Romans 11

Big Moose

Big Moose

Continuing on with Romans. All the previous chapter studies can be found by searching on "Romans" and my member name and check the titles only box. This is NKJV, comments in >>blue.
>>Romans 10 left off with God striving with Israel for them to have faith in Him. God sent His Son, Jesus, to give them the example to follow and the Messiah they had been looking for. Faith has always been the saving connection to God's grace. Since much of Israel rejected Jesus, the offer of salvation spilled over to the Gentiles and the seed took root and grew into a new "nation" of faith throughout the world.
1 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 thrown away His people; Paul is an example of the Israelites who had faith and became as God's children. From scriptures in Acts, we know that thousands of Israelites became Christians, but still a small minority.
2 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,
3 "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?
>>Paul is talking about the elect, again, those He foreknew. Paul uses the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 as an example of the faithful.
4 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."
>>Elijah felt like he was the only one left in Israel who was faithful to the Lord. God responds that He has a remnant of 7 thousand still faithful. Apparently, these 7 thousand were not publicly professing their faith or standing up to Jezebel's reign of terror.....yet.
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
>>Paul is saying that, even though we don't see these faithful believers in Israel right now, they are there when God calls for them.
6 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.
>>A sometimes confusing verse for new Christians. Grace is a gift of God. If you work to earn it, it becomes wages earned and no longer a gift. Therefore the gift is no longer a gift. The last sentence is conveying that if by works you receive a gift and no wages, then work is no longer work because by work you should receive what you earned. Since there is no compensation for your work, then it is not really work.
 
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
>>This verse gives us a clear delineation that the "elect" is not Israel. An interesting idea just popped into my head. Paul uses the word "elect" referring to those Gentiles "chosen from before time". Elect gives us an idea that God chooses us, which He does. But to be "elected", don't you have to be willing to accept the election? I think so. Back to the verse. Israel has not obtained what it seeks since it did not seek it through faith. The last chapter made this clear. The Elect only had faith to follow, that and Paul's guidance. This is all God's plan to open everyone's eyes in due time.
8 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."
>>This comes from a confluence of two verses in the Old Testament, Deut. 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10.
Deuteronomy 29:
4 Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.
Isaiah 29:
10 For the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."
12 Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate."
13 Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."
>>The parts highlighted in red go to make the verse Paul quotes. I read on in Isaiah and found both passages speak of similar ideas and even mention that Israel's hearts are far from God, (in Bold print). Verse 14 goes on to say that even though their hearts are far away, God will still do marvelous works and wonders through this people. He doesn't ever just throw them away. We can take that as an indication that God will always remember those who are His and not forsake them. Back to Romans 11.
9 And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always."
>>Paul quotes David in Psalms 69:
22 Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.
>>Paul adds "A stumbling block and a recompense to them", tying this to something he said in chapter 9:32-33. Obviously, if your loins shake continually, you would bow down your back always. Sounds painful. In Psalms, this is a picture of Israel's rejection of Christ and the consequences. Back to Romans 11.

11 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.
>>They will not fall forever or continually or become permanent. This is God's plan to provoke them, to realize what salvation is all about.
12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
>>So by God's plan, their fall enriches the world (other peoples of the world), and through this, therefore, when they are brought back in with the believers, all the more blessing and fullness!
 
13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
>>Paul defines himself as an apostle to the Gentiles. "I magnify my ministry," may have fit better with the next verse.
14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.
>>Paul would be very happy to save other Jews by provoking them with jealousy of the Gentiles becoming faithful.
15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
>>The Jews being blinded to the truth of Jesus as a necessary process to bring the saving power of Jesus to all of the world. When the Jews have their eyes opened, what a great day of joining together of faith that will be.
16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
>>A bread dough reference here. Since Jesus is the firstfruit, the lump is all the faithful, and Jesus being in their hearts affects the "lump" and causes it to be holy. In the same way, Jesus is the root, and we being connected to Jesus as the branches will make us holy also.
 
16 ..... and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 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,
>>The broken branches are the Jews who had the promises for their nation but did not learn or accept the faith connection. These are the "works are the important thing, follow the law to be saved, men-pleasers (doing good things in the sight of others for the recognition)" type of religious people. The wild olive tree is the picture of the Gentiles; Jews viewed Gentiles as wild and unholy, not part of God's people and not worthy of God's grace or blessing. Paul uses the art of tree grafting to paint a picture of what God did to include the Gentiles in his plan of salvation. If a branch on a good tree is broken, damaged or just not producing, a branch from another tree can be grafted in, even a different variety of a similar fruit. I would liken it to seeing a wild olive tree growing in an undesirable location, a location that will not sustain the new tree very long. Since many trees are difficult to transplant, and, you have a good tree that has a bad branch, you can take a fresh fast growing branch off that tree in an undesired location and graft it to the good tree to produce more fruit.
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
>>The Gentiles should not brag or make fun of, or think you are better than those Jews who were the former branch. Remember that the root, Jesus, supports us and grows us; we are not responsible for the growth.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in."
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
>>You would be right that the other branches were broken off to graft you in. But it does not mean you are better than them. Stay faithful.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
22 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.
>>If you lose faith and don't produce good fruit, you may be cut off also.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
>>Those who had been cut off will eventually find faith and be grafted back into the Root of Christ.
 
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