Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Israelites Indeed"Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz
The Apostle Paul’s conversion to Christianity was nothing less than astounding. From a persecutor of Christians, he became an evangelist to the lost. The heaviness of heart that he mentions in verse 2 today is due to the realization of how much joy his Jewish brethren are missing. It is the fulness of joy that Jesus leaves in our hearts. Paul tastes the joy in his own heart, while still reeling from being freed from the bondage that the Jews willingly place themselves under. It’s no wonder that he has a heaviness weighing him down.
Such freedom can be confusing at first, for we all were used to the bondage that comes from sin. But now, there is no priest hovering over us telling us how we must live to please God. That was the role of the Temple Priests. Now, it is not another human being telling us how to live, but God Himself. It is our Creator’s every word that encourages us as we learn how to listen to His voice. Paul now relishes in His conversion, with old things being passed away, and all things becoming new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The fulfillment of “The Law” was completed by Jesus, on the Cross. It was like a grocery list of things needed for living. And once everything on the list was purchased, there was no more need of the list being disseminated by Priests, for the “list” is now written on our hearts. Our Savior Jesus purchased our eternal life for us. The cost was His life, for ours (Colossians 2:13,14), and from that point on, the fleshly working of the Law was a moot point. Jesus became the mediator between His Creation and The Father. The priests could teach, but not dictate and pass judgment, for now there is mediator between man and God, and that the Man we call Savior, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5,6).
Paul’s heaviness of heart is the empathy and driving compassion for sharing the Gospel with others that should be in every Christian heart, to let others know that Our God is a gracious, loving, merciful, and approachable God, who gave His life for us.
The ministry of Jesus’ Church is to prepare us to share our faith with those still trapped and under the Law. Such complete changes can be painful as we let go of old things, but the rewards of the new are heavenly.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye are free indeed.” - John 8:36
Bobservations' Column: Audio Version
Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 9:1-13 - "Israelites Indeed"
Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:
This week we are in chapter 9 of Romans. Chapter 9 starts a new section in Paul’s letter to the Romans. He had written extensively in the first 8 chapters about the non-partiality of God (Romans 2:11); that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:26); and that Jews were in the exact same boat is the Gentiles, spiritually speaking (Romans 3:22, 29); that all are saved by faith not works of the Law (Romans 3:28).
A question about God’s faithfulness might arise from this kind of argumentation, so Paul wrote this chapter to address that issue. Has God rejected His own chosen people? And if God specifically chose Israel, and now says that they are no different than Gentiles, has He gone back on His promise? And if He has, can He be trusted to be faithful to the magnificent promises that were just declared in chapter 8?
Paul had just enthusiastically declared God’s faithful people to be overwhelming conquerors in Christ, and that no outside force could possibly come between them and the love of their Creator (Romans 8:37-39). And yet in the very next sentence he declares his “great sorrow and unceasing grief” (verse 2) for his “kinsmen according to the flesh” (verse 3), because they were “accursed” (verse 3) by God.
Israel was immeasurably blessed by God. The Lord had personally adopted them has His children, had shown them His personal “Shekinah” glory (Exodus 13:21-22; 40:36-38), established a unique covenant and Law with them, and most importantly, had brought the Messiah promised to the Patriarchs into the world, through them (verses 4-5).
So, does the fact that such a privileged people, hand-selected by God to give us the Christ, have now been rejected and “accursed” by God mean that God’s promises have somehow failed (verse 6)? The answer is, “Of course not!” The simple truth is that God chose Israel to fulfill His purposes, but He did not promise eternal salvation to each Jew unconditionally individually.
We will see the logic of this argumentation fleshed out in next week's teaching, but in today’s verses Paul shows us that not everyone who is a descendant from physical Israel can rightly claim to be a part of spiritual Israel (verse 6). There has always been a “faithful remnant” of God's people, even when the majority had disobediently rebelled against Him (consider 1 Kings 19:18).
Neither are all people called the children of Abraham just because they are physical descendants of Abraham (Matthew 3:9), or even of Isaac (verses 7-12). The point is that God chooses people in exactly the WAY that He does, and for the REASONS that He does, in order to serve His good purposes. And when all is said and done, only those who have been made righteous through faith will be saved by God’s grace and be considered his spiritual descendants (Romans 4:13-16).
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
This week we are in chapter 9 of Romans. Chapter 9 starts a new section in Paul’s letter to the Romans. He had written extensively in the first 8 chapters about the non-partiality of God (Romans 2:11); that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:26); and that Jews were in the exact same boat is the Gentiles, spiritually speaking (Romans 3:22, 29); that all are saved by faith not works of the Law (Romans 3:28).
