| Romans! |
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| Chapter 11 |
I ask then: Did God reject His own people? Certainly not! I myself am
an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, and a member of the tribe of
Benjamin.
Paul continues to speak about the Jews. His concern is for his
blood relations. He asks the rhetorical question, Has God
rejected His people? "His people" means the Jews. And the
Jews were made up of Judah, Benjamin, and perhaps the
majority of the Levites. For when the 10 tribes to the north
broke away and formed their own kingdom, they did not follow
the temple worship centered in Jerusalem. The tribe of Levi was
given the temple duties. It is logical to believe that the majority
of them gravitated to Jerusalem, the seat of their occupation.
Otherwise they would have had to be willing to change over to
Jeroboam's false system, which some probably did.
As Paul was a Benjamite, he was a part of the nation of Judea.
Anyone who was legitimately part of that nation was known as a
Jew, regardless of which tribe he came from. In the following
verse, Paul tells us that he is a Jew. So, by tribe, Paul was a
Benjamite. By nationality he was a Jew. Both of these tribes
came from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob who was called
Israel. Therefore, Paul was an Israelite.
Acts 21:39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in
Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak
unto the people.
Paul lets his readers know in no uncertain terms that God has
not rejected His people – the Jews! Paul had been called to a
prominent foundational position. He was chosen to be the
apostle of the Gentiles. He was a descendant of Abraham. That
alone showed that God had not totally rejected His people.
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am
an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected His people whom He chose from the
beginning. You know what the Scripture says in the passage
where Elijah pleads with God against Israel: "Lord they have
killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one
left, and they are trying to kill me." What answer did God give
him? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not
worshipped the false god Baal.
Paul says that God has not totally rejected the Israelites. They
were the people God chose from the beginning. They were the
descendants of Abraham and chosen through Abraham. Then
God brought them out of Egypt, choosing that generation of
Abraham's descendants. Israel was the firstborn of God! How
could God cast away His firstborn?
Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD,
Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Paul gives an example. Elijah had pleaded with God for his life.
He was sure that if he went to the Israelites and gave them
God's message they would kill him. He even believed that they
were trying to kill him already! He told God that they had torn
down His altars and killed His prophets. He said, "I am the only
one left." But God replied to Elijah that He had 7,000 men who
had not worshipped Baal.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what
the scripture saith of Elias? How he maketh intercession to God against
Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I
am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself
seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
It is the same way now. There is a small number left of those
whom God has chosen because of His loving-kindness.
Even as it was in the time of Elijah, so it was in the time of
Paul. God had called out the entire nation of Israel from Egypt.
He had claimed them as His firstborn. But out of the whole
nation, only 7,000 were faithful to God in Elijah's day. This was
probably in the Kingdom to the north. Judah was not much
more faithful even then. But Jeroboam had led the northern
tribes down the road to idolatry. And people love to go down that
road!
As Paul explained previously: God's loving-kindness (grace) is
selective, based on his calling and choosing. God shows mercy
on whom He will show mercy. And whom He wills He hardens.
Even as He chose 7,000 during the time of Elijah, so there was
an election or selection based on His grace, favor, or loving
kindness during Paul's time. So God had not forsaken His
people. But they were not being called and chosen as a nation in
Paul's day anymore than they were in Elijah's day – in the House
of Israel to the north of Judah.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to
the election of grace.
God's choice is no longer by works, but by His loving-kindness.
If that is not true, then grace no longer means grace. But, if
God's choice is by works, then it is not by grace. If that is not
true, then work no longer means work.
The first item of importance in this verse is to remember that
Paul is speaking of God's calling. Being called and chosen is the
beginning process toward salvation. Paul is not speaking of the
end product of salvation, but the calling to an opportunity for
salvation. He shows plainly in verse 5 that he is speaking about
a remnant or a few people who are being elected by means of
God's favor. They are being called by His loving-kindness for
entry into the process of salvation. In other words, God looks
down and sees a person who is struggling with his day to day
life. He says, I want that one for the first part of My plan. God
is not calling all today! Anyone with half an eye for logic can
see that today is not the day of salvation for everyone! But God is
not a respecter of persons. All will have an opportunity for
salvation in God’s plan.
In the Old Covenant, God chose the entire nation of Israel. They
were part of the process at that time by observing the rituals of
the temple and being of a certain culture. If one did all that was
required of him, the priest smiled favorably on him and he was a
firstborn of God in the eyes of the community of Israel. By
Elijah's time the election by works had been reduced to the
Jews. Therefore, Elijah without realizing it was witnessing a
part of God's election by grace in the northern tribes. God had
selected 7,000 people for the process of salvation, by grace.
Paul is explaining that a son of God is no longer a son because
he is an upright citizen in the culture of the Jews. Just because
he is willing to do what is required of him by the temple worship,
and by physical circumcision, does not make him a son of God.
One is called into son ship because God looks down and says, I
call that one; I choose this one for an opportunity toward
salvation. Whether one makes it in the salvation process is
entirely up to him as he yields to God. Just as 7,000 were called
by selection in the day of Elijah, so in the time of Paul a few of
the Jews were being selected from the culture of the Jews to be
God's firstborn.
Paul is using some redundancy here to make a point. He is
basically saying, If the meaning of grace is grace and the
meaning of work is work, God's calling has changed from one of
works (an entire nation, based on its religious culture) to one of
favor (an individual here and there, based on God's calling of
loving-kindness). The important aspect to keep in mind is that
Paul is referring to those whom God is calling for an opportunity
of salvation. He is not referring to the end of the process, but the
beginning of the process.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no
more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise
work is no more work.
What then? The people of Israel did not find what they were
looking for. It was only the small group that God chose who
found it. The rest were blinded (hardened) to God's call.
So, Paul says What are the facts? Israel sought to be justified in
the eyes of God. But, they did not find that justification. They
wanted to be considered the children of God. But only a small
group selected by God found His justification. Only a few came
to be considered the firstborn of God - spiritually. The rest were
blind to God's call.
Paul shows in this section that God is not calling everyone in this
“spring harvest”. Only a few of the Jews were being called. The
rest were blinded so that they could not understand the call. Is
there fairness with God? Would God actually blind the majority
to His call? One must understand the Holy Days of God in order
to perceive what God is working out here below. There were
different harvests in Judea. The barley harvest came first. Then
the wheat harvest. Finally the autumn harvest came.
We are presently in the early wheat harvest in God's plan –
between Passover and Pentecost. This is when the firstfruits of
God are grown. They will be reaped at the return of the
Messiah. Then He will take His bride. Together, He and His
bride will grow the great autumn harvest and reap it at a later
time. Of course, different types can be deduced from the
different harvests. The type given above is only one analogy that
can be drawn. But, what God does, He does with purpose.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the
election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
As the Scripture says, God has given them the spirit of slumber,
eyes so they cannot see, and ears so they cannot hear, unto this
day.
Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep
sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers
hath he covered.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive,
and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
And David says, "May they be caught and trapped at their feasts;
may they fall, may they be punished! May their eyes be blinded
so that they cannot see; and make them bend under their
troubles at all times."
Ps 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they
gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which
should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their
loins continually to shake.
The Scripture that Paul used to prove his point is listed above.
The first was concerning ancient Israel. They did not have eyes
to see nor ears to hear. They did not have hearts that were
receptive to God's call. This blindness, or hardening, was God's
doing. God must call one, give him His holy spirit and open his
eyes so he can see. God must in this way open one's ears so he
can hear. The very terms of the New Covenant are such that the
holy spirit will be given to open the eyes and ears and melt the
heart so it will long for God's ways.
In the Scriptures taken from David's writings, there is a subtle
difference. David's words were for those who hated him. He
seems to be writing concerning those who were his enemies. But
notice verse 21. This Scripture seems to have a dual meaning, as
it seems to be referring prophetically to the Jews who gave the
Messiah vinegar to drink when He was dying. That would seem
to set David's message to the Jews of Paul's day. Because they
rejected the Messiah, God hardened their hearts so they could
not see or hear God's call. Paul is using these Scriptures by
David in an analogous way to refer to the Jews who turned their
backs on the Messiah.
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber,
eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto
this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumbling block, and a recompense unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their
back always.
I ask then, Have the Jews stumbled that they should perish? By
no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation is come to
the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
Paul asks a rhetorical question? Have the Jews stumbled to the
point of perishing? Does the fact that they have rejected the
Messiah mean that they will never have an opportunity for
salvation? By no means! Through their misdeed of rejecting the
Messiah, salvation is made possible for the Gentiles. They will
be provoked to jealousy when they realize what happened in the
future. Paul is showing that this is not the only day of salvation!
God's plan is in stages. This is the time of the firstfruits. God
selected a <few> from the Jews. Salvation was opened to the
Gentiles at that time because of the Jew's rejection of the
Messiah as a nation.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy.
If their trespass brought the richness of salvation to the world,
and if their fault brought the richness of salvation to the
Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be the enrichment
of the world!
Paul is saying here that if the richness of salvation came to the
world and the Gentiles because only a few were called of the
Jews, just wait until the time when all of the Jews will be
brought into the process of salvation! Paul understood that
during his lifetime, as in ours, the spring harvest is growing. It
is a wonderful thing to harvest an abundant spring harvest. But
the great autumn harvest is yet future. It will be fantastic when
the entire nation of Jews are called into the salvation process for
then so will the entire world and what a harvest that will
produce. There will be a cornucopia of blessings when the entire
world will be brought to the process of salvation. The present
day of salvation is only a token of what is to be!
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing
of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I
myself am an apostle sent to the Gentiles, I make known the
importance of my work, in the hope that somehow I may provoke
some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them!
Paul placed the importance of his work to the Gentiles before the
Jews that he came in contact with, in the hope that some of them
would open their eyes and ears and receive the gospel. Paul
knew that the majority would not be a part of the spring harvest.
However, he used all means at his disposal to bring along as
many as God would call in order to rescue them from their
blindness.
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh,
and might save some of them.
For if their loss means the reconciling of the world, what shall
their receiving be, but life from the dead!
Remember that Paul has told us that God has blinded the Jews
for the time being. Their blindness opened the process of
salvation to the rest of the world. But if Paul was able to bring
some of them to the process of salvation, what would that be
except like bringing a person back to life from the dead! It
would be as though Paul had raised them from the dead, a
resurrection from a dead culture to one full of the riches of
God's favor, mercy, justification and their son ship in the God
Family. No wonder Paul did every thing he could to bring back
his fellow Jews.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what
shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root
is holy, so are the branches.
Paul is using two different analogies here with the same lesson.
The firstfruit in Paul's analogy refers to the selection of the Jews
during the spring harvest. The spring harvest continues until the
marriage of the bride to the Messiah. The lump would be the
entire nation of Jews throughout the spring harvest. Paul's
analogy is that one cannot take firstfruit from that which has not
been set-aside for a purpose. The fact that God selected a
firstfruit from the Jews indicated that the rest of the Jews were
the whole lump from which they were selected. Therefore, they
were still holy (separated for a holy purpose) to God. Remember
that Salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22).
The root in Paul's analogy would refer to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, the root of the nation of Israel. The branches would be
the entire nation that came forth from these men. God chose
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God chose the Israelites as His
firstborn. They have been set aside for a holy purpose.
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be
holy, so are the branches.
Part of the branches has been broken off, and you Gentiles,
being branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in
among them. With them you partake of the root and fatness of
the olive tree. Therefore, do not boast against the branches that
were broken off. But if you boast, remember that you do not bear
the root, but the root bears you.
Paul is explaining a very profound doctrine here. The Jews were
blinded to a large part so that the Gentiles could become a part
of the salvation process. The lump or body of Jews was holy to
God even though most of the Jews were not at the present time
part of that process. The Gentiles came from a wild olive tree
that was not holy. In other words, the Gentiles as a whole had
not been set aside as a holy nation before God for a specific
purpose. Gentiles had to be grafted into the holy stock of Israel!
One must become a Jew in order to be a part of the salvation
process. The stock of the Gentiles is not holy. Rather, it is based
on the pagan foundation of Nimrod, Ishtar, and Tammuz, the
unholy trinity of the Babylonian Mysteries!
Gentiles must be grafted into the stock of Israel. Gentiles must
become the offspring of Abraham in order to be a part of the
salvation process. In order to partake of the root and fatness of
Israel, Gentiles must become Jews! Gentiles cannot grow as a
wild olive tree off to the side and receive salvation. Abraham
was to become the father of the faithful. One must become a
descendant of Abraham in order to be part of the faithful.
Through the Messiah, the Gentiles are brought into the salvation
process as a Jew and son of Abraham.
This is important to understand. Soon after the first century
there was a devious plot to rid the church of its Jewishness. But
to render one's self non-Jewish is to take one's self out of the
salvation process! One must follow the laws given to the nation
of Israel. And most of the nation of Israel took itself out of the
process by forsaking God's laws. They can now be brought back
into the process much as the Gentiles. But one must realize that
God calls one to be a Jew in order to have salvation, because the
root is holy to God.
So, one must not boast against those Jews who have rejected the
Messiah. Their rejection was for the purpose of bringing in part
of the branches of the Gentiles. The root of Israel bears the
branches of Gentiles, not the other way around. One must
become a Jew in order to be saved. Salvation is of the Jews, as
the Messiah explained.
If one has a doctrine turning this around so that the Jews have to
become Gentiles in order to be saved, beware! A Jew who
becomes a Sunday worshiper has confused the issue. He has
gone further from the truth! It is to be the other way around.
Those who want to come to the truth have to be grafted onto the
Root of Israel!
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the
root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the
root, but the root thee.
In this section, we see that Paul is continuing to show his concern for
his blood relatives. But he takes hope in the fact that God has not
rejected His people. Paul shows how that after the House of Israel
became an independent nation to the north of Judah and rejected the
temple worship, God still had an election of 7,000 people who had not
worshipped Baal. Even so, there was an election during Paul's time of
the Jews.
Paul shows that God is not selecting by works, a culture or just
because one has the mark of the Old Covenant. Now God is selecting
as He did in the days of Elijah in the northern tribes by His calling, by
His loving kindness. The rest God has blinded. But even so, they are
not cut off forever! The stock of Israel is holy and one must be
grafted onto that root. One must become a Jew, a son of Abraham in
order to be a part of the salvation process.
I think the question is really, What kind of a Jew must we become to
be followers of the Messiah.
Anything that the Jews did in the Old Covenant that was only a type
of the reality in the New Covenant should be dropped, or not picked
up in our cases. Circumcision is suppose to have certain health
values, but for righteousness sake, it is of no value. That will
probably be left up to the baby's parents unless some adult males
want to make some changes in this direction!
It is obvious that fringes on our garments are not necessary. Fringes
were to remind the Jews of God's law and their responsibilities to
Him. That was because they did not have the law in their hearts. We
are circumcised of heart, not of the flesh. Therefore, fringes, while no
great harm, are just an outward showing and tell us nothing about the
character of a person from the inside. One can wear fringes for a
lifetime and still be a hypocrite!
Human beings want very much to indulge in the physical and in an
outward showing!
Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye
are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward,
but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
The seder plate is not necessary! The Torah says nothing about
the seder plate. If a person wants to use the seder plate and can
make a righteous case for each item on the plate, there would
probably be no problem with that. However, I would like to
know what the <egg> stands for! It looks like a fertility symbol
brought over from the pagans, probably while the Jews were in
Babylon! One should not do something just because other
people are doing it! We are expected to use our minds! Unless a
very good case could be offered for doing the seder, I would have
doubts about doing it, so I don't.
In any case, I believe the Seder plate was something created by
those in the Diaspora (it probably was first used in the
Babylonian captivity) because they could not keep the regular
Judean Passover. If one did not live in Jerusalem and did not
pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he could not kill a lamb. Therefore, he
could not provide the major part of the Feast. Therefore, it was
necessary to produce some substitute in order to be a part of the
Passover from a distance outside Jerusalem. Some claim that
those in Jerusalem also had the Seder plate during the time of
the Messiah. I don't know if that can be proved. However, there
is every likely-hood that if the Jews created the seder plate in
Babylon that they continued to use it when they came back to
Jerusalem and were able to do the Passover according to the
Torah. But, the seder plate is not a part of the Bible, so we don't
do the seder plate!
Now let's discuss Hanukkah. Hanukkah has nothing to do with
the Torah or anything that God required of His people. It is an
eight-day festival beginning on the 25th of Kislev,
commemorating the victory in 165 BC of the Maccabees over
Antiochus Epiphanes and the rededication of the Temple at
Jerusalem. It is also called the Feast of Dedication, Feast of
Lights.
There would probably be nothing wrong in observing this
festival, if one kept it like they do in Israel, and if one is hurting
for something to celebrate. It is really a national celebration of
the Jews that has nothing to do with worshipping God (similar to
Thanksgiving in the U.S.). Unfortunately in America, the Jews
and others have Americanized the celebration into a Christmas-
like affair. I certainly feel that we should not be trying to find
some substitution for the Saturnalia and all its festivities.
Personally I do not and will not be celebrating these days. Some
feel that it has attachments to sun worship, because of the
lighting of candles during this particular celebration. Candles
in and of themselves are no problem. Each should make up his
own mind in such a way that his conscience is not smitten.
Just because the Jews celebrate or do something is not what
makes it important to us. While there is every possibility that the
Messiah joined in the observation of Hanukkah because He was
a Jew, it does not have to do with the plan of salvation. The
celebration has to do with the restoring of the Old Covenant
practices that were replaced by the Messiah. We should be
observing those things that are part of the New Covenant, not the
Old Covenant. We are to become Jews as they were suppose to
be before God according to His plan of salvation as shown in the
Torah and further enlightened in the New Testament.
It is true that we are to become Jews spiritually. However, we
have to be careful not to spiritualize this away too much! We
keep the Sabbath; we don't eat unclean meats. We keep the law
of God in the letter and in the spirit. Baptism and circumcision
for the men were some of the rituals that the Jews required for
those wishing to enter into their nation. Once the person became
a citizen of their nation he had all the privileges of a Jew. He
could intermarry with the Jews and their offspring was absorbed
into the Jewish nation.
Today, in order to become an American, one has certain formal
procedures that he must go through. Now it doesn't matter
whether he was a Russian or any other nationality, if he becomes
a citizen of the United States he is an American!
When we become baptized and receive the holy spirit, we become
a Jew and a citizen of heaven just as if a Russian did what was
required of him to become an American. The Messiah was a
Jew! If we are going to be His brothers, we must become Jews!
But, the Jews of today are not the types of Jews that one must be
in order to become a part of the Kingdom of God. We must be
true Jews, inwardly, not outwardly.
Ro 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but
of God.
We are spiritual Jews, but we are human and we must perform
physically as God expects us to do. Then we are the true Jews!
But even those who are only Jews outwardly have certain
advantages. They were given the oracles and they kept the
calendar. They kept the correct dates for the Holydays. Those
physical things that needed a nation in order to be kept for those
of us who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth and would not
have a country we could call our own where we could keep such
things! Strangers and pilgrims cannot keep a calendar, the
Bible, and such.
I think we are going to see people use Hanukkah as a
substitution for Christmas! People go in the path of least
resistance. They love to gravitate toward the world. That is
unfortunate. But after all, what else are these people teaching?
Are they teaching that we must keep the law in order to be in
Covenant with God? Are they teaching that we should come out
of the world? Hardly! They are embracing the world! In order
to feel less separated from the world, it would be natural for
them to want to keep a celebration that is accepted by the rest of
the world, except those who hate Jews!
I believe the merchants in the U.S. have started doing a number
on Hanukkah the way they have Christmas. The Hanukkah that
is kept in Israel is not like here. They make it plain that it is not
a "feast" but only a memorial. The only thing that goes on for
all practical purposes is the lighting of the candles in the
evening. So, if one gets carried away with presents, parties, etc.
then this is an American "twist" on Hanukkah. This event is a
cultural one for Israel.
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an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, and a member of the tribe of
Benjamin.
Paul continues to speak about the Jews. His concern is for his
blood relations. He asks the rhetorical question, Has God
rejected His people? "His people" means the Jews. And the
Jews were made up of Judah, Benjamin, and perhaps the
majority of the Levites. For when the 10 tribes to the north
broke away and formed their own kingdom, they did not follow
the temple worship centered in Jerusalem. The tribe of Levi was
given the temple duties. It is logical to believe that the majority
of them gravitated to Jerusalem, the seat of their occupation.
Otherwise they would have had to be willing to change over to
Jeroboam's false system, which some probably did.
As Paul was a Benjamite, he was a part of the nation of Judea.
Anyone who was legitimately part of that nation was known as a
Jew, regardless of which tribe he came from. In the following
verse, Paul tells us that he is a Jew. So, by tribe, Paul was a
Benjamite. By nationality he was a Jew. Both of these tribes
came from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob who was called
Israel. Therefore, Paul was an Israelite.
Acts 21:39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in
Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak
unto the people.
Paul lets his readers know in no uncertain terms that God has
not rejected His people – the Jews! Paul had been called to a
prominent foundational position. He was chosen to be the
apostle of the Gentiles. He was a descendant of Abraham. That
alone showed that God had not totally rejected His people.
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am
an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected His people whom He chose from the
beginning. You know what the Scripture says in the passage
where Elijah pleads with God against Israel: "Lord they have
killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one
left, and they are trying to kill me." What answer did God give
him? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not
worshipped the false god Baal.
Paul says that God has not totally rejected the Israelites. They
were the people God chose from the beginning. They were the
descendants of Abraham and chosen through Abraham. Then
God brought them out of Egypt, choosing that generation of
Abraham's descendants. Israel was the firstborn of God! How
could God cast away His firstborn?
Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD,
Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Paul gives an example. Elijah had pleaded with God for his life.
He was sure that if he went to the Israelites and gave them
God's message they would kill him. He even believed that they
were trying to kill him already! He told God that they had torn
down His altars and killed His prophets. He said, "I am the only
one left." But God replied to Elijah that He had 7,000 men who
had not worshipped Baal.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what
the scripture saith of Elias? How he maketh intercession to God against
Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I
am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself
seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
It is the same way now. There is a small number left of those
whom God has chosen because of His loving-kindness.
Even as it was in the time of Elijah, so it was in the time of
Paul. God had called out the entire nation of Israel from Egypt.
He had claimed them as His firstborn. But out of the whole
nation, only 7,000 were faithful to God in Elijah's day. This was
probably in the Kingdom to the north. Judah was not much
more faithful even then. But Jeroboam had led the northern
tribes down the road to idolatry. And people love to go down that
road!
As Paul explained previously: God's loving-kindness (grace) is
selective, based on his calling and choosing. God shows mercy
on whom He will show mercy. And whom He wills He hardens.
Even as He chose 7,000 during the time of Elijah, so there was
an election or selection based on His grace, favor, or loving
kindness during Paul's time. So God had not forsaken His
people. But they were not being called and chosen as a nation in
Paul's day anymore than they were in Elijah's day – in the House
of Israel to the north of Judah.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to
the election of grace.
God's choice is no longer by works, but by His loving-kindness.
If that is not true, then grace no longer means grace. But, if
God's choice is by works, then it is not by grace. If that is not
true, then work no longer means work.
The first item of importance in this verse is to remember that
Paul is speaking of God's calling. Being called and chosen is the
beginning process toward salvation. Paul is not speaking of the
end product of salvation, but the calling to an opportunity for
salvation. He shows plainly in verse 5 that he is speaking about
a remnant or a few people who are being elected by means of
God's favor. They are being called by His loving-kindness for
entry into the process of salvation. In other words, God looks
down and sees a person who is struggling with his day to day
life. He says, I want that one for the first part of My plan. God
is not calling all today! Anyone with half an eye for logic can
see that today is not the day of salvation for everyone! But God is
not a respecter of persons. All will have an opportunity for
salvation in God’s plan.
In the Old Covenant, God chose the entire nation of Israel. They
were part of the process at that time by observing the rituals of
the temple and being of a certain culture. If one did all that was
required of him, the priest smiled favorably on him and he was a
firstborn of God in the eyes of the community of Israel. By
Elijah's time the election by works had been reduced to the
Jews. Therefore, Elijah without realizing it was witnessing a
part of God's election by grace in the northern tribes. God had
selected 7,000 people for the process of salvation, by grace.
Paul is explaining that a son of God is no longer a son because
he is an upright citizen in the culture of the Jews. Just because
he is willing to do what is required of him by the temple worship,
and by physical circumcision, does not make him a son of God.
One is called into son ship because God looks down and says, I
call that one; I choose this one for an opportunity toward
salvation. Whether one makes it in the salvation process is
entirely up to him as he yields to God. Just as 7,000 were called
by selection in the day of Elijah, so in the time of Paul a few of
the Jews were being selected from the culture of the Jews to be
God's firstborn.
