Rejection of the Chosen
Romans 11:1-4 · Mike Doyle · Nov 10, 2024
Romans (2022-25), No. 098
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261937146826

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Actually, great verses today, I think, and continue to be as we work our way through 9, 10, and 11, answering questions about, well, what about the nation of Israel? So I thought this morning I would start with Romans 9, 1 through 4, and then follow up with Romans 10. which we talked about last week, 19 through 21. So Romans nine, one through four, I'll start in three.

For I could wish that I myself was accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites to whom belong the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the temple service and the promises. So Israel was really blessed by God. And Paul's heart for them was that he would allow himself to be accursed if they could all be saved. So they're really important to him.

And then in 19 through 21 that we talked about last week, but I say, surely did Israel not know? Did they? They did know. and I'm not gonna quote Moses, is 20. And Isaiah is very bold in saying, I was found by those who didn't seek me. Who are they? Gentiles. I became manifest to those who didn't ask for me. Gentiles. But as for Israel, he says, all the day long, I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.

So what you have here is two attitudes. One is God's loving, gracious attitude towards creation and his people. And the other is a response of his chosen people. So we start with that. Now the verses today, I say then, God has not rejected his people, has he? May it never be, for I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin. God is not rejected as people whom he foreknew. Statement of fact. Or do you not know what the scripture says in the passage about Elijah?

How he pleads with God against Israel. He pleads with God against, contrast that with what Paul's doing. He's praying for them. Elijah is pleading against them. Elijah says, Lord, they've killed your prophets. They've torn down your altars. And I alone am left and they are seeking my life. But what is the divine response to him? I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed their knee to bow.

That's what we're gonna look at today. So a little bit of 9, 10, and 11. Why is this whole section written? A couple of reasons. One, God's setting aside of Israel is not necessarily a corporate setting aside the whole group because there have been and always been a remnant, which he said, we'll say, is Israel.

And they are the ones who believe. to let us know that the setting aside of Israel as a primary vehicle of dispensing truth, evangelization and growth in grace. And I don't think we really have a grasp on the fact of why did God have special people from Abraham? Well, they had a job to do and they were to be the representatives of God to the whole human race. And we're gonna find out or do find out that the setting aside of Israel is temporary, it's not permanent.

And there will be one day at the center of all of God's dealing with earthly men, Israel will be at the center of that, okay? Chapter nine is about God's sovereignty and his past dealings with Israel. 10 is about Israel sinning and the rejection and God's present dealing with them, setting them aside.

Problem, the Jews heard the gospel, and the gospel in the sense that we've talked about is the gospel of who's the Messiah? Who is he? It's Jesus of Nazareth. And as we talked about last week, if the Jews were said, you need to call upon God, they would call upon him. But if you said, oh, the calling upon God is you're to call on Jesus of Nazareth, they would have passed.

Because they didn't believe that. And the Gentiles, God had no dealing with the Gentiles. They didn't have any prophets. He didn't send anybody to them. He didn't make any promises to them. But the Gentiles heard the message. And they believed it. And so what did God do? He saved them.

So chapter 11 now, the two are kind of brought together in a relationship with each other and we are shown how the sovereign wisdom of God, even the sin of Israel is made to contribute to the working of a universal purpose of redemption. A redemption in which Israel also shares in accordance with the unbreakable promises of God.

Sunday school this morning we were talking about, we kept going back and talking about Genesis and Adam and Eve. why Adam was who he was and why he was the head of the human race. And what's interesting is that we were lamenting over the fact that, boy, if Adam took one bite out of one piece of fruit and look what happened. Everything went in the dumper, right? But in typical the way God does things, He always has a plan.

And His plan, even though there's sin in the case of Adam and Israel, His plan is actually better than the original one. The fact that He sends Christ as the Savior of the world for those who believe in Him and their position in Christ is far surpasses living in the Garden of Eden. You know, once you understand who you are in Christ, the Garden of Eden is a nice place, but you don't want to go there. You want to be with Christ in the heavenlies.