A question about God’s faithfulness might arise from this kind of argumentation, so Paul wrote this chapter to address that issue. Has God rejected His own chosen people? And if God specifically chose Israel, and now says that they are no different than Gentiles, has He gone back on His promise? And if He has, can He be trusted to be faithful to the magnificent promises that were just declared in chapter 8?
Paul had just enthusiastically declared God’s faithful people to be overwhelming conquerors in Christ, and that no outside force could possibly come between them and the love of their Creator (Romans 8:37-39). And yet in the very next sentence he declares his “great sorrow and unceasing grief” (verse 2) for his “kinsmen according to the flesh” (verse 3), because they were “accursed” (verse 3) by God.
Israel was immeasurably blessed by God. The Lord had personally adopted them has His children, had shown them His personal “Shekinah” glory (Exodus 13:21-22; 40:36-38), established a unique covenant and Law with them, and most importantly, had brought the Messiah promised to the Patriarchs into the world, through them (verses 4-5).
So, does the fact that such a privileged people, hand-selected by God to give us the Christ, have now been rejected and “accursed” by God mean that God’s promises have somehow failed (verse 6)? The answer is, “Of course not!” The simple truth is that God chose Israel to fulfill His purposes, but He did not promise eternal salvation to each Jew unconditionally individually.
We will see the logic of this argumentation fleshed out in next week's teaching, but in today’s verses Paul shows us that not everyone who is a descendant from physical Israel can rightly claim to be a part of spiritual Israel (verse 6). There has always been a “faithful remnant” of God's people, even when the majority had disobediently rebelled against Him (consider 1 Kings 19:18).
Neither are all people called the children of Abraham just because they are physical descendants of Abraham (Matthew 3:9), or even of Isaac (verses 7-12). The point is that God chooses people in exactly the WAY that He does, and for the REASONS that He does, in order to serve His good purposes. And when all is said and done, only those who have been made righteous through faith will be saved by God’s grace and be considered his spiritual descendants (Romans 4:13-16).
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
Key Words and Definitions with Reference:
Conscience (9:1) - Only when the Spirit controls the conscience can it be trusted - but it remains imperfect, and its warnings must always be evaluated against the Word of God. (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5).
Accursed (9:3) - The Greek word is anathema which means "to devote to destruction in eternal hell" (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3; 16:22; Galatians 1:8, 9). Although Paul understood the exchange he was suggesting was impossible (8:38;39; John 10:28), it was still the sincere expression of his deep love for his fellow Jews (cf. Exodus 32:32).
Israelites (9:4) - The descendants of Abraham through Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28).
Adoption (9:4) - Not in the sese of providing salvation to every person born a Jew (see notes on 8:15-23; cf. 9:6), but sovereignly selecting an entire nation to receive His special calling, covenant, and blessing and to serve as His witness nation (Exodus 4:22; 19:6; Hosea 11:1; cf. Isiah 46:3, 4).
Glory (9:4) - The glory that God had revealed to them in the cloud (Shekinah) that pictured God's presence in the Old Testament (Exodus 16:10; 24:16, 17; 29:42, 43; Leviticus 9:23). His glory was supremely present in the Holy of Holies in both the tabernacle and the temple which served as the throne room of Yahweh, Israel's King (Exodus 25:22; 40:34; 1 Kings 8:11). The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is. The glory of man—human dignity and honor—fades (1 Peter 1:24). But the glory of God, which is manifested in all His attributes together, never passes away. It is eternal.
Covenants (9:4) - A covenant is a legally binding promise, agreement , or contract. Three times in the NT the word covenants is used in the plural (Galatians 4:24; Ephesians 2:12). All but one of God's covenants with man are eternal and unilateral - that is, God promised to accomplish something based on His own character and not on the response or actions of the promised beneficiary.
Service (9:4) - Refers to the "temple service," the entire sacrificial and ceremonial system that God revealed through Moses (cf. Exodus 29:43-46).
Promises (9:4) - The promised Messiah, who would come out of Israel, bringing eternal life and an eternal kingdom (cf. Acts 2:39; 13:32-34; 26:6; Galatians 3:16,21).
Fathers (9:5) - The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through whom the promises of the Messiah were fulfilled.
Christ . . . the Eternally Blessed God (9:5) - This is not intended primarily as a benediction, but as an affirmation of the sovereignty and deity of Christ.
Word of God (9:6) - This refers specifically to the privileges and promises God had revealed to Israel (v. 4; cf. Isiah 55:1; Jeremiah 32:42).
Not All Israel Who Are of Israel (9:6) - Not all the physical descendants of Abraham are true heirs of the promise.
Children of the Flesh . . . Children of God (9:8) - Abraham's other children by Hagar and Keturah were not chosen to receive the national promises made to him. No Israelite would have disagreed with Paul's example in the previous verse. He pointed out that not all of Abraham's children were included in the line of God's promises to Israel. Only those who came through Isaac were included. So, while the promise was certainly given to Abraham's offspring, it was not promised to absolutely all his descendants.
Now, though, Paul gets to the point of his illustration: It's not enough to simply be born "of the flesh" into Israel. It is the children of the promise who count as offspring. They are the ones who are truly Israel and will inherit God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul will build from this argument to describe the difference between these two groups.
This parallels similar statements made by Jesus, who pointed out that being a true "child," spiritually, is not a matter of biology. It's a question of one's spiritual state, and their relationship with God (John 8:36–39).
Now, though, Paul gets to the point of his illustration: It's not enough to simply be born "of the flesh" into Israel. It is the children of the promise who count as offspring. They are the ones who are truly Israel and will inherit God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul will build from this argument to describe the difference between these two groups.
This parallels similar statements made by Jesus, who pointed out that being a true "child," spiritually, is not a matter of biology. It's a question of one's spiritual state, and their relationship with God (John 8:36–39).
The Children (9:11) - Referring to Jacob and Esau.
Done Any Good or Evil (9:11) - God's choice of Jacob, instead of Esau, to continue the physical line was not based on his personal merit or demerit.
The purpose of God According to Election (9:11) - Paul wants us to understand that God's choice was not based on behavior, good or bad, since the boys were still unborn. He repeats that it was not because of their works. Clearly, God's choice was not because one was born to one woman and not another. And as the following verse will show, God did not make the choice based on their birth order.
Paul used the word elect in the previous chapter (Romans 8:33) to refer to all of us in Christ chosen by God to be included in His family through faith in Christ. Now he uses the word election to describe God's action in choosing one son of Isaac over another to include in His covenant promises.
Paul used the word elect in the previous chapter (Romans 8:33) to refer to all of us in Christ chosen by God to be included in His family through faith in Christ. Now he uses the word election to describe God's action in choosing one son of Isaac over another to include in His covenant promises.
Jacob I have Loved, But Esau I Have Hated (9:13) - Quoted from Malachi 1:2, 3. Actual emotional hatred for Esau and his offspring is not the pint here. Malachi, who wrote this declaration more that 1,500 years after their death, was looking back at these two men - and by extension the nations (Israel and Edom) that came from their loins. God chose one for divine blessing and protections, and not the other. The bigger issue for Paul's argument is that God made this decision based on nothing more than the fact that God has the right to decide. Is that fair? Paul will address that in the following verses.
Is There Unrighteousness With God? (9:14) - Paul once again anticipating his readers' objection to Paul's theology. Paul has just described how God chose to whom His covenant promises to Israel would be given—and to whom they would not be given. In the case of Rebekah's twins, God made this decision before they were even born. God's judgment was in no way based on either Jacob's or Esau's actions or birth order or parents. It was entirely a matter of His omniscience and sovereignty.
In the previous verse, Paul quoted the Old Testament prophet Malachi, who recorded God's words saying that He "loved Jacob" and "hated Esau" even before they were born. This was not a reference to the emotion we describe using the English word "hate" today. "Love" in Scripture is usually a reference to how one acts, and "hate" here is meant as a contrast to it. Exaggerated parallels were common in speech of ancient times (Luke 14:26). God simply chose to give extreme blessings to Jacob, and—relatively speaking—none to Esau.
Now Paul puts the question in the mouth of his readers, "Is that injustice on God's part?" By no means! But this naturally leads one to ask how is it just, then? Paul will address that in the following verses.
In the previous verse, Paul quoted the Old Testament prophet Malachi, who recorded God's words saying that He "loved Jacob" and "hated Esau" even before they were born. This was not a reference to the emotion we describe using the English word "hate" today. "Love" in Scripture is usually a reference to how one acts, and "hate" here is meant as a contrast to it. Exaggerated parallels were common in speech of ancient times (Luke 14:26). God simply chose to give extreme blessings to Jacob, and—relatively speaking—none to Esau.
Now Paul puts the question in the mouth of his readers, "Is that injustice on God's part?" By no means! But this naturally leads one to ask how is it just, then? Paul will address that in the following verses.
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