Paul is using some redundancy here to make a point. He is
basically saying, If the meaning of grace is grace and the
meaning of work is work, God's calling has changed from one of
works (an entire nation, based on its religious culture) to one of
favor (an individual here and there, based on God's calling of
loving-kindness). The important aspect to keep in mind is that
Paul is referring to those whom God is calling for an opportunity
of salvation. He is not referring to the end of the process, but the
beginning of the process.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no
more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise
work is no more work.
What then? The people of Israel did not find what they were
looking for. It was only the small group that God chose who
found it. The rest were blinded (hardened) to God's call.
So, Paul says What are the facts? Israel sought to be justified in
the eyes of God. But, they did not find that justification. They
wanted to be considered the children of God. But only a small
group selected by God found His justification. Only a few came
to be considered the firstborn of God - spiritually. The rest were
blind to God's call.
Paul shows in this section that God is not calling everyone in this
“spring harvest”. Only a few of the Jews were being called. The
rest were blinded so that they could not understand the call. Is
there fairness with God? Would God actually blind the majority
to His call? One must understand the Holy Days of God in order
to perceive what God is working out here below. There were
different harvests in Judea. The barley harvest came first. Then
the wheat harvest. Finally the autumn harvest came.
We are presently in the early wheat harvest in God's plan –
between Passover and Pentecost. This is when the firstfruits of
God are grown. They will be reaped at the return of the
Messiah. Then He will take His bride. Together, He and His
bride will grow the great autumn harvest and reap it at a later
time. Of course, different types can be deduced from the
different harvests. The type given above is only one analogy that
can be drawn. But, what God does, He does with purpose.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the
election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
As the Scripture says, God has given them the spirit of slumber,
eyes so they cannot see, and ears so they cannot hear, unto this
day.
Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep
sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers
hath he covered.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive,
and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
And David says, "May they be caught and trapped at their feasts;
may they fall, may they be punished! May their eyes be blinded
so that they cannot see; and make them bend under their
troubles at all times."
Ps 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they
gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which
should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their
loins continually to shake.
The Scripture that Paul used to prove his point is listed above.
The first was concerning ancient Israel. They did not have eyes
to see nor ears to hear. They did not have hearts that were
receptive to God's call. This blindness, or hardening, was God's
doing. God must call one, give him His holy spirit and open his
eyes so he can see. God must in this way open one's ears so he
can hear. The very terms of the New Covenant are such that the
holy spirit will be given to open the eyes and ears and melt the
heart so it will long for God's ways.
In the Scriptures taken from David's writings, there is a subtle
difference. David's words were for those who hated him. He
seems to be writing concerning those who were his enemies. But
notice verse 21. This Scripture seems to have a dual meaning, as
it seems to be referring prophetically to the Jews who gave the
Messiah vinegar to drink when He was dying. That would seem
to set David's message to the Jews of Paul's day. Because they
rejected the Messiah, God hardened their hearts so they could
not see or hear God's call. Paul is using these Scriptures by
David in an analogous way to refer to the Jews who turned their
backs on the Messiah.
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber,
eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto
this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumbling block, and a recompense unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their
back always.
I ask then, Have the Jews stumbled that they should perish? By
no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation is come to
the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
Paul asks a rhetorical question? Have the Jews stumbled to the
point of perishing? Does the fact that they have rejected the
Messiah mean that they will never have an opportunity for
salvation? By no means! Through their misdeed of rejecting the
Messiah, salvation is made possible for the Gentiles. They will
be provoked to jealousy when they realize what happened in the
future. Paul is showing that this is not the only day of salvation!
God's plan is in stages. This is the time of the firstfruits. God
selected a <few> from the Jews. Salvation was opened to the
Gentiles at that time because of the Jew's rejection of the
Messiah as a nation.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy.
If their trespass brought the richness of salvation to the world,
and if their fault brought the richness of salvation to the
Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be the enrichment
of the world!
Paul is saying here that if the richness of salvation came to the
world and the Gentiles because only a few were called of the
Jews, just wait until the time when all of the Jews will be
brought into the process of salvation! Paul understood that
during his lifetime, as in ours, the spring harvest is growing. It
is a wonderful thing to harvest an abundant spring harvest. But
the great autumn harvest is yet future. It will be fantastic when
the entire nation of Jews are called into the salvation process for
then so will the entire world and what a harvest that will
produce. There will be a cornucopia of blessings when the entire
world will be brought to the process of salvation. The present
day of salvation is only a token of what is to be!
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing
of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I
myself am an apostle sent to the Gentiles, I make known the
importance of my work, in the hope that somehow I may provoke
some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them!
Paul placed the importance of his work to the Gentiles before the
Jews that he came in contact with, in the hope that some of them
would open their eyes and ears and receive the gospel. Paul
knew that the majority would not be a part of the spring harvest.
However, he used all means at his disposal to bring along as
many as God would call in order to rescue them from their
blindness.
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh,
and might save some of them.
For if their loss means the reconciling of the world, what shall
their receiving be, but life from the dead!