So chapter three can be naturally divided up into three sections. Verse one through 10, in which the question immediately arises out of chapter 10, where the unbelief of which Israel as a whole has been Convicted involves God's permanent rejection of those chosen people. That's going to be the issue. 11 through 24 in which the result to be accomplished by the partial or temporary exclusion of the Jews from the messianic kingdom is enlarged upon.

And the Gentiles warned against self-exaltation. You know, how man thinks, well, those Jews didn't do a very good job, so now things are gonna go to the Gentiles. Guess what's gonna happen to them? They're gonna get that same arrogance that the Jews had.

Verse 25 through 36, he amplifies the unsearchable wisdom. and love and faithfulness of God is as revealed in securing by a common method the salvation alike of Israel and the Gentiles. That's from Kenneth Wiest. So, verse one says, so then, God has not rejected his people, has he? The word then or therefore, O-U-N, introduces a question as a conclusion from what the verses were before the discussion in 19 through 21. Yeah, they knew and they understood. Yes, they did. And so did they hear and did they understand the message of Jesus Christ? Answer, yes, they did.

But as for Israel, he says, all the day long, I've stretched out my hands to a disobedient, obstinate people. It's a really good vision or metaphor for what God is doing. He stretches out his hands and says, come to me, come to me. And he did it with Israel and he does it with humanity today. All day long, he does that.

So the question is, Has God permanently rejected his people? And it's phrased, the question is phrased so that it requires a negative answer. When he says, I say then God has not rejected his people, has he? The Greek structure is no, he hasn't. That's the presumed answer. So, Paul is not raising a question. He's actually stating a fact. He's driving home the fact that God did not cast away Israel. He uses the rhetorical question, God has not rejected his people, has he?

So this chapter is a really interesting chapter for us to understand the relationship of the kingdom of God and his ways. How does he do things? You know, we've studied over the last month, years, that one of the most important things to God when it came to whether the Jews were acceptable to Him, He would tell them, you did not know my ways. And it's the same way with us. You know, we have theologians and scholars, but how many of us understand God's ways? the way He does things, and how He's so gracious all the time. But He's also holy, righteous, and good. But His ways are always gracious. God has not rejected, may it never be. Rejected is an interesting word. It means to push away, or thrust away, or to repel, or to drive away from oneself, or to repudiate it. It's Aristence, which points to the fact that God, did God permanently reject Israel?

And that's where you get the idea The question is, did he permanently get rid of them? Push them aside and said, I'm not paying attention to you anymore. Did he finally had enough with them? It's in a middle voice, which means that he'd do it for his own good. He got tired of messing with them and it's for his good to shove them away. Now I'm not going to deal with you anymore.

The word is used in a Greek classic by Oedipus who says, I charge you that no one shelter or speak to that murderer, but that I'll thrust him from their homes permanently. Same word, same word. So you might say, in today's language, I'm done with that, or I'm done with you. It's a phrase that we use all the time. If someone says that to you, you think, oh, they probably are done with that, yeah. Did God do this for his own good because he was tired of dealing with them? Paul answers the question emphatically, certainly not. He didn't do it for that.

So med gen oito is an interesting phrase that we've seen a lot. We've seen it in Romans 6. We see it a lot of places. And it says, may such a thing never occur. In other words, it shouldn't happen at all. Don't even bring it up. And notice if you're a King James and Holy person, that phrase is translated God forbid. Guess what? The word God is not there in Greek. So it doesn't mean it must be a Jewish idiom, God forbid, because there's no mention of God in that phrase whenever you see it.

So Jeremiah 31 is gonna talk about how God himself is sovereign and in charge. Now watch how he does this, it's really cool. He says, thus saith the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that the waves roar, the Lord of hosts is his name. God's in charge of all of this.

Next verse, he says, if this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever. It's a good way to say they're never gonna be, rejected by me, ever. Because I'd have to, in order for that to happen, then day and night's gotta cease, and the stars have to go away, and the waves have to stop, you know? And so far, man has, like we said last week, man has done a good job of messing up the earth, but he can't mess with this, because God's in charge of this. So God does have a future plan for Israel.

