had
a relationship with God like the root. Some of the branches were
unfaithful and were broken off. Many of the original branches met
this fate after rejecting Messiah. Since Yeshua's appearance, a
son of Israel must either welcome Yeshua as the Messiah or suffer
being broken off from the Olive Tree of God's blessing and
salvation.
Some of the branches were broken off. We
should never forget that many of the natural branches followed
Yeshua and remained part of the tree. They were the ones who
spread the Good News to the other nations of the world.
To counteract the human tendency towards arrogance and
conceit, Paul exhorts the Gentiles at Rome to remember that they
were not the originators of the Messianic Faith. They are the
beneficiaries of something that God had been cultivating in
Israel for over 2000 years. Gentiles are not native to the
original tree - they are wild branches that were grafted into the
Olive Tree. The Church is planted in a Jewish tree in Jewish
soil. It finds its true identity in connection with Israel.
Paul instructs Gentile Christians to have a humble attitude
regarding the place of Israel in the plan of God, pointing out
that the Jewish root supports the Gentiles branches, not vice
versa. It would be a strange looking tree indeed that was
supported by the branches and not by the root! Messianic Gentiles
were not intended to supplant the place of the original branches.
This is a clear teaching against "Replacement
Theology", the erroneous doctrine that the Church is the new
Israel and has replaced Israel in the plans of God. Replacement
theology is like poison in the bloodstream of the Church that
sapped the Church's health and strength.
The Church's neglect of Paul's admonitions over 2000 years of
church history has resulted in diminishing the strength and
number of the original Jewish branches in the tree of faith.
Paul's warning to retain a humble attitude towards God's original
Chosen People has been disregarded. The numerous Gentile branches
quickly exerted greater influence than the less numerous original
branches and made the Church a Gentile institution. For most of
Church history, a natural branch was forced to become a wild
olive to be regrafted into the Olive Tree. God wants to restore
the understanding that the Olive Tree is composed of both natural
and wild branches, and that the natural branches have an
important function to fulfill in it.
Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the
natural branches, neither will He spare you. Behold then
the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity,
but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness;
otherwise you also will be cut off. Romans 11:20-22
Paul exhorts the Gentiles to avoid conceit and fear God.
Neither Jew nor Gentile hold a more special place than the other
in the heart of God. Both must relate to Him on the basis of
humble faith. God can cut off Gentile branches who stray away
from a humble faith in the King of the Jews, just as easily as He
cut off unfaithful Jewish branches from the Olive Tree.
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 off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and
were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how
much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted
into their own olive tree? Romans 11:22-24
God is able to graft them in again. The original
branches, the Jewish people who were severed from the Olive Tree,
will be grafted back into the Olive Tree if they respond to God
with belief in Messiah. All over the world this regrafting is
taking place. God's Spirit is bringing fulfillment to this verse
in a unique way that hasn't happened since the sixth century.
How much more shall these who are the natural branches be
grafted into their own olive tree? Paul's analogy
demonstrates once again that being Jewish and believing in Yeshua
are naturally compatible. The Romans and Greeks, who were Paul's
contemporary "wild olive branches," were generally
hostile to Jews and the religious heritage of Israel. Just as
natural branches are easier to regraft into a cultivated tree
than wild branches, so God's success in grafting Roman and Greek
branches into the Tree of Faith through trust in the King of the
Jews guarantees that He will be successful in grafting the
natural branches into our own Olive Tree.
The natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree. Paul
states that the Jewish people are specially related to the Olive
Tree: it is their own Olive Tree. The Church is not
by nature a Gentile institution, but rather part of the Jewish
Olive Tree. Both faithful Jews and faithful Gentiles will spend
an eternity in the New Jerusalem, whose 12 gates are named after
the 12 tribes of Israel. There, they will worship the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Revelation 5:5).
