Romans 11

1. I ask, then, has God rejected His own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

There is a teaching called Replacement Theology. It is a lie which says that God is done with the Jews. These teachers twist the Bible and say that New Testament Scriptures which speak of the Jews are talking about the church. Jeremiah shows us that God has said He will NEVER reject Israel but will keep His promises no matter what.

Have you noticed what people are saying? “The LORD chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!” They are laughing and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.

But this is what the LORD says: I would no more reject My people than I would change My laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.

I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David, My servant, or change the plan that David’s descendants will rule the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore them to their land and have mercy on them.” Jeremiah 33:25 – 26

2 – 4

No, God has not rejected His own people, whom He chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said,

“LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

God is not saying that every single Jew will go to heaven. What He is talking about is that there will be a remnant. The question is not if a nation is responding but which individual Jews are responding to God. 1 Kings 19:10–18

5 – 6

His undeserved kindness in choosing them is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace. And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Many did believe in Him, even among the rulers. John 12:42

The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests believed also. Acts 6:7
7–8

So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have but the hearts of the rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day He has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”

God does not make somebody's heart become hard unless over and over again they have made their own heart hard. It does not make sense for God to say that He has spread His hands out all day, asking people to come to Him (Romans 10:21) and at the same time make their hearts become hard. Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 29:10

9 – 10

David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

The Jewish people fell into a trap that told them that God loves them more than other people. They believed that as long as they followed certain rules and did more good things than bad things they would be saved. We need to be careful that we are not falling into the same trap. Psalm 69:22–23

11. Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But He wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

Remember that this letter is written to the Romans. They could have said, "Why are the Jews not saved? The Old Testament is their own book and Paul is showing us that it tells them how to be saved."

12. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

If their fall brought God's glory to the Gentile world, just think what will it be like when God restores them!

13 – 14

I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, or I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.

Our lives should make people want what we have. When they see us doing things that go against what we say we believe, they do not want what we have.

15. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!

God made a way for the world to come to Him through Jesus, not just the Jewish people, but the world.

16 – 17

And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.

Do not forget that this is talking about the fact that the true children of Abraham are those who believe God in the same way that Abraham did.

18. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

When Martin Luther left the Catholic Church, he brought with him ideas that were against the Jews. Hitler used these ideas to support the evil things he did.

19 – 21

“Well,” you may say, “Some of the branches were broken off to make room for me.”

Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they did not believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So do not think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, He won’t spare you either.

Just because we were grafted into God's tree does not mean that we are better than the Jews. Just be sure that you do not do the same things that the Jews did and become cut off.

22. Notice how God is both kind and hard. He is hard to those who are against Him, but kind to you if you continue to trust in His kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

Every branch in Me that does not have fruit, He takes away; and every branch that has fruit, He cuts it off so that it can bring more fruit. John 15:2

23 – 24

And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree.

You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into His cultivated tree, He will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

We see the results in the countries that have turned against the Jews. They have large churches with only three old woman sitting in the back row. They have confusion and fighting against each other. They cannot feed their people but Israel has farms that grow enough food to sell to other countries.

He who touches you touches the apple of God's eye. Zechariah 2:8

25. I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

Some teachers say that the times of the Gentiles means the years when Israel was controlled by other nations. Then they say that when the Jews took back Jerusalem the times of the Gentiles were over. The problem with that is most of Israel right now still have hard hearts. So this has to be talking about a future time.
       
26 – 28

And so all those of the true Israel will be saved. As Isaiah says, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and He will turn Israel away from ungodliness. This is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Gospel, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people He loves because He chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

You have to pay attention when you are reading the Bible. Paul is talking about the true Israel of God. Remember that Paul has said that those who trust God the way Abraham did. Are the true Israel. See Galatians 6:16 and Isaiah 59:20 – 21.

29. For God’s gifts and His call can never be taken back.

When God gives you a gift or calling He does not take it back. You can throw it away, but that is not His doing.

30 – 32

At one time, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against Him, God was merciful to you instead.

Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy.

For God has put in prison those who are against Him so that He could have mercy on everyone who believes and set them free.

Romans 10:1 says Paul is praying that the Jews would be saved. He also said, "How can they be saved if someone does not show them the Christian life?" Instead of thinking about how sad it is that the Jews are not following Christ, we need to see that they need a witness.

Paul has said that some of them are now blind. We will not be able to convince them to come to Christ, but if we live the way He told us to live, they will see it. The best prayer is to ask God to open their eyes.

33. Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!

If we had lived in a different time we would have never seen Israel becoming a nation again in 1948. We would have never seen the Jews returning to Israel from all over the world, as God said it would be.

We would have never seen Israel take back Jerusalem and fight back against enemies surrounding her on every side. We would have never believed these things, unless we had seen them.

34. For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice?

When we do not understand what God is doing,we can keep our attention on what we do know and leave the rest to Him. Isaiah 40:13

35. And who can resist Me and still stand?

This is the correct translation of Job 41:11.

36. For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.

The answer to verse 35 is –NO! There are times when we need to remind ourselves that He is God and we are not.