Romans 9: Has God Rejected Israel? Or Still in God’s Plan?

Has God Rejected Israel?

The Jews were rejected by God, and rejected by most people and many of the nations of the world.

This is the first of a series of articles touching on the spiritual condition of Israel and whether God is through with them.

The Apostle Paul had a passionate concern for his brethren. He was a very devoted, extremely orthodox Jew, who converted to Christianity.

He never lost his love for his own people, though he spent decades preaching the Christian message and opposing the teaching of Judaism.

Did God reject Israel, even though Paul apparently didn’t?

In this series, I will explore the topic of God’s future purpose for Israel. Some suggest God is finished with Israel.

Others argue they are central to the prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled in the last days.

In Romans 9 through Romans 11, Paul tackles these problems. They rejected their Messiah. Does that mean God made a mistake with the Jews?

Do the promises given to them apply only to the Church now?

If God so easily rejected the Chosen People, how can we be certain God won’t reject us in our Christian walk?

The Chosen People had the temple, and the Law, they kept the scriptures sacred and protected from error for so long.

As Christians, we have a simple faith. Is that enough to keep God from rejecting us like he rejected the Chosen Ones?

Romans 9:1-2Paul’s passion for his Rejected brethren.

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.

Great sorrow and grief 

In Romans, 8Paul made it clear that nothing could separate the Christian from God’s love.

Now he spends three chapters telling us about the Jews whom he turned his back on.

Many of them were far more religious than I am, or many of the Christians attending churches today. Why didn’t the Jews get the same mercy that Christians receive?

A Holy Spirit Witness

Paul tells us something that we take for granted. We don’t expect him to lie to us but he assures us that he is telling the truth.

What he tells us is inspired by the Spirit of God. The Spirit has confirmed it with his own spirit.

Romans 9:3-5 Curse me, but not my rejected brothers

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites,

to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.

Of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Paul offers himself for his brethren:

Paul follows in the footsteps of Jesus by offering himself for his brethren. God won’t accept such an offer no matter how sincere it might be.

Christ made that sacrifice already. Paul is merely demonstrating his selfless concern for his brethren.

Those same Jewish zealots who followed him around trying to stop his preaching were deep concerns of Paul. He prayed for their souls.

Following Moses’ example

Paul does the same thing we read that Moses had done in Exodus 32:31-32:

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now,

if You will forgive their sin; but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

 

Moses was a great man of God who learned to care for the Hebrew people. Paul, in like manner, grieved for their poor spiritual condition.

In the Book of Galatians, he wrote about Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of humanity. Galatians 3:13

“It is not easy to estimate the measure of love in a Moses and a Paul. For our limited reason does not grasp it,

as the child cannot comprehend the courage of warriors!” (Bengel)

 

The opportunity lost 

This should never have happened. They should have been prepared to receive their Messiah, boldly announcing his arrival.

The wise men came from the east because they expected his arrival. The Jews, on the other hand, were just as surprised as Herod.

The Israelites walked with God in the wilderness and saw the glorious cloud and pillar of fire that represented God’s presence.

What a shame. We sense Paul’s disbelief that his own people lost out on their promises. He himself was almost guilty of the same grave mistake.

The fathers 

Paul mentions the fathers, referring to the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Jesus was related to them by blood.

They all made mention of Jesus in their writings. Now they have gone blind and can’t understand what the fathers wrote.

The eternally blessed God

Paul here makes a clear statement asserting the divinity of Jesus.

The grammatical arguments from early biblical scholars almost exclusively favor the position that it says that Christ is God.

In differing views, many recent scholars prefer the view that “God” refers to the Father, on the basis that Paul nowhere else says explicitly that Christ is God.

Wuest, quoting Robertson: “[This is a] clear statement of the deity of Christ following the remark about His humanity.

This is the natural and obvious way of punctuating the sentence. To make a full stop after the flesh and start a new sentence for the doxology is very abrupt and awkward.”

 

Romans 9:6-9 Did God fail? 

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,

nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac, your seed shall be called.”

That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

The Word of God has taken no effect?

Did God fail to protect Israel from missing their Messiah? Did the Word of God have no effect on God’s people?

It’s an easy assumption to make. The Chosen People were chosen to give birth to the Messiah. How did they not recognize him?

Moses was presented with a similar scenario when he prayed to God in the Wilderness. The Lord tested Moses many times.

Once, God threatened to destroy the entire Hebrew race and start over. That was a test. God wasn’t really going to destroy them all.

