Based on Romans 11:1-24 (New King James Version)
“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. 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, ‘Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life’? 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.’ Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 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. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 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.’ And David says: ‘Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, and bow down their back always.’ 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. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 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, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.’ Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 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. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 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?”
In today’s passage, we can observe two points in plain view: what happened with Israel and our salvation. In the first point, we need to understand what actually happened with the people of Israel or the Jews (the religious people), not only for the sake of learning something intellectually (because there will be people that don’t care to know this), but also because of what should form part of every Christian as part of their daily life. If we only pay attention to the first few verses of the chapter, it can be misunderstood that God simply just hardened the heart of Israel; and it’s not like that. If we read the entire passage, we will see that transgression was first committed by the Jews. They didn’t want to listen. And as a result, God hardened their heart; which illustrates a very important issue: that God can be rejected up to a certain point. Even though God is merciful, his mercy does have a limit. When God’s extreme goodness is abused, and proper attention is not given to Him in time, God can change His disposition, from being a God of goodness and love to a worthy, holy, and righteous God.
Coming back to the Jewish people, we have to keep in mind that there are still promises that are in effect when dealing with them. For God told Abram this: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you…” Genesis 12:3a. So then, there must be a special treatment towards the Jewish people. That’s why at least here in the United States, when we are led by believing authorities (like the one we have now), we, in general, support Israel almost unconditionally. It’s not done just because it’s a strategic point in the middle east, but also, because there are still some that are faithful to God in our government that believe in the principle of “blessing” Israel. The Lord Himself also left this established as part of His ministry here on earth: “These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ‘Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 10:5-7. So then, whether the gentiles (which is probably many us) like it or not, Israel still has a special place for God. And something obvious justifies this point also: the Lord Himself came from the Jews, because the Messiah was going to be Son of David. As we keep this in mind, our continual prayer should be for the salvation and blessing of the Jewish people, and our daily practice should be to help them and support them.
And the second point is related somehow, explaining a very critical reality. We as Christian gentiles cannot take our salvation lightly (as it is erroneously taught in many churches). If the chosen Jewish nation had big problems because of not clinging on to and submitting to Christ, as they should have, how much worse could it be for us who were merely adopted through Christ? For it is written: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” Hebrews 2:1-4. We must take care of our salvation. We cannot take the things of God so lightly. Fearing and obeying God should be the priority in the life of every believer; and not to let themselves be influenced by a society or customs that have nothing to do with God. And this is not about legalism, but rather, it’s about responsibility and gratefulness. The Apostle Paul taught this also: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12. Salvation cannot be achieved through works, but when it is received, it must produce something of significance in our lives which should in turn produce works, and works that glorify God, not works that shame Him.
So then, we should bless and help Israel, as well as we should understand our reality because we will all give an account one day, and we will not have any excuses. Lord bless! John