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this
mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial
hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the
Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as
it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove
ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I
take away their sins. Romans 11:25-27
I do not want you to be uninformed... lest you be wise in
your own estimation. The Apostle to the Gentiles drives home
the point he made in verses 17-24. The Gentiles are not to have a
proud attitude towards the Jewish people based on being uniformed
about Israel's future.
Paul informs us that God's plans for Israel were a mystery.
Israel's destiny wasn't clearly revealed until Messiah's first
coming. When Yeshua arrived it became clear that a remnant of the
Jewish people would acknowledge Him as Lord but the majority
would reject Him. When the apostles began their ministry after
His resurrection, it was further apparent that Gentiles from all
nations would be grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. All
Israel wouldn't accept Messiah until His second coming.
Paul emphasizes that Israel's hardening towards God is partial.
Not all of Israel has been hardened. In keeping with the remnant
principle discussed earlier, ever since the time of the apostles
there have always been some Jewish people who have believed in
Yeshua. Since the Six Day war in 1967 when Jerusalem was restored
to Israel, the number has been measurably increasing.
This partial hardening is only temporary and will not
last forever. Once the full number of Gentiles from all the
nations have been grafted into the Olive Tree of salvation and
blessing, God's spirit will be poured out on Israel so that the
entire nation will turn to faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. Paul
refers back to Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 59:20-21) that the
Deliverer will come from Zion and remove the sins of Jacob (the
Jewish people). All Israel will be saved by turning to
Messiah and embracing the "One whom we have pierced"
(Zechariah 12:10).
This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins"
Israel's future atonement, forgiveness, salvation and restoration
is absolutely sure because the Truthful One, the Amen, Who cannot
lie, has guaranteed it to Israel by covenant.
For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Romans
11:29
Paul gives another reason why God has not rejected His People.
God does not take back the gifts that He has given to His people,
even when they sin against Him. Paul previously mentioned some of
the gifts given to Israel: They were made God's children, the
Sh'khinah (the glorious dwelling presence of God) has been
with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the
Torah, the Temple service and the promises; the Patriarchs are
theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is
concerned, came the Messiah. Romans 9:4-5 Jewish New
Testament translation
Although it is human nature to want to take back a gift if one
has been offended, it is not God's nature to do so. God acts on
His sovereign initiatives, not in response to our treatment of
Him. God will endure a lot of offense rather than disenfranchise
or disinherit His people. Yeshua's prayer: "Father, forgive
them; they don't understand what they are doing"
demonstrates that He was willing to forgive all who were involved
in crucifying Him. This characteristic of God should be
reassuring to all of Messiah's followers, because all of us sin
against Him repeatedly. If He took back His gifts and calling in
our lives whenever we offended Him, none of us could hope to
accomplish anything. God demonstrates His great faithfulness to
all of us by the example of His unfailing love the people of
Israel although the majority have repeatedly stumbled.
For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have
been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now
have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown
to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all
in disobedience that He might show mercy to all. Romans
11:30-32
As God's Chosen People, Israel was reconciled to God while the
Gentiles lived in disobedience to Him. With the coming of Yeshua
and His rejection by the majority of Israelis, the roles have
been reversed. Now Messianic Gentiles are in a state of
obedience, while non-Messianic Jews are shut up in disobedience.
Because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be
shown mercy. Paul expresses the relationship that God has
established between Jews and Gentiles. Just as God used Israel to
bring blessing and mercy to the Gentiles, God's will is to use
the Gentiles now to demonstrate mercy back to the Jews and to
help them find eternal life that comes only through Yeshua.
Jews and Gentiles must relate to God on the basis of His
mercy, not on the basis of our merits. Neither Jew nor Gentile
has earned the right to any of God's blessings. Both Jews and
Gentiles have had periods of disobedience to God. Both will
experience the mercy of God. Israel will again be shown mercy and
will turn to faith in Yeshua, her Messiah. God has not rejected
His People. It is part of His sovereign plan to shut up both Jews
and Gentiles in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.
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