Moses responded correctly and said God’s enemies would say that God failed to protect the very people He promised to protect.

Similarly, Paul suggests questions that would arise like the one Moses asked. Such as, “God’s word didn’t come through for them.

He didn’t fulfill His promise for them because they missed their Messiah and now seem cursed. How do I know that He will come through for me?”

They are not all Israel, some are rejected

As I indicated earlier, many people believe God is finished with Israel. Paul writes something here that is used by some to support that view.

It is taught by many that true Christians are the real Israelites. They use Paul’s words here as proof text.

“They’re not Israel anymore,” they teach. “Only the true church is the true Israel.”

The context is always important, especially here. Ishmael was the child of a ‘fleshly’ arrangement, so he was a child of the flesh.

Isaac was the son of the promise. God cast out the son of the flesh and replaced him with the son of the promise.

The Church is part of a new covenant. Paul was referring to the genetic line which would give birth to the Messiah.

The children of the promise

Not all of Abraham’s children followed God. Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, but his descendants would not be part of the line of the Messiah.

God told Abraham to remove Ishmael from the family. Isacc was the son to whom the promise was made.

As time went on, up to the birth of Jesus, many more Israelites refused to follow God’s path. God doesn’t consider them true Israelites.

In the same way, a person isn’t a Christian just because he owns a Bible and goes to church. It’s a heart issue, not a location issue.

Going to church doesn’t make one a Christian, and being a descendant of Abraham doesn’t make one a true Israelite.

The Church isn’t the Nation of Israel nor is the reverse true. God has a plan for Israel, future tense, which will be unfolded in the last days.

Romans 9:10-13 Jacob and Esau, the older son is rejected

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born,

nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her,

“The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Our father Isaac:

Leaving the example of Abraham, Paul now moves to the son of the promise. Isaac was the son whom the Lord chose for Abraham, not Ishmael.

Through Isaac’s descendants, the Messiah would arise. Paul then brings up another challenging choice of God’s.

Next in line would come, Jacob, the eventual father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Lord chose Jacob instead of his twin brother.

Genesis 25:19-34

Jacob and Esau

¹⁹ This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,

²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 

²¹ Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

²² The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 

²³ The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated.

One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

 

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. – And I hated Esau. St. Paul quotes these words (Romans 9:13) in order to illustrate his position,

“that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.”

Even before his birth, Jacob was the chosen one, and Esau, the elder, was to serve the younger. This mystery of Divine election…

When God makes these choices, it grates on us, we don’t see the fairness of it. But Paul addressed the facts, leading to a point about God’s purpose for Israel.

Paul writes that God’s choice was not based on which son was better, but it was God’s sovereign will to choose Jacob as the father of the twelve tribes.

It’s not of works but of Him who calls:

Neither Jacob nor Esau were especially good men. They both had faults. God chose Jacob and He later chose the Nation of Israel.

Israel failed just like Jacob did. God knew this in advance and chose them anyway. Good works weren’t the reason for choosing Jacob.

Despite his shortcomings, his children became the twelve sons of Israel, later to head the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

“A woman once said to Mr. Spurgeon, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘

That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand

how God could love Jacob.’ ” (Newell)

 

Romans 9:14-16 Is God unfair to reject some?

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

Is there unrighteousness with God?

Paul comes to another question that we still hear people ask today. Is God fair to choose like that?

First off, it’s a ridiculous question. God, being the ultimate supreme being, can do as he pleases. We don’t get a say in the matter. Is that unfair?

Paul assures us Certainly not! God has the right to give mercy to whomever He pleases in Exodus 33:19.

I will have mercy on whomever I will

We should remember what mercy is. God shows us mercy when he doesn’t give us what we deserve.

We don’t deserve any kindness from God. He chooses to show us kindness, we haven’t earned it. It’s by mercy, that he grants it.

God’s mercy is given because He is merciful. He chose Israel with the same standards. Jacob represents Israel.

He was a weak and sinful man. God gave him mercy despite his faults. He did the same for Israel.

Romans 9:17-18 Pharaoh in God’s Purposes.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you,

and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

For this very purpose, I have raised you up

God raised up the leaders in Egypt to fulfill His will. The Lord told Abraham his descendants would go to Egypt and suffer greatly.

They entered the country as free men and exited the same way, but toiled nearly four hundred as slaves to the Egyptians.

God determined in advance who would lead the Egyptians when the time came for Him to set His People free.

God raised up a Pharaoh who was stubborn enough to accomplish His plan.

He hardened his heart

At the appropriate time, God raised up the stubborn leader. Pharaoh was very stubborn, but God used his stubbornness to orchestrate the circumstances.

In the end, the Egyptian leader made his own choices. When we make our own mistakes, we can’t blame God.

It is still our choice, and the Lord will use our stubbornness to accomplish His will.

We know that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, according to Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7, and 9:34.

But “He does not so much as bother to indicate that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, an evidence of unbelief

and rebellion because he is emphasizing the freedom of God’s action in all cases.” (Harrison)

 

Romans 9:19-21 If God chooses does it eliminate man’s responsibility?

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it,

“Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay,

from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

“Why does He still find fault?”

Why does God find fault with our sins? Paul, a good teacher, imagines someone asking, “Why? How can we resist God’s will?”

Paul replies to the imagined question, maintaining respect for God. We are not in a position to question God’s purposes.

“Who are we to question God’s will?” We are the ‘created,’ and God is the Creator.

If the potter makes the clay into a bowl then a bowl the clay will be. If the potter gives the clay an opportunity to live in heaven, the clay should take it. 🙂

Romans 9:22-24 God patiently waits, enduring much

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,

even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

What if God waited?

God does not randomly throw lightning bolts from the sky because He is angry. He is patient, and responding at the appropriate time.

When He does show “His wrath,” it’s for the purpose of accomplishing His will, not because He can’t contain his anger.

God is not like us with our uncontrolled emotional outbursts. He suffers for a long time while the “vessels of wrath” fill up their buckets of rage.

God demonstrates temperance, teaching His children to follow an example of patience.

Romans 9:25-26 The prophet Hosea; are the rejected replaced?

As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.”

And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

You are not My people:

The passages Paul referenced are from Hosea 2:23 and 1:10. God directed the prophet to name one of his children Lo-Ammi,

which meant “Not My People.” Yet God also promised that this judgment would not last forever.

One day Israel will be restored and once again be called sons of the living God.

Romans 9:27-29 Isaiah says the rejected will have a remnant

In Isaiah 10:23 and 1:9) we read that God will choose a remnant from the rejected Nation of Israel.

Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved.

For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

The remnant will be saved:

The passage quoted from Isaiah 10:23  first refers to the historical context. There was an approaching Assyrian army.

The Assyrian destruction was minimal compared to the Babylonian one that followed. After that came the final dispersion in 70 A.D.

Despite this devastation to the Jewish Nation, God promised He will always preserve His remnant.

We would have become like Sodom:

Sodom and Gomorrah were completely destroyed. God did not and will not allow the complete destruction of Israel to occur.

This quotation from Isaiah 1:9 shows that things could have been much worse for Israel.

There will be one final attempt to completely wipe out Israel as a Nation and a people. It will not succeed but they will come close.

Romans 9:30-31 What about now; are they still rejected?

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith.

But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness:

Why did the Gentiles get what the Jews pursued? The Jews were the ones who pursued it so zealously.

The Gentiles just stumbled upon the gracious gift of salvation. That has always been part of God’s plan.

Salvation was never intended to be earned by hard work. It’s always been about a gift. The gift of a Son.

But Israel… has not attained to the law of righteousness:

Israel worked very hard at the rules and regulations, though they never quite got to perfection. Actually, they fell far short of that goal.

They could never have made it, none of us could. The gift of heaven is given not earned. The Jews never understood that.

God demonstrated to the Gentiles, through the Jewish failure, the futility of trying to earn one’s way to heaven.

The Gentiles attained righteousness, but the rejected Jews did not

Why did the Gentiles, the non-Jews, find righteousness when they weren’t even pursuing it? And what went wrong with the effort from the Jews?

It’s a simple truth that applied then and now. The Gentiles looked for righteousness through simple faith.

The Jews tried to gain their right standing with God through their hard work. The Lord wants simple faith.

Trust in the work of Jesus on the cross to pay for your entrance to eternity.

Romans 9:32-33  Paul tells us the reason God rejected them

Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.

As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Because they did not seek it by faith:

The Jews were rejected because of the Law. They thought the Law would save them, thinking it gave them a heads-up over the Gentiles.

Instead, it served as a stumbling stone and kept them far from the goals they sought.

Paul taught that Israel was responsible for their rejection. Their only hope now is the promise of the remnant.

God made the promise so they can be sure of its fulfillment.