ROMANS 9
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
God’s Sovereign Choice
6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
26 and,
“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:
“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”
Israel’s Unbelief
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Jim – Although I agree with you in principle, the hypothetical scenario set up by the author is really a false slanderous argument. Ever since the nation was founded, Jews have been purchasing the lands they settled on from their owners, often at exorbitant prices. Or winning them in wars (God’s way of transferring the land). They have not been ordering Arabs out of their homes and towns based on a divine promise to Abraham. That is how an anti-Semite would like to portray what is happening in Israel. But that is a lie. Yes the land has been promised to Abraham’s chosen seed, which include the Jews, but as we learn from Romans 9 (which I guess you are going to teach on) – it is God who decides who among Abraham’s seed has a divine inheritance in that land. So for now the citizens of Israel have to abide by the law of the land when it comes to land ownership. Both Jew and Arab. A time is coming, however, when God will again decide who inherits what. Then there will be no argument.
This is going to get very interesting. This replacement theology deception is rooted in “Let’s be fair minded”. Many Christians past and present worship Jesus but stray from the truth to justify a sinful bent where they think they have the right answer even if it is not right according to the word of Yahweh. It is Pride. It wants to say “let’s be fair minded”. They want to justify fairness as righteousness. It is a form of self -righteousness and LAWLESSNESS and we know from the scriptures that lawlessness abounds in the end times. Exposing it for what it is, is the spiritual battle.
Rev Hutchens, I just finished a fine little book by a Messianic Jew who died in 1926. His name was David Baron, and the booklet is Israel’s Unalienable Possessions. Taking each item separately on that list in Romans 9:4 he explains them in glorious detail. I always liked the sound of that list, but having a Messianic Jew explain them in detail was a real blessing.
Indeed what a great chapter, and its a great Pauline chapter! Paul’s anguish over Israel! And God’s Sovereign Grace! I myself believe the essence of this chapter is more about the divine election of souls and people, Romans 9: 10 and 11, but it is also about Israel’s unbelief now, and the Gentiles who by God’s grace and faith, come to the righteousness of and by faith, (Rom. 9: 30-33). And Christ is always that “stumbling stone”! (See, 1 Peter 2: 5-10). And as Paul says , faith itself is always a gift, the gift of God! (Eph. 2: 8)
Btw David Baron’s books and writings are profound and very biblical! And too, the very principle of God’s Sovereign Grace is also God’s choice in both Israel’s Land and Covenant/covenants, (Zech. 14)! This was quick, but right I believe!
Best to Jim! (Always the General! Semper Fi! From an old Bootneck, RMC)
The Land, Eretz Yisrael, is owned as well as the entire planet and Universe by YHWH. He has decreed by His Authority who will live where. Those who live there presently have the blessed opportunity to come to live under the Protective Hand of The Almighty, Blessed Be He. The foreigner who dwells in the Land is to have the same rights and follow the commandments as the citizen. See Exodus 12 for the first Pesach which we are in the season of The Feast/Appointed Time of Matzah/Unleavened Bread.
“The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you.”
Exodus 12:49
(See the entire Torah for more details). If the foreigner/stranger sees the Love of YHWH extended by His Children to him, then would not the foreigner/stranger come to see that YHWH is The One and Only True Eloheim, and thereby receive the invitation to enter the Family and come under the Covenant of Mercy and Loving Kindess, whereby we are restored by our Beloved Master, Yeshua Our Redeemer/Go’el/HaMashiach/Messiah to Our Father? HalleluYAH!!!
Let us open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls to what Our Father will do. It is in our best interest to get with His Plan and die to our leavened thought patterns, beliefs, etc. The leavened plans of this world will NOT come to pass. We must remain firmly rooted in Him, eating daily The Word and tell everyone the Truth. Amen! Shalom! Chag HaMatzot Sameach/Happy Feast of Unleavened Bread! : )
so we “strangers in the land” living in israel have the choice of living under torah & humanism, or muslem & sharia! easy choice! w are the envy of most of the middle east!