GOD’S WILL NOT FORSAKE HIS PEOPLE

Romans 11—

1“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel saying,

3 “Lord they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your alters, and I alone am left, and they seek my life?”

4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

8 Just as it is written “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear to this very day.”

9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them.

10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, and bow down their back always.

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fulness!

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

14 If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,

18 Do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

19 You will say then, “branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”

20 well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity, but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness, Otherwise you also will be cut off.

23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

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

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in.

26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience.

31 Even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?”

35 “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?”

36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to who be glory forever. Amen.

VERSE BREAKDOWN—

V.1—Paul is clearly saying that if God has forsaken Israel, He would have to forsake him too, which is clearly not the case, therefore he is proving that God has not forsaken Israel.

V.2 & 3—In further attempt to prove his point, Paul quotes Elijah crying out to God for deliverance and God’s reassurance that He would indeed spare Elijah, for he never worshipped idols, but continued in faithfulness toward God in the face of others pagan betrayal.

V.4--Paul quotes God’s Promise of faithfulness to the Israelites who have not worshipped idols and counts them as 7 thousand.

V.5 & 6—Paul describes the dramatic change—going from living under the law to living under God’s Grace, which can only come from “the election of grace;” learning the Gentile understanding that they cannot be saved through their works.

V.7—Those who hear and follow God’s Commands are saved, but those who reject God He will make blind to this Truth, which means they won’t be able to see the Truth of Christ Jesus until God removes the blinders from their eyes, which is a spiritual blindness.

V.8—Inasmuch as it is such an important point he is making about Israel’s blindness, he reiterates it here in verse 8.

V.9—Let their table becomes a “trap”

“Though these words may be literally understood of their table mercies, the necessary provisions of life, their common food and drink, of which they had great scarcity in their last wars; so that they not only by wicked methods stole it from one another, but ate what was forbidden by their law, and what was abhorrent to nature, as one is said to eat her own child; nor is it to be overlooked what is suggested by some, that the Passover may be meant by their "table"; which was their grand yearly feast, and which they were eating when they were surrounded and taken by the Roman army, like birds in a net, or beasts in a trap: and all this as a recompense to them; a just judgment upon them, by way of retaliation for their ill treatment of Christ when on the cross, giving him gall and vinegar for his meat and drink.”

(www.biblestudytools.com)

V.10—This verse continues in David’s sentiment regarding the Jews despicable treatment of Jesus on the Cross.

V.11—How incredible is it that God grafted in the Gentiles not only for their/our sakes, but also as a way of calling Israel back to Himself through one of human natures most tricky propensities; a sense of jealousy, which will be provoked by the Gentiles living under the blessings and favor of their GOD!

V.12—If the Israels fall in love with the world, this is a failure before God, and that failure is what the Gentiles have to thank for their/our own salvation, which then, given the jealousy, brings more Jews to Christianity! In other words, how much greater will it be when Israel accepts the Gospel Message and believes in Christ Jesus, as more souls will thereby be saved! (www.studylight.org)

V.13—Paul acknowledges his Gentile church and audience/readers, although he himself is from the lineage of Abraham, it makes no difference, for all are one in Christ.

V.14—Paul continues in his point; making reference to his faith in Christ as a voice for Christ, as well as an example for Him before his fellow Jews.

V.15—Paul means that when Jews come to Christ, this comes with much hope of more salvation to follow, inasmuch as they will then declare their own witness to the world at large. (www.studylight.org)

V.16-24--To really bring his point home, Paul makes a couple of symbolic comparisons as further explanation:

“(16). The great family of God is compared to an olive tree. Until now this tree had been Jewish in its roots, trunk and branches. When the Jews rejected Christ, many of these Jewish branches were broken off, and branches from a wild olive tree (Gentiles) were grafted, or joined, into it instead (17). The Gentiles should not despise the Jews or feel proud of themselves because they have now come into the family of God. They should remember that the Jews were the ones who prepared the way for the gospel that the Gentiles have now believed, Without this Jewish preparation, the Gentiles’ salvation would not be possible (18).
God broke off cultivated Jewish branches because of their unbelief, and in his kindness grafted in wild Gentile branches instead. But if the Gentiles become arrogant, God can break them off also (19-22). If God can do what is contrary to nature and graft wild branches into the tree, he will have no difficulty in grafting cultivated Jewish branches into the parent tree again. The only reason why God holds back is the Jews’ refusal to give up their unbelief (23-24).”

(www.studylight.org)

V.25—Paul explains that God will remove Israel’s blindness when the fulness of the Gentiles has come in and the fulness of the Gentiles (when the last Gentile is saved) comes in just prior to the Rapture of the church. A parallel verse in the Book of Luke discusses what will happen to Israel in the Last Days and:

^“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

This greater part of this chapter in Luke outlines what will happen to Israel when the Church Age comes to a close and makes solid biblical sense because when the Rapture happens many will still not understand. Many will believe it was aliens that took all the Christians and little children, but for the Jews it will be a moment of clarity; they will see their Messiah, as their spiritual blindness will end, but miss Him once again. However, this time they will have this life-saving knowledge to get them through their appointed 7 years of Jacob’s Trouble, for God will save this remnant, for He has not forsaken His people.

V.26—This comes as further confirmation of this Truth; saying “as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” The Deliverer” being Jesus and Jacob referencing the Nation of Israel.

V.27-36—Inasmuch as God caused Israel to remain in blindness, He will take their blinders off, as this was predetermined for a specific amount of time and season. When the Gentiles are taken out of the world, Israel will lead the surviving human race to Christ Jesus and come into their own fulness in Judaism; they will finally become fully Jew because they accept their Messiah, Yeshua!

NKJV

Linzy is a certified Bible Counsellor, with countless republications on her viewers blogs, Bible Studies, Ezines and the like. Her portfolio includes, non-fiction articles, short stories for all ages, and Christian poetry.