Romans 11:11-32 "Has God rejected Israel?" #2

 

We come to our second part of the exposition of this great 11^th chapter to the Romans.

In 11:1   Paul asked the question, “has God rejected his people”? We know that the Jews, by and large, had rejected Jesus the Jewish Messiah. They had handed Him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified. Does that mean that God has rejected them? Paul’s answer to his own question is, “by no means!” (11:1,11:11). 

It is a nuanced response, and we need to listen carefully to how Paul explains himself.  

In 11:1-10 he affirms that God has always had a remnant among the Jews, the people to whom He chose to manifest Himself among all the tribes of the earth. In 11:1b he firstly  points to himself as an example. In Acts 9 God sovereignly called and saved Paul, a Christ hating persecutor of the church.

Secondly, in 11:2-4 he points out that Elijah the prophet (1 Ki. 17-19) felt very alone, when the Lord God showed him that He had reserved 7000 others in Israel. And thirdly, in 11:5 he reminds his Roman readers, “at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.” Surely, God had not forsaken His people. It is true that  Israel, by and large, have been hardened (11:7-10), but Paul reminds us that an elect remnant has been saved (11:7). This hardening has been indicated by the OT Scriptures quoted in 11:8-10[1]. This is where we stopped last time. But Paul is not finished yet. Has God rejected Israel? Again, listen to him as He says a second time in 11:11, “By no means”!  

Again, I want you to keep Paul’s main argument here in view as we consider 11:11-32. He is talking about the salvation of the Jews, and the question is this: Has God abandoned His ancient people, the Jews?  The answer is consistently “no!” and now, in this second part of our text  we shall find that…

ISRAEL’S PRESENT HARDNESS WILL HAVE AN END (11:11-32)

1. CURRENTLY  THIS HAS NOT YET HAPPENED: The Jews’ loss has become the Gentiles gain (11:11-16)

i. Surely the salvation of the Gentiles must make the Jews jealous (11:11-12).  Israel has rejected the Messiah but see what blessing has come to the gentiles! See what spiritual riches have come to the rest of the world because of the gospel. Isn’t this going to make Israel jealous- (what are we missing out on?). Could this draw them to their Messiah? But wait… there is a time of their inclusion coming!  You can see here that Paul anticipates a future restoration of the Jews.

ii. This is one reason why Paul magnified his ministry to the Gentiles (11:13-16). Jesus spoke of the “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). These are the times in which Paul lived, and in which we now live. However, whenever Paul spoke to the gentiles, his own people were not far from his heart. That is why he went to synagogues first. Though it was mostly gentiles that came to Christ, there were some Jews listening in and responding to the gospel, and yet... he was always hoping for more. He was waiting for a miracle… life from the dead! (11:15).  Every conversion is just that – a miracle!  And then think about a national revival -  what a miracle!  We have seen national revivals  in the history of the world, and they have changed the social fabric of nations.  What about Israel, God’s ancient people... 

Has God rejected them? 

NO! In 11:16 Paul points out that Israel was  the first fruit and dough – the prototype and environment of God’s saving work on earth – this was a holy work! If this is so, the roots (patriarchal roots - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are holy,  and so are the branches. The gentile church cannot   ignore that fact.

11:17 gives way to the olive tree analogy.  Israel is metaphorically described as an olive tree (Jer. 11:16). She is the original olive tree! The gentiles (here described as wild olive shoots) were grafted into that tree (11:17-18) and building on the covenantal promises of God in the Bible they are being nourished by the root of that original olive tree.  Always remember that our Old Testament is the rootstock from which we feed.

Because some natural branches (Israelites who rejected Christ) were broken off due to unbelief, gentile believers might now be tempted to feel superior to the Jews. Paul reminds them here that they do not sustain the root; rather, the root sustains them. 

11:20 A warning follows: do not be arrogant towards the branches – the Jews.