For I am, the second part of this verse, for I am, Paul, an Israelite, I'm a descendant of Abraham, and I'm a tribe of Benjamin. That's who I am. This is the second answer to, has God rejected his people? Paul says, I'm the proof. I'm an Israelite, and I'm not a Jewish, a proselyte either. I'm a Benjamite. I'm of one of the 10 tribes that didn't get separated by Judah, from Judah.

An Israelite is a Jew who is seen as a member of kind of the theocracy and thus an heir of the promise of God and given to that nation. It's an imposing title of all the things that Jews are called. A Hebrew opposed to a Greek speaking Jew or a Grecian Jew, while a Jew is a Jew in his national distinction from a Gentile. So a lot of times we read about the Jews that were in Israel for a feast and they're called Hellenists. Well, they're Jews that don't live in Jerusalem. So they're kind of a, You know, other side of the tracks, Jews. And offspring of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin.

If there ever was a Jew, it's the Apostle Paul. But this next part is a little complicated. I kept calling Donna into my office and I'd read this to her and I'd say, what do you think? And she'd go, So we'll see how it goes. Some people say this is an example of individual Israelites who has not been rejected, but is still one of God's people. And almost all the commentators say that that's what this means.

But I don't think that's probable for a couple of reasons. One, Paul would not bring one only example to prove his point. when millions might have been alleged. And he would not be consistent with the way his humble mind worked to put himself alone in such a place. And, may it never be, Meijin Oto does not go simply to deny the hypothetical fact that he was alone.

God's not going to reject his people, that's a hypothesis, but applies to some condemned consequence of that which is hypothetically put. In other words, this is the part where I got this from Donna. It's hypothetical, God wouldn't do that. The second observation is from DeWitt, he said, how can I say such a thing as I myself am Israelite, et cetera? Does not my very nationality furnish a security against my entertaining such an idea? No, it doesn't, it doesn't. This last part that Weiss talks about, which I have found only in recent commentary of Mr. Eubank, is implying that if such a hypothesis were to be conceded, let's say you said okay, it would exclude from God's kingdom the writer himself because he's an Israelite. This seems to agree better with may it never be as a condemning the consequences of such an assertion. I didn't see anybody go. I must have pulled that off. I say then, God has not rejected his people.

So now the question is, who are his people? From the sentence, for I too am an Israelite, et cetera, it's obvious that his people is what he means here. must mean the people of God nationally considered, all of them. If Paul denounced a proposition as a permanent rejection of God's people because he himself would accordingly be an Israelite cut off from God's favor, The rejection assumed in the hypothesis then must be a national rejection, not individuals, a national one. It's against the idea that he puts in his strong argument. It is this which he disproves by a persuasive historical parallel to scripture, which we'll see in a second, showing that there is a remnant even at this present time, according to the election of grace.

Not only that, but that part of Israel considered as having permanence of national existence, which is for a time hardened, shall ultimately come in. And so all Israel, nationally considered again, Israel as a nation, all Israel will be saved. Now, it does not mean that if you have a Jewish last name and you come from one of the tribes that you're automatically in.

That was the whole premise of John 3 and Nicodemus. When Jesus said to Nicodemus, you must be born again, or you're not even going to see the kingdom. And he thought he was in because of his nationality, his inheritance, and what he did. He was a Pharisee.

Consequently, the covenant of God with Israel, having been national, shall ultimately be fulfilled to them as a nation, not by the gathering in merely of individual Jews or of all the Jews individually into the Christian church. There are people that say, well, what goes on today is that if you're a believing Jew, you become a Christian. That's true.

But that isn't what God's plan is. He plans to bring in the nation of Israel as Israel into the kingdom as a nation. And you don't, just because you came into the church doesn't qualify you for the kingdom. As a matter of fact, you get disqualified for the kingdom because now you're in Christ.

So, but by the national restoration of the Jews, not an unbelief, but as, now watch this next part, but as a Christian-believing, Christ as Messiah, Savior-believing nation. The faith in the Lord Jesus is the issue. It's the only issue. It was prophesied in the Old Testament in time of Christ when he was here. And since that time, the issue for Jews or anybody is who is this man, Jesus Christ? Oh yeah, Jesus from Nazareth. Who is he? He is a Christian doctrine.

So I use the term Christian doctrine because it has to do with the content of what they believe, which will make them a nation that goes into the kingdom. to all that can under the gospel represent their ancient preeminence and to the fullness of those promises which have never yet in their plain sense been accomplished to them.

So we have not seen since 70 AD the Jews brought back together again. We haven't seen that, but it's coming. And we certainly haven't seen them. I mean, they're in the land today, but they are not a Messiah Christ believing people. So God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Another argument. Paul is restating that it was impossible for God to reject his people because he foreknew them as a nation. How did this play out in the Old Testament? Watch this. Amos 3, one and two.

Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which he brought out of the land of Egypt. You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. You only have I chosen from the families of the earth. So the families of the earth are earthly people. If I asked you today, are you an earthly person? Some of you would say yes, but some of you would recognize, well, not really, I'm a heavenly person. And so God is still gonna deal with his earthly family, the Jews.

For new, that nation means, it's a word that Pro Gnosko has made up of two words. Pro means beforehand. Gnosko means to know absolutely. So he knew the nation of Israel before he ever created anything. They were his and he knew them. The word and the verb and noun forms is used seven times in the New Testament. Twice in connection with man, just man alone, where it signifies foreknowledge based upon previous experience, which is Acts 26 and 2 Peter 3. and five times with reference to God himself. So let's look at a couple of those.

Acts 2.23 says, this man, the Lord Jesus, was delivered over by the predetermined plan and not for knowledge of God.

So the cross of Christ is not an accident. It didn't happen because a bunch of people got upset and they didn't vote it in or out. You nailed to the cross by the hands of godless men and you put him to death. God knew that was going to happen. Romans 8 29. For those whom he foreknew, which is everybody in this room, he also predestined, this is not salvation, he foreknew each one of us in Christ, and he predetermined what was gonna happen to us once we were in Christ. Guess what it is? To be conformed to the image of his Son. He determined that, he knew it, and he determined it before. so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren.

1 Peter 1.20, for he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. Who's he talking about?

The Lord Jesus, foreknown. Foreknowledge is part, in part of that act and takes part in the becoming of that act, namely foreordination. If God foreknows each one of you and me, not only does He know us personally and intimately, it isn't that He just knows about what we're gonna do, He knows us personally. That knowledge, and He predetermines what's gonna happen to me and to you.

God predetermined that Lem was gonna go home this week. He decided about that. Lem belonged to him. He was one of his. And God foreknew Lem before ever he created Adam. So, which he foreknew. This is really the reason which makes the rejection incredible and impossible. Some think that Paul means to say that God knew what Israel was before he chose it. And therefore he casts it off as if this unbelief had disappointed him. He knew from the first what it would be. Do you think, really do you think in your mind you can disappoint God? You think you're gonna pull a fast one on him? That you're gonna come up with something that he didn't know before time?

We must take for knowing Romans 8, 29, the meaning is Israel stood before God's eyes from eternity as his people. And in the permanence of the sovereign love in which he made it, his, it lies the impossibility of rejection. Verse two. So God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Now he doesn't ask the question, he makes the statement.

And then he says to the reader, don't you know that what the scripture says in passage, in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, Oida, to know in an absolute manner. It speaks of positive knowledge such as Paul's Jewish readers would have expected to possess. I don't know if you've spent time reading First Kings, it's terrific. A buddy of mine sent me an email today, or Tuesday, I think, or Wednesday.

He said, now all we have to do is pray that Trump makes it to the inauguration. I said, listen, if Elijah can make it past, make it past, what's her name? He's gonna make it. Jezebel. If Elijah can make it past Jezebel, then Trump's got no problem. Watch what happens here. I have been very zealous. This is Elijah talking to the Lord and I kind of love the arrogance here. I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.

For the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars and killed your people with a sword like God didn't know. And I alone am left. And they seek my life to take it away. And then down in 14, he repeats it again. He said, I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenants, torn down your altars, killed your prophets. I alone am left and they're seeking my life to take it away. It's like God didn't get it the first time. He pleads against. The word, the Greek word here means to plead against. He's pleading against, he's going to God and say, look at these bad people. Look what they've done. And I'm the only good one in a bunch.

Elijah had just defeated the prophets, if you know the story. He gets in this contest with the prophets of Baal, and there were a lot of them. And Ahab was the king of Israel, and he introduced Baal into everything the Jews did. And so Elijah is the only, Godly prophet against all these other guys that get in a contest and not only they can't stop the fire that Elijah started but then afterwards Elijah kills them all Pretty strong, but you know what bugged him Is the fact that The fact that did and I think it's in the next slide What really bothered him I think was the fact that he goes through this whole process and the Jews all go home.

You know, it's like we're gonna have a evangelical crusade and everybody goes to it and then they don't do anything, they go home. What Elijah did was demonstrate the power of God and that he was, and they should listen to him. They didn't, they went home. It's like what the apostles did after the Christ left. Peter went fishing, so.

So Ahab, the king, related to Jezebel, the queen, that Elijah had done, and so Jezebel sent a message to Elijah. Now imagine if somebody sends you this email. And Jezebel sent a message to Eli saying, so may the gods do to me even more if I do not make your life as the life of the one of them by tomorrow about this time. Imagine getting that email. Tomorrow, you killed all those guys, tomorrow you're gonna be one of them.

So the Lord comes back and says to him, or no, I'm sorry, he's still talking to the Lord. Then he remarks, so he was so discouraged and he was so depressed of his life that he was bemoaning the fact that he was alone in the ministry. Well, you might think this is unique to him.

What about the Apostle Paul? Then he says, and this is really interesting, in Elijah's mood, Paul might have said something similar in his own time, for the circumstances were not unlike what was going on with Elijah. The apostle, like the prophet, was lonely, he was persecuted, and Israel as a whole seemed to have abandoned God and been abandoned by him, but he understands God's ways and his faithfulness better because of the circumstances that he's in. Then he says, but what is the divine response to him? Interesting that God responded.

He says, I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed their knee to Baal. The 7,000 are Israel to him, that's the nation, God's mind. Yet his unchanging faithfulness in keeping the people is not represented as a merely unconditional decree, having no relation to anything but his own will.

God is the one that willed this. This response, a divine response, is a response of an oracle or a revelation from God. for myself, by which Paul suggests God's interest in this remnant and the fact he has a purpose of his own. He's telling Elijah, I have a purpose. I know what I'm doing, and you can trust me. God has reserved 7,000, He has reserved them for himself. That's true of you and me. He has reserved us for his son. It is on this the proof depends that he has not cast off his people because God has done the reserving.

7,000 are described by one thing, that they had not bowed their knee to Baal. That's what describes them. What describes you and your relationship with the Lord? You haven't bowed your knee to Baal. Qualitative, such as those whom God reserved for himself, men who never bowed their knee to bow at all. Special kind of men, reserved by God, kept for himself. So, in closing, I think the point is, we are special, just like these 7,000 were special.

God has reserved us for himself. and he intends to carry out for each one of us exactly what he's explained to us in his word. All that he says about us, to us, and for us can never be changed or we can't change it, the world can't change it, Satan can't change it, God says it, and that settles it. Someday, Every one of us will be perfectly conformed to Christ's image and we'll be sitting before him in love and be just like him. So let's close. Father, how we thank you for your son. We thank you for who you are and the kind of God that you are. That when you say something, that's the end of the discussion, no matter what we think. So we trust you and we learn slowly but surely to just rest in your provision for each one of us. We pray in your son's name, amen.