Romans 11:1-10 Israel’s Rejection Is Not Final 11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent.” Comment: In the beginning of chapter 11 Paul asks rhetorically if God has rejected his people the Israelites which he answers with an emphatic – No! He then goes on to cite himself, an Israelite, as an example of one who has not been rejected by God. He also refers to Elijah who thought he was the only true believer left in his time but God declared to Elijah that he had preserved a remnant for himself of over 7000 Israelites. What do you think? Have you ever given up on someone or something only to find out later that you were mistaken and God was working behind the scenes unbeknownst to you? If so, what was your reaction?
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:02:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015