This is followed by 11:21 a reminder that pride goes before the fall. The Jews were broken off because of pride. This happens to anyone who is proud. Note also 11:22 Gentiles must not become presumptuous. If unfaithful, they can easily be cut off. Many a gentile church has been cut off in the history of the church (cf. Revelation 2 & 3).                                                

Then follows  this sober reminder in 11:23-24: God has the power to graft the Jewish people back into their own olive tree, once they believe in the Messiah! And here it is…

2. THE HEART OF THE TEXT: THE MYSTERY OF ISRAEL’S SALVATION (11:25-32)

i.      Their hardening continues until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in (11:25)

ii.          In this way all Israel will be saved (11:26-27)

iii.       They may be enemies of the gospel, but their elect are still loved by God (11:28)

iv.          Salvation for both, Jew and gentiles is by sovereign election - all of God’s mercy (11:29-32)

11:25  Paul cautions the Gentile Christians: Don’t be wise in your own sight. Understand this mystery concerning Israel- it is revealed here: A partial hardening has been brought upon Israel.  

Why has God done this and for how long? 

Answer: “until the fullness of the gentiles has come in.”  

This is the climax of world missions! And following that time  God will remove the hardening —  when He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.”  It appears then that a time will come  when the Jewish people will no longer be hardened in their unbelief in Christ. This does not necessarily mean that every Israelite will come to faith in Christ, but it does means that there will be a great Jewish turning back to God by embracing Jesus Christ, the Saviour. This is what is expected in Scripture passages such as ….

Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Isaiah 66:8: “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labour she brought forth her children.”

Is not this what Jesus meant when He said to these hard-hearted Jews in Matthew 23:39, “I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

11:26,27 ... AND IN THIS WAY ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED

Three Views

Each one of these views have respectable support in Reformed theology

1.   Some read this as the sum-total of all the elect, all true believers across all the ages, Jews and Gentiles alike.  Israel, in this view is seen as synonymous with the “church”.   John Calvin and Martin Luther held to this view.

2. Others see this as the elect from among the Jews across the entire span of history and until the return of the Lord Jesus. It is  similar to #1, but restricted to Jews.

3. A third view holds that in 11:26-32, following the fullness of the gentiles (11:25), the partial hardening of national Israel will be lifted (11:26 see  Isa. 59:20,21) as God shows Israel renewed mercy (11:31,32). At that time there will be a substantial ingathering so that the spiritual fiber of the Jewish nation will be changed, even as the Reformation changed the spiritual fiber of many European countries.

So back to the question with which chapter 11 began: “Has God rejected His people?” 

We are now able to formulate the complete answer:

1.       There has always been a true remnant among the Jews. In 11:1-10 Paul gives three proofs: (i) He himself was a Jew; (ii) In Elijah’s dark days there were 7000 true Jews that had not compromised; (iii) there have been Jewish converts under Paul’s ministry, and dare one say, in every century since our Lord Jesus Christ had ascended to heaven.  

2.       God is not finished with Israel (11:11-32).  For a long time, and right now, the Jewish people have been  severed branches, while the gentile nations have had the privilege of being grafted into that OT stock and root. However, the day will come, when the fullness of the gentile elect will have been gathered (Will you be among them?).  Following this the Jews will be grafted in again. That is the argument of 11:17-24. So, here we have another proof that God has not rejected Israel.  We can yet expect a  substantial harvest; we may and must pray for the large scale  conversion of the Jewish people.   

THIS DOCTRINE IN HISTORY 

The large scale conversion of the Jews has been the expectation of a large number  of  Reformed  pastors and theologians.  An 18^th century preacher, J.C. Ryle had this to say in 1867:

[The Jews] are kept separate that they may finally be saved, converted and restored to their own land. They are reserved and preserved, in order that God may show in them as on a platform, to angels and men, how greatly he hates sin, and yet how greatly he can forgive, and how greatly he can convert. Never will that be realized as it will in that day when “all Israel shall be saved.”[2]

Men like Samuel Rutherford, C.H. Spurgeon, Robert Murray M’Çheyne, Andrew Bonar, John Murray and many more held to this. 