Remember that Paul has told us that God has blinded the Jews
for the time being. Their blindness opened the process of
salvation to the rest of the world. But if Paul was able to bring
some of them to the process of salvation, what would that be
except like bringing a person back to life from the dead! It
would be as though Paul had raised them from the dead, a
resurrection from a dead culture to one full of the riches of
God's favor, mercy, justification and their son ship in the God
Family. No wonder Paul did every thing he could to bring back
his fellow Jews.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what
shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root
is holy, so are the branches.
Paul is using two different analogies here with the same lesson.
The firstfruit in Paul's analogy refers to the selection of the Jews
during the spring harvest. The spring harvest continues until the
marriage of the bride to the Messiah. The lump would be the
entire nation of Jews throughout the spring harvest. Paul's
analogy is that one cannot take firstfruit from that which has not
been set-aside for a purpose. The fact that God selected a
firstfruit from the Jews indicated that the rest of the Jews were
the whole lump from which they were selected. Therefore, they
were still holy (separated for a holy purpose) to God. Remember
that Salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22).
The root in Paul's analogy would refer to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, the root of the nation of Israel. The branches would be
the entire nation that came forth from these men. God chose
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God chose the Israelites as His
firstborn. They have been set aside for a holy purpose.
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be
holy, so are the branches.
Part of the branches has been broken off, and you Gentiles,
being branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in
among them. With them you partake of the root and fatness of
the olive tree. Therefore, do not boast against the branches that
were broken off. But if you boast, remember that you do not bear
the root, but the root bears you.
Paul is explaining a very profound doctrine here. The Jews were
blinded to a large part so that the Gentiles could become a part
of the salvation process. The lump or body of Jews was holy to
God even though most of the Jews were not at the present time
part of that process. The Gentiles came from a wild olive tree
that was not holy. In other words, the Gentiles as a whole had
not been set aside as a holy nation before God for a specific
purpose. Gentiles had to be grafted into the holy stock of Israel!
One must become a Jew in order to be a part of the salvation
process. The stock of the Gentiles is not holy. Rather, it is based
on the pagan foundation of Nimrod, Ishtar, and Tammuz, the
unholy trinity of the Babylonian Mysteries!
Gentiles must be grafted into the stock of Israel. Gentiles must
become the offspring of Abraham in order to be a part of the
salvation process. In order to partake of the root and fatness of
Israel, Gentiles must become Jews! Gentiles cannot grow as a
wild olive tree off to the side and receive salvation. Abraham
was to become the father of the faithful. One must become a
descendant of Abraham in order to be part of the faithful.
Through the Messiah, the Gentiles are brought into the salvation
process as a Jew and son of Abraham.
This is important to understand. Soon after the first century
there was a devious plot to rid the church of its Jewishness. But
to render one's self non-Jewish is to take one's self out of the
salvation process! One must follow the laws given to the nation
of Israel. And most of the nation of Israel took itself out of the
process by forsaking God's laws. They can now be brought back
into the process much as the Gentiles. But one must realize that
God calls one to be a Jew in order to have salvation, because the
root is holy to God.
So, one must not boast against those Jews who have rejected the
Messiah. Their rejection was for the purpose of bringing in part
of the branches of the Gentiles. The root of Israel bears the
branches of Gentiles, not the other way around. One must
become a Jew in order to be saved. Salvation is of the Jews, as
the Messiah explained.
If one has a doctrine turning this around so that the Jews have to
become Gentiles in order to be saved, beware! A Jew who
becomes a Sunday worshiper has confused the issue. He has
gone further from the truth! It is to be the other way around.
Those who want to come to the truth have to be grafted onto the
Root of Israel!
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the
root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the
root, but the root thee.
In this section, we see that Paul is continuing to show his concern for
his blood relatives. But he takes hope in the fact that God has not
rejected His people. Paul shows how that after the House of Israel
became an independent nation to the north of Judah and rejected the
temple worship, God still had an election of 7,000 people who had not
worshipped Baal. Even so, there was an election during Paul's time of
the Jews.
Paul shows that God is not selecting by works, a culture or just
because one has the mark of the Old Covenant. Now God is selecting
as He did in the days of Elijah in the northern tribes by His calling, by
His loving kindness. The rest God has blinded. But even so, they are
not cut off forever! The stock of Israel is holy and one must be
grafted onto that root. One must become a Jew, a son of Abraham in
order to be a part of the salvation process.
I think the question is really, What kind of a Jew must we become to
be followers of the Messiah.
Anything that the Jews did in the Old Covenant that was only a type
of the reality in the New Covenant should be dropped, or not picked
up in our cases. Circumcision is suppose to have certain health
values, but for righteousness sake, it is of no value. That will
probably be left up to the baby's parents unless some adult males
want to make some changes in this direction!
It is obvious that fringes on our garments are not necessary. Fringes
were to remind the Jews of God's law and their responsibilities to
Him. That was because they did not have the law in their hearts. We
are circumcised of heart, not of the flesh. Therefore, fringes, while no
great harm, are just an outward showing and tell us nothing about the
character of a person from the inside. One can wear fringes for a
lifetime and still be a hypocrite!
Human beings want very much to indulge in the physical and in an
outward showing!
Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye
are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward,
but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
The seder plate is not necessary! The Torah says nothing about
the seder plate. If a person wants to use the seder plate and can
make a righteous case for each item on the plate, there would
probably be no problem with that. However, I would like to
know what the <egg> stands for! It looks like a fertility symbol
brought over from the pagans, probably while the Jews were in
Babylon! One should not do something just because other
people are doing it! We are expected to use our minds! Unless a
very good case could be offered for doing the seder, I would have
doubts about doing it, so I don't.
In any case, I believe the Seder plate was something created by
those in the Diaspora (it probably was first used in the
Babylonian captivity) because they could not keep the regular
Judean Passover. If one did not live in Jerusalem and did not
pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he could not kill a lamb. Therefore, he
could not provide the major part of the Feast. Therefore, it was
necessary to produce some substitute in order to be a part of the
Passover from a distance outside Jerusalem. Some claim that
those in Jerusalem also had the Seder plate during the time of
the Messiah. I don't know if that can be proved. However, there
is every likely-hood that if the Jews created the seder plate in
Babylon that they continued to use it when they came back to
Jerusalem and were able to do the Passover according to the
Torah. But, the seder plate is not a part of the Bible, so we don't
do the seder plate!
Now let's discuss Hanukkah. Hanukkah has nothing to do with
the Torah or anything that God required of His people. It is an
eight-day festival beginning on the 25th of Kislev,
commemorating the victory in 165 BC of the Maccabees over
Antiochus Epiphanes and the rededication of the Temple at
Jerusalem. It is also called the Feast of Dedication, Feast of
Lights.
There would probably be nothing wrong in observing this
festival, if one kept it like they do in Israel, and if one is hurting
for something to celebrate. It is really a national celebration of
the Jews that has nothing to do with worshipping God (similar to
Thanksgiving in the U.S.). Unfortunately in America, the Jews
and others have Americanized the celebration into a Christmas-
like affair. I certainly feel that we should not be trying to find
some substitution for the Saturnalia and all its festivities.
Personally I do not and will not be celebrating these days. Some
feel that it has attachments to sun worship, because of the
lighting of candles during this particular celebration. Candles
in and of themselves are no problem. Each should make up his
own mind in such a way that his conscience is not smitten.
Just because the Jews celebrate or do something is not what
makes it important to us. While there is every possibility that the
Messiah joined in the observation of Hanukkah because He was
a Jew, it does not have to do with the plan of salvation. The
celebration has to do with the restoring of the Old Covenant
practices that were replaced by the Messiah. We should be
observing those things that are part of the New Covenant, not the
Old Covenant. We are to become Jews as they were suppose to
be before God according to His plan of salvation as shown in the
Torah and further enlightened in the New Testament.
It is true that we are to become Jews spiritually. However, we
have to be careful not to spiritualize this away too much! We
keep the Sabbath; we don't eat unclean meats. We keep the law
of God in the letter and in the spirit. Baptism and circumcision
for the men were some of the rituals that the Jews required for
those wishing to enter into their nation. Once the person became
a citizen of their nation he had all the privileges of a Jew. He
could intermarry with the Jews and their offspring was absorbed
into the Jewish nation.
Today, in order to become an American, one has certain formal
procedures that he must go through. Now it doesn't matter
whether he was a Russian or any other nationality, if he becomes
a citizen of the United States he is an American!
When we become baptized and receive the holy spirit, we become
a Jew and a citizen of heaven just as if a Russian did what was
required of him to become an American. The Messiah was a
Jew! If we are going to be His brothers, we must become Jews!
But, the Jews of today are not the types of Jews that one must be
in order to become a part of the Kingdom of God. We must be
true Jews, inwardly, not outwardly.
Ro 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but
of God.
We are spiritual Jews, but we are human and we must perform
physically as God expects us to do. Then we are the true Jews!
But even those who are only Jews outwardly have certain
advantages. They were given the oracles and they kept the
calendar. They kept the correct dates for the Holydays. Those
physical things that needed a nation in order to be kept for those
of us who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth and would not
have a country we could call our own where we could keep such
things! Strangers and pilgrims cannot keep a calendar, the
Bible, and such.
I think we are going to see people use Hanukkah as a
substitution for Christmas! People go in the path of least
resistance. They love to gravitate toward the world. That is
unfortunate. But after all, what else are these people teaching?
Are they teaching that we must keep the law in order to be in
Covenant with God? Are they teaching that we should come out
of the world? Hardly! They are embracing the world! In order
to feel less separated from the world, it would be natural for
them to want to keep a celebration that is accepted by the rest of
the world, except those who hate Jews!
I believe the merchants in the U.S. have started doing a number
on Hanukkah the way they have Christmas. The Hanukkah that
is kept in Israel is not like here. They make it plain that it is not
a "feast" but only a memorial. The only thing that goes on for
all practical purposes is the lighting of the candles in the
evening. So, if one gets carried away with presents, parties, etc.
then this is an American "twist" on Hanukkah. This event is a
cultural one for Israel.
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Chapter:
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Five
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Seven
Seven Continued
Eight
Eight Continued
| How Much of a Jew Should One Become? |