Down an Unfamiliar Road

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German poet, zoologist, botanist, and geologist once said: “Our friends show us what we can do, our enemies teach us what we must do.” Goethe goes on to say that a man cannot live with everyone, and, therefore, he cannot live for everyone. To see this truth clearly is to place a high value on one’s friends, and not to hate or persecute those who try to do us harm. In fact, take every opportunity to find out, if you can, the worthiness or worthlessness of your opponents; it will give you a decided advantage over them.¹

One of the first things we can learn from those who oppose us is that we may need to change. Yes, there are things that can go wrong in life. We can either try to escape it, deny it, or find out what’s not right. After all, on a cold winter day, if there’s no heat in your house, you don’t complain because it’s the middle of winter, you find out why the heater is not working. The conflict between you and someone else may not be due to external circumstances but an internal attitude or bias. These things don’t always happen to us, but for us. By making the necessary changes we can become a better person.

Another thing we can learn from the opposition is that while we can’t always control life, we can control ourselves. Having to work with a hard-to-get-along-with person may not be our fault, or having to work under a new boss who is very controlling and even bullying was not our choice but that of the company we work for. So instead of seeing these as problems that irritate us, we can see them as opportunities to learn new skills. Don’t see yourself as the loser or the victim, but as someone who is ready to meet a challenge and show they have what it takes to survive.

We can also learn from what we are up against, that we may not be able to change the situation, but we can certainly change the way we look at the situation. The first thing we need to tell ourselves is that the situation is not out of control, only that we need to take control of the situation. Remember, when we learn by experience how to master change, then change will not master us. We can either use pain and disappointment to motivate us to find higher ground, or allow pain and disappointment keep us in the valley of despair.

An additional thing we can learn when facing obstacles is that it will help us find out where we are weak and where we are strong. The stronger we become, the less afraid we will be when sudden changes come into our lives. We know that no matter what happens, we have more going for us than against us. Strength does not come all at once, it is built up over the years to become one of life’s most valuable assets.

Believe it or not, sometimes we can be our own worst enemy or our own best friend. Buddha once said that your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. Sometimes when unexpected things come at us, we hate ourselves for not seeing it headed our way ahead of time. Why didn’t we notice what was happening? So we end up hating ourselves for letting something that could have been avoided from throwing us off track. If we don’t learn how to forgive ourselves, feeling sad, upset, and angry, will cause us to keep thinking about this over and over.

Also, when we find ourselves caught in an embarrassing situation, we will quickly learn who our true friends are. There will be many people who prove to be great friends to be around when times are easy, but take note of the people who remain in our lives when times get hard. Those are friends that are willing to sacrifice their time and the resources they have in their life to help improve ours. Those are our real friends. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

And finally, having to deal with hardships and disappointments will help us realize what matters and what doesn’t in life. When things don’t go right and we can’t function the way we’re used to living, there will be some things we’ll have to learn to live without. We can spend our time feeling sad about the situation and missing the things we used to enjoy. But that will not make us happy. But if we learn to enjoy the simple things in life, little by little, and appreciate what we do have, then we will realize that life is not too bad after all.

King Solomon said that if what you are doing is right, God will cause your enemies to try and make peace with you.² In other words, treating an opponent with disdain and arrogance will only make them despise you more. But returning good for evil will cause them to think differently about you. Perhaps that’s why the Apostle Peter said that if someone insults you, find a way to compliment them. Don’t throw back the pie they threw in your face. Rather, have them sit down and eat it with you and tell them how good it tastes. You are not trying to convict them that what they did to you was wrong, but helping them to convict themselves. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

A LITTLE ANT WITH A BIG MESSAGE

Although I’m not a rock climber, after I read this true story written by Josh and Karen Zarandona, it struck me that sometimes there are things that nature can teach us that have spiritual meanings. I hope you find the same when you read what happened on one rock-climbing expedition.

A young lady named Brenda was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took hold of the rope, and started up the face of that rock. After a somewhat strenuous climb, she reached a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, as others climbed up ahead, the