The belief in a future, large-scale conversion of ethnic Jewish people to Christianity is a cornerstone of historic postmillennialism. Among these are the great John Owen and   Jonathan Edwards.  

Pre-millenialists also agree  with this.

 CONCLUSION

Why is this of relevance to us? Why should we take note? And what should we avoid in this matter?

We are aware of what some evangelicals do with all of this.  They make this doctrine  the basis for the political support of the nation of Israel in its current war with the Palestinians. Israel is uncritically endorsed. She  is in rebellion against God. She is not a godly nation, and she is not fighting a holy war.  They too have made life difficult for  Christians and Messianic believers who convert to the Christian faith.   

Having said that  and  based on our text it is right that we should hope and pray for the conversion of Israel, because of her ancient place  and promises in God’s purposes.  The Jews still exist today because God is not finished with them.

Imagine that day, and may it come soon, when many Jewish knees will bow and Jewish hearts obey the gospel of Jesus the Messiah. How and when is this going to happen?  We don’t know, but we are called to live in eager expectation of Christ’s return. And the conversion of the Jews seems to take place in connection with the second coming of Christ.  

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[1] Isaiah 29:10 and Psalm 69:22,23

[2] Are You Ready for the End of Time? [Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2001], 137–138

Romans 11:1-10 Has God rejected Israel? #1

 

 

 

OUTLINE OF ROMANS 11:1-10

 1. GOD HAS NOT TOTALLY REJECTED ISRAEL (11:1-10)

  a.  The evidence supporting this (11:1-6)

       i.  Paul himself (11:1)

       ii. There is a remnant of Jews just as in the days of Elijah (11:2-5a)

       iii. This remnant is chosen by grace, not based on works (11:5b-6)

  b. Right now Israel, by and large, have been hardened (11:7-10)

       i. An elect remnant has been saved, the rest were hardened (11:7)

       ii. This hardening has been indicated by the Scriptures (11:8-10)

 

Historic Israel was founded approximately 1000 years before Christ was born. Its territorial integrity wavered from  20 000 square kilometers to about 150 000 sq km at its peak, under David and Solomon. 

In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem, reducing the region to a Roman province.  Following the suppression of many Jewish revolts,  and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD by the Roman general Titus  and the defeat of the Bar Kochba revolt (135–138 AD), Jewish political sovereignty completely ceased. 

The land was ruled successively by the Byzantine Empire- an extension of the Roman empire, Arab caliphates, the Crusaders, the Mamluks[1], the Ottoman Empire[2] (1517–1917). 

Lastly, it was   administered by Great Britain under a League of Nations Mandate from 1920–1948, after which the modern state of Israel came into being.

The ancient Jewish kingdom had no territorial identity for about 2000 years, until the establishment of the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948. The Jews as a people, have existed  as a cultural / religious identity for 3000 years, scattered almost everywhere in the world. Even in China there are Jewish communities[3].

Today, this little nation occupies a mere 22,145 square kilometers. South Africa by comparison, occupies 1,219,090 square kilometers. For perspective: Israel fits 56 times into South Africa!

From a biblical perspective, the Jews became the most privileged people on earth (see  Romans 9:4,5). God, the Creator of all things chose to reveal Himself to them and in them and through them in a most profound way. He gave them His law and then He  finally gave them His Son. He was the supreme offering for our sin. He is the Way back to God. With respect to Jesus,  born in the line of David, the Jews developed a huge problem. They rejected Him and consequently, God removed His candlestand from them. Their temple has been gone for nearly 2,000 years. No king from David's line has sat on a throne since the Babylonian exile.

All this raises a massive question: Have God’s promises to Israel failed (9:6)? The modern state of Israel certainly does not match the vision that Isaiah and all the prophets spoke about. Today, only around 2% of Jewish people believe in Jesus. It is believed that there are around one million Jewish believers in Jesus worldwide; perhaps 30 000 live in Israel today[4]. According to the latest population census 10.15 million people live in Israel[5]. This is a drop in the ocean. 

So, what do we do with that? 

How do we explain the promises God gave to Israel with what we see in reality, not just today, but throughout her history?  

In Romans 9, 10, and 11 Paul gives three answers to this question.

In Romans 9 Paul answers that God’s salvation always has had to do with the sovereignty of God in choosing His people- even from among the Jewish people. Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but the children of promise are counted as offspring (9:6-8). God knows who the children of promise are, not only from among the Jews, but also the gentiles.

In Romans 10 Paul deals with our side of the story. Not knowing who the children of promise are, we are called to preach the good news to all – Jew and gentile. In Paul’s day the Jews, to whom these spiritual privileges had come, and who were the first recipients of the gospel, they displayed a profound lack of faith  in God’s promises.

In Romans 11 Paul speaks of the rejection of the Jews, but not in a total sense. The gentiles  in Paul's  day, by way of  contrast  were much more responsive to the gospel. Nevertheless, Paul indicates that there will come a time in which many Jews may yet be gathered into the great final congregation of God, the number which is known only to God.  

This is the big picture.  Now let us consider the details of Chapter 11

ROMANS 11:1-10   GOD HAS NOT TOTALLY REJECTED HIS PEOPLE

11:1a “I ask, then, has God rejected his people?”  This KEY question is similar to the statement in 9:6 and it follows his discussion in Rom.10 where Paul showed that Israel’s forsaking of God was a result of her conscious rejection of the salvation that God had offered the Jews in Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah. So, does that mean that God’s promises to the Jews have failed? Does that mean that God has no further dealings with the Jews?

11:1b – 2a Answer: “By no means” –  or ‘emphatically no’!   Paul will spend the rest of the chapter explaining why this is not so.

THE EVIDENCE: Romans 11:1-6

a.       Look at me! “For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” Paul says, “I am evidence that God has not rejected His people!   And remember, I am the unlikely of converts, having been a violent persecutor of the Christian faith”. But when the Lord Jesus Christ overpowered him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) this super Jew was a changed man – for good! And so, God’s continuing mercy to Israel is made manifest in Paul, who calls himself “the foremost of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15)!

b.      Look at the example of Elijah (11:2b- 4) Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  (1 Ki.19:18). If ever there was a time in Israel’s history, to believe that God had abandoned Israel, it was then.  Ahab the worst king in Israel's history sat on the throne.  The Lord’s prophets had been killed. The nation was indifferent. No wonder Elijah thought he was the last faithful Israelite standing. But no!  At the worst of times in Israel, God had an elect people, kept by His grace. Noah's family survived the flood. Joseph preserved Israel through famine. God has always preserved  a remnant of faithful men and women.

c.       Look at yourselves (11:5-6) So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace. He says to the Roman Christians, “…can you not  presently see all the converted Jewish Christians in your midst?  They are evidence that God has not rejected His people”. There was a remnant of believing Jews in Rome, who were trusting in Jesus alone for their salvation. They were not trusting in their works- righteousness. And so, it has been in the entire history of the church.  There have been Jewish converts to Christ in every age. God’s promise has not failed! 

 WHAT THEN?  CONCERNING THE HARDENING OF ISRAEL (11:7- 10)

 "What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, 

• “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” (Deut. 29:4)
• And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” (Ps 69:22,23)

Here is the explanation:

Israel as a nation pursued a legalistic righteousness,  but they missed it. They failed to embrace God's  way of justification, the Lord Jesus Christ, and thereby they spurned God’s way of salvation. Sadly, the nation by and large was hardened to the good news.

