Up to chapter 8 Paul has been dealing
with theological issues, especially God’s grace, but from Chapter 9 to 11 his
style of writing is philosophical conversation, with a lively interchange of
questions and answers. He is delivering a sermon on the Jewish question.
The problem facing his
Jewish-Christian believers is how, the historically chosen Israelite nation,
for special treatment and privilege by God, could now be relegated to the
second or the last rung, with the Gentiles given the same, if not better
privilege, of close walk with God and salvation, especially so, after the
rejection of Christ as the Messiah by most of the Jewish nation.
This is what Paul deals in the next
three chapters. The question is, is God being just in dealing with the nation
of Israel? God chose Israel as his witnesses and gave them the revelation about
Himself. He further planned that his Son, the Messiah will come through Israel.
But Israel as a nation failed Him.
So, has God rejected Israel and now
has chosen the Gentile in their place? Has God broken His covenantal promises
to Israel? If yes, has not God been unfair to Israel? If yes, how will God’s
promises to the Jewish nation be fulfilled? This is what Paul is trying to deal
with in these three chapters.
Paul starts with talking about the
great sorrow that weighs down his heart, in Chapter 9:1-3. He, being of Jewish origin, feels for his
compatriots. The Jews have rejected the Messiah and nailed Him to the cross. Paul
in a great show of depth of love for his nation, suggests that he is willing to
take up the punishment that would fall on Israel for this crime.
Paul is willing to be cut off for
Jews’ sake. It is reminiscent of Moses, who offered to lose his salvation so
that the nation that had sinned against God, by making themselves a golden calf
to worship, could be forgiven. Exodus 32:32. Moses dared to suggest to
God in all earnestness, that God would blot out his name from the book of life
and forgive Israel’s sin.
Paul is similarly suggesting that he
is willing to be cursed and cut off from Christ, if that would save his
brothers, the Jewish race. His love for the Jewish nation is so great that he
is willing to forego his own salvation and be accursed in their place, if only
they could be saved.
To ‘be cursed’ is ‘anathema’ – to be
under the ban. Such a thing or person is marked for complete destruction. Like
the cities of Canaan, which the Lord asked the Israelites to completely
destroy, and figuratively these cities were dedicated to God, dedicated for
destruction. Deuteronomy 3:6.
Jericho city and all that were in it
were devoted to the Lord, and to be totally destroyed, excepting Rahab and her
family. Joshua 6:17. That is how Paul was willing to be considered in
the eyes of the Lord for the sake of his brothers, the Israelites.
Israel had all the privileges; a
special place in the economy of God and many were the privileges of the chosen
race.
Israel was adopted as sons. Moses
says in Deuteronomy 14:1, 2, “You are the children of the Lord your
God.” “The Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession.” In Exodus
4:22, the Lord says, “Israel is my firstborn son.” Sonship was Israel’s,
but Israel never ever behaved befitting that privilege that God gave her.
Jews were entitled for divine glory; shekinah glory was theirs. It was the
divine light which descended on them every now and then during their wandering
days and thereafter. Exodus 16:10 – “the glory of the Lord appeared in
the cloud.” It was the manifest presence of God.
The Israelites received the covenant.
It was a special relationship into which they entered with God; He would be
their God and they would be His people. Yahweh entered into covenantal
relationship with Abraham, sealing it with the sign of circumcision. Genesis
15:12-21.
The Hebrews were instituted as a
nation and received the law at Mount Sinai from the hands of Moses, written by
the very finger of God. Exodus 19:4-6. Elaborate Temple worship
regulations and rituals were given to them so that they would know to approach
God appropriately.
Israel had the promises; the promise
of land, descendants and the Messiah who would bring God’s blessings to all the
families on earth. Genesis 12:1-3. They had their Patriarchs, the
fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; they had traditions and a history. God
introduced Himself as “the Lord God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob,” to Moses in Exodus 3:16.
Christ was born from their line, that
was the ultimate. The promised Messiah came through them. They gave the Messiah
to the world, but unfortunately, they themselves would not accept him. God
prepared Israel all through the years of her rebellion and backsliding for the
final outcome, that of a Messiah, long expected and awaited. But when he came,
they rejected him.
Therein lies the tragedy of the
nation of Israel. Everything in the history of Israel pointed out to the
fulfilment of their history in the coming of the Messiah. But instead,
frustration and disaster awaited their destiny. Still Paul praises Christ for
ever, who is God over all.
Paul now goes on to explain that
Israel’s rejection of Christ did not mean God’s plan has failed. Not all Jews
might have rejected Christ. Not all those who descended from Abraham are Abraham’s
children. Physical descent alone is not the deciding factor here. There is
selection among the election of God! To prove this argument Paul gives two
examples from the history of Jews.
Among Isaac and Ishmael, God selected
Isaac, to carry the line from Abraham. Genesis 21:12. Those reckoned as
Abraham’s children were not necessarily those of natural descent alone, but
those who were the children of promise. For Sarah was promised a child and that
child would be the child of promise. Genesis 18:12. Within the Israel nation,
God’s selection and election went on.
Again, of the two children of Rebekah
and Isaac, God’s election was the younger son, Jacob, Genesis 25:23, while
the elder son Esau was not selected. Malachi 1:2,3. It was through the line
of the younger son, Jacob, God’s will and plan will be carried on.
So even among the descendants of Abraham,
there was a process of election throughout the history. God’s used His sovereignty
to carry out His selection even among the natural descendants of Abraham. God knows
the best and we may not understand why He does certain things, but we need to trust
His superior wisdom.
Paul asks the question, does this mean
God is unjust? He answers vehemently, “No, not at all!” in verse 14. And he goes
on to explain it in the next few verses, which we will meditate on in the next blog.
Praise be to the Sovereign God, who carries
out His plan in spite of the failure of human beings selected and elected by Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment