Romans Chp. 11
Chp. 11
Verse 1 Paul says Has God thrown away his people from him?
No, God forbid. (or may God not allow it)
Paul says, I am a person of Israel. I am of the seed (family) of Abraham. I am from the tribe of Benjamin. (The youngest of Jacob’s sons.)
Verse 2 God has not put away from him the people of Israel.
These are the people he chose when he promised Abraham.
Do you remember what the scriptures say? Elijah the prophet
complained (spoke hard words against the people of Israel).
Verse 3 Elijah said The people of Israel have killed your prophets/preachers. They have broken down your altars.
I am the only one left. Now they are trying to kill me. I Kings 19:10
Verse 4 The Lord said to Elijah, There are 7,000 people in Israel who have been faithful to me and have not bowed down to the idol Baal.
Verse 5 Paul says It is the same today, there are people in Israel who are true to God because God by his grace he has chosen them.
Verse 6 If God by grace has chosen them then their salvation is not because of their own works.
Salvation can not be because of the grace of God and also be because of a person’s works.
It is one or the other.
Verse 7 The people of Israel have not been able to get what they were looking for.
But the people that God had chosen did get what they were looking for.
The rest of the people have been “blind” to the truth.
Verse 8 It is written in Isaiah 29:10 God has given them the spirit of slumber (sleep). So that they would not see and understand. So that their ears would not hear and receive what was said.
Verse 9 King David said, Let their table be made to them a trap.
It will be to them a trap, and block to make them stumble and fall.
Verse 10 Their eyes will be darkened so they will not see. Their backs are bowed down and bent over with a heavy burden.
Psalms 69:23
In other words, the people of Israel except for a few will not see, hear, or understand about Jesus and the salvation and forgiveness of sin through believing that Jesus’ death on the cross
was for them to pay their death penalty/punishment for them.
They will be “blind” to it. They had the true scriptures that other nations did not have these scriptures are like a “table” of wonderful food.
But instead of this table of food feeding their spirits and showing them how Jesus came as the Messiah/ Saviour——they have not believed it. So this “table” these scriptures this knowledge of God has become a “trap” to them.
It has kept them from accepting and believing in Jesus. They hold on to the rules and laws of the Old Testament and refuse to give them up.
The Old Testament laws were never made to be permanent and forever. They were for that time to help them understand how holy and pure God was and how sinful they were.
It was to show them how much they needed God and how much they needed to be forgiven.
When Jesus came and fulfilled the death punishment for sin—the Old Testament ways of animal sacrifices was no longer needed.
Most of the Jews would not believe this. They still do not believe it to this day in the 21st century.
Verse 12 Did God’s people’s unbelief make it so God will put them away from him?
No, the gospel did go to the Gentiles. (God loves all people and wants them all to be saved.)
Later, as the people of Israel see the Gentiles receiving salvation they will be jealous of them and they will want this salvation also.
Now, is the Gentiles are “richer” because the gospel has come to them, how much better the world will be when the people of Israel believe the gospel.
Verse 13 I am a preacher to the Gentiles. This is important for me. But I also want my own people the people of Israel to receive this salvation.
The eyes of the Jews have been “blinded” for a time, This has allowed the message of the gospel to go to Gentiles.
This has been a good thing. How much better it will be when the people of Israel accept Jesus as Savior.
Verse 16 (In these next several verses, Paul uses a word picture talking about a tree and its branches.
The tree is the true godly people from the beginning such Abraham.
The branches are the families and people who came from his family line.
Some of these branches were broken off because some of them refused to walk in the faith and truth of God.
They would not believe that Jesus was the Messiah Savior that God promised
So then God turned to the Gentiles non-Jews who never had the true scriptures and who worshipped idols. When they heard the gospel of Jesus, they believed.
So they were like “branches” that were grafted into the true tree.
Grafted means when a plant stem is cut and a branch from another plant in put into the cut then it is taped shut and the new branch begins to grow and becomes part of the tree.
Roses are often done this way. Stems are grafted into a wild rose root to make a new kind of rose.
Paul is talking to the Gentiles telling them that they are a new branch that has been grafted into the true tree.
So they should not get proud of themselves and think they are better than the Jews, because without the Jews and their scriptures they would not have salvation.
The Gentiles salvation rests in the Jewish scriptures. Jesus as Messiah Saviour comes from the God of the Jews.
Verse 19 Because the Jews would not believe then the Gentiles got the opportunity to hear the gospel.
It was because the Jews would not believe that they were “broken off”.
Paul tells the Gentiles, we stand in God and in his salvation because of our faith and believing so do not become proud.
Verse 21 If God did put away from him the Jews because they did not believe God will put away from him Gentiles who do not believe.
Verse 22 We see both the goodness and the judgment of God.
You Gentiles received his goodness because you believed. The Jews received his judgment because they would not believe.
If you, Gentiles, continue in his goodness it will be okay with you. If you stop believing you will be cut off.
Verse 23 This same is true for them, the Jews, if they change and begin believing, they will be “grafted” in. God is able to graft them in again.
Verse 24 If you Gentiles who were “wild” by nature were grafted into the true tree, how much more these branches of the true tree will be grafted back in.
Verse.25 My brothers in Christ, I want you to understand so that you will not become proud thinking you are better than the Jews because it was their “blindness” and not being willing to believe that you have the opportunity to hear the good news.
Verse 26 At the end of time, the people of Israel will see their mistake in not accepting Jesus and they will be saved. Psalms 14:7 Isaiah 59:20
“There will come out of Zion The One Who Delivers He will turn away the ungodliness (sinfulness) of Jacob. For this is my covenant (promise) unto them when I shall take away their sins. Isaiah 27:9 Jeremiah 31:31
Verse 28 The Jews are enemies of the gospel now. You Gentiles have received the gospel since they refused. But they are still the family of Abraham. God made promises to Abraham and he will keep his promise. God is not done will the Jews.
He will show them mercy. They will some day see him as Savior.
Verse 29 The gifts and the calling of God are sure, God will not pull these back.
Verse 33 The wisdom and the knowledge of God is so deep and rich. We can not understand his judgments. We can not understand his ways.
Verse 34 Who can know the mind of God? Who knows more than him to give him advice?
Verse 35 Who has first given to him? Who can give him so much that he has to pay them back?
Verse 36 It is because of him and through him and to him that all things are and exist.
To him be glory forever. Amen