HOWEVER, in Israel there were those (the elect) who received the Lord Jesus. They believed in Him. But 

Therefore, the nation did not obtain what it was looking for, but within that nation, a remnant did. This is nothing new. This pattern is clearly observed in the OT Scriptures. Paul quotes

• Romans 11:8:  From Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10, he observes, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
•  Romans 11:9,10 is quoted from Psalm 69:22–23: And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Paul's point is simple: God   handed this nation, endowed with so much spiritual privilege over. He gave them over  to  what they wanted. He did not stop them. However, in this hardened nation, some people (here called ‘the elect’) were helped to see. This is because of God’s sovereign mercy (cf. 9:14-18). They obtained their salvation. This is the pattern of redemptive history. The Old Testament shows us that  God in His mercy has always preserved a remnant (see Romans 9:29  cf. Isa. 1:9). If He had not done that, there would be no people of God.

And so, the question once again:  Has God abandoned his people? The answer from Paul's  own life, from Israel's history is NO!

 THE RELEVANCE OF THIS TEXT FOR US

•      A warning for people who have many religious privileges and much exposure to the Bible, but who sit lightly on the claims of the Bible. These authoritative words do not change them. God is not loved and sin is not hated. Mere exposure to the Bible does not produce a Christian.  Religious communities, rituals and ceremonies do not save. A vital personal faith in Christ ALONE saves.
•     God is trustworthy and faithful. We have seen that God’s promises have not failed, but not in the way we expected.  Make sure that you understand God’s way of salvation, and if you must do anything, then do this: Ask God to be merciful to you!  Place your trust entirely in God and His Word. If you do this, you will not be disappointed.  
•     Remember that the ultimate basis of God’s promises is always God’s sovereign election of His people. The language of 11: 2- 10 is clear.  There has been a remnant in all ages with respect to the Jews and even today there is a continuing Jewish remnant.  Today there are a good number of Christian Jews in the world and in Israel  They are part of the great  church of God.
•      This is all about the  great eternal plan of God! Sometimes,  when we face various problems of life, we lose the big picture in the details. At such times it helps to look at the big picture and find that history and the future of the world is in God’s hands. This takes enormous pressure off us!
•     Above all, make sure that you yourself have  not failed to find Christ.

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[1] The Mamluks were a powerful military caste of non-Arab, ethnically diverse enslaved soldiers and mercenaries who ruled parts of the medieval Islamic world, most notably Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517

[2] The Ottoman Empire lasted for more than 600 years, from around 1299 until 1922.  The empire was named after Osman I, a leader of Turkic tribes in northwestern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).

[3] According to an oral tradition, the first Jews immigrated to China through Persia after the Roman Emperor Titus's capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Many Jews emigrated from Persia during the reign of Emperor Ming of Han (58–75 AD). (Wikipedia)

[4] AI

[5] https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-908103

ROMANS 10:14-21 "FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST"

 

Our text is a profound commentary on the problem of selective hearing- or better still, a commentary on how sin affects our hearing of the truth. I will close with some application on this problem.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul has presented us with the clearest and fullest explanation of the Gospel. In the gospel humanity’s main problem is addressed and dealt with. Unless we are reconciled with God, saved from the wrath of God, we will not go the heaven. That is the bad news! The good news is that the gospel, the message of salvation, is a gift from God, that can be received through faith in Jesus Christ. It cannot be received by self-effort, and not by following religious laws. Just look to Jesus !

Last time we considered Romans 10:1-13. There Paul had stressed the absolute need for faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation. A review of 10:9-13 teaches that confessing, believing, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, are necessary for salvation.  “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved…”  (10:9).  

This is no new teaching. Paul finds it in the Old Testament. 

• In Rom. 10:11 Paul finds it in Isa. 10:11 “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
• And in Rom. 10:13 Paul finds it in Joel 2:32 : “For everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved”.  

 The gospel is for everyone – the Jews first, and the gentiles (Rom.1:16)

If that is what the OT teaches, then we must ask, how did Israel, Paul’s countrymen, the most privileged nation upon the face of the earth (cf. 9:4-5) by and large not hear that? It is very clear that Paul is grieved by the overwhelming non-response of his Jewish countrymen   to the gospel (Rom. 9:1-5; 10:1-4).   This, incidentally, does not apply to Jews only. We see this kind of apathy also in our gentile world. 

Why will our world at large not hear the gospel? 

Why in fact does it reject the gospel?

We have already considered this problem by way of the teaching on election in Romans 9. That doctrine is God’s truth, and it explains the ultimate reason as to why some people   are saved at all. However, this knowledge of who is elect and who is not, belongs to God. Romans 9 relates to the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty, and the “why” of it He has not revealed to us.[1]

In Romans 10 we find the counterpart to that great doctrine – the doctrine of human responsibility. What must we do to help men and women to believe? The answer is this: We must preach the gospel to them! This is our clear God given responsibility. All people, Jew and Gentile, need to hear the gospel, confess the gospel, believe the gospel, by calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus!  Everyone may be saved by confessing, by believing, by calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus. (10:11,13). Our context is geared specifically to the Jews, but it can be applied to the rest of mankind.

But how is this to be done?  What we learn here is vital to our understanding, doctrine and practice of evangelism. It is also important to the expectations we may have of our evangelistic work. Follow the logic of the text with me…  

 1.        10:14-15   A CALL TO GOSPEL PROCLAMATION 

          4 Questions

(i)          How will they call on Him (Christ) if they have not believed in Him?

(ii)     How are they to believe in Him (Christ) if they have never heard (the gospel of Christ)?  

(iii)       How will they hear (the gospel of Christ) without someone preaching?

(iv)       How are they to preach (the gospel) unless they are sent?

Why these questions?  We need gospel clarity in order to believe!  In asking these four questions, Paul says that people need

(i)       help to call on Him in whom they have not believed   

(ii)     to hear a clear explanation of who Christ is  

(iii)   a preacher to explain the gospel of Jesus the Messiah 

(iv)   Preachers need to be sent. Churches do selection  and  the sending

This is a very direct and pointed command, rooted in the Great Commission (Matt.28: 18-20). Here in Rom. 10:14-15 we have the how to do it. We need authorized (called) preachers who help people to receive a clear explanation of who Jesus is: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news”- another quote from the OT – Isa. 52:7. Just that. Nothing more, nothing less.  

People need to hear the plain gospel, clearly explained. People need to hear how they may be saved from the consequences of their sin.  Sadly, the church is very tempted by the idea that the preaching of the  plain gospel is not enough. We are tempted to become more appealing to the culture; to focus more on not being offensive;  to focus on  contemporary worship; making a big fuss of people; making the church more user friendly; draw crowds by minimizing   the problem of sin; avoid talking about substitutionary atonement  and the cruel death of Christ on the cross; avoid talking directly about the need of repentance etc.  

We are not saying that we must not be welcoming, friendly and joyful – we have every reason to be, but we must not do this at the expense of watering down the gospel. 

THE POINT:  Above  all, the Gospel must be clearly heard!

 2.       10:16-21 THE GOSPEL IS NOT CLEARLY HEARD – THE PROBLEM OF SELECTIVE HEARING

Again, this problem is directly related to Israel in context but it also applies universally.

(i)            10:16-18 “But they have not all obeyed the gospel”. Some have, but most not. The problem is not that Israel did not have  gospel  preachers. They did. The OT proves it- see Isaiah 53:1: “Lord who has believed what he has heard from us?” and again in 10:18 which is a quote from Psalm 19:4. Psalm 19 deals with the two ways in which God has made Himself known to mankind: 

              1. General Revelation (19:1-6)- God’s revelation in nature and 

           2. Special Revelation (19:7-14).  God has made Himself known through His OT Word, and then very specifically through sending His Son into the World (Hebr. 1:1-3). He is the WORD.  The Jews had  the best  opportunity to hear the message and respond to it.  We will come back to 10:17 in a moment...

(ii)   10:18 -21   The Jews have heard the gospel, but did they understand?  Was the gospel explained sufficiently? Was it clear?  Paul says that the problem is not that Israel lacked understanding. They should have. Even the gentiles had understood it!  [Notice, 10:19 is a reference to Deut.:21 and 10:20 is a reference to Isaiah 65:1] Paul’s point is this:  If the gentiles understood the gospel (with all their deficient OT background) how could the Jews not have understood it? This is not an   intellectual problem and 10:21 gives the reason: "All day long I’ve stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people". (Isaiah 65:2). There is the problem! Never underestimate the impact of disobedience and contrariness.  Disobedience to the clear Word of God hardens our hearts to the gospel. This is what  the Jews were when Jesus appeared.  They had  hardened hearts. A reading of the gospels helps us to see this clearly.

 Romans 10:17

"Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

The key to saving faith is to HEARING the Word of Christ by confessing Christ, by believing in Christ  and by calling upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His Word  and  the outpoured Holy Spirit continues to stretch out His hands to a disobedient and contrary people.

If faith comes by hearing, and that hearing is the hearing of the word of Christ, then  we need messages from our pulpit that are full of the gospel of Christ Jesus, because that is the only means by which saving faith is produced. 

Sadly, many churches don’t believe this anymore and that is why you hear motivational speakers rather than preachers. Motivational speakers preach about ‘Seven ways to Better Financial Planning’; ‘Eight Steps to Being a Better Parent or husband or wife’ ;  ‘How to Improve Your Love Life’. The Bible is used as a launching pad and is quickly left behind,  and the preacher basically becomes a pop psychologist. Christ is not heard. He is not the grand  subject  and solution to our problems. 

This  kind of proclamation cannot not sustain  the hungry impoverished soul.  

Systematic, Spirit filled, passionate  Bible exposition is key. When the Bible is properly preached, the Lord Jesus Christ and all His work for us is at the center of it all. And when Jesus is preached, He will draw people to Himself (John 12:32). As people  come to Him, and as they remain in Him (John 15) they will become better husbands, wives, children, employers, employees, better financial stewards etc. They will become more kind, loving, merciful, honest… they will grow daily in the grace and the knowledge of Christ.

Regular sitting under the Word is key. 

Israel sadly began to feed upon and listen to something else other than the word of God. She indulged in selective hearing. She became hardhearted, obstinate and unbelieving - and as a result she missed her Messiah, Jesus, the best gift that God has given to this world (2 Cor. 9:15)

 THE DANGER OF SELECTIVE HEARING  

The Bible frequently warns against the danger of selective hearing. 

The Israelites often fell into this trap, choosing to follow God's commands only when convenient. Jeremiah 6:10, laments, "To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it."

The Pharisees were notorious for their selective adherence to the Law. Jesus rebukes them in Matthew 23:23, saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness." Their focus on minor details while neglecting the core principles of the Law exemplifies the danger of selective hearing. And in the end, they were the one’s who could not bear to hear the words of Jesus.  

Selective hearing refers to hearing only those parts of God's Word that align with our desires while ignoring the rest.

Selective hearing poses significant spiritual danger.

•       It leads to a distorted understanding of God's will.
•       It hinders one's relationship with God.  
•    It leads to spiritual deafness. Jesus addresses this issue directly in Matthew 13:13-15: "This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'" A hardened heart and selective hearing prevents people from truly understanding and accepting Jesus’ teachings.
•     It leads to lack of spiritual depth and authenticity. James 1:22-24 warns us, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like." Here we learn the importance of not only hearing God's Word but also acting upon it.
•     It makes us vulnerable to false teachings. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul cautions, "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." If we engage in selective hearing  an stop relying on the good counsel of God’s Word,  false teachings become plausible.

 GUARDING AGAINST SELECTIVE HEARING

• Be receptive to all God's Word.
• Test all teachings against Scripture (e.g.  the Bereans in Acts 17:11). Read and study the Bible for yourself
• Seek the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit with prayer
• Keep your focus on the Lord Jesus. Look for Him in the Bible.
• Be obedient to God’s revealed will

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[1]  Deut.  29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the works of his law.”