HAS GOD REJECTED ISRAEL?

ROMANS 11:1–6

I ask then, Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin

(Romans 11:1).

At the end of Romans 10 we found Paul explaining that Israel had refused to pay heed to the Word of God that they heard. Because of their sin in the face of God’s repeated offers of salvation, God had made good on His threat to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. But this brings Paul to the question of whether or not God has absolutely rejected the Jews.

Clearly not, says Paul. The proof is in Paul himself. Paul is a Jew, and Paul has not been rejected. Thus, God has not absolutely rejected all Jews. What we see here is the “remnant concept” coming up again. Remember from the earlier chapters of Romans that not all who are in Israel are truly of Israel. Even though the nation at large had rejected the Gospel, there was still a remnant of true, believing Israelites.

Paul was an example of this. Paul had been persecuting the church. The last thing Paul was seeking was salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet, God had seen fit to invade Paul’s life, and call him to Himself.

In the Days of Elijah

Paul repeats the question in verse 2, and uses a similar event that happened in ancient Israel. “Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel?” Elijah, the great prophet, had come before God, but instead of praying for Israel, he was bringing charges against her. This was a dangerous situation for Israel to be in.

“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars,” said Elijah (v. 3). Israel had gone to war against God. Yet even so, God replied that He had preserved 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal (v. 4). Paul derives from this that even though the Jews of his own day had rejected Jesus Christ, God was still going to preserve a remnant of them for His own glory (v. 5).

CORAM DEO

Sometimes we as Christians think that there are almost no “true Christians” left. The Bible tells us here that there are probably many more devout believers than we realize. Just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Do you feel alone in your work place, neighborhood, or school? Ask God to bring you into fellowship with one of His “sacred 7,000.”

For further study: Ezra 9:5–9, 13–15; Zechariah 8:6–13

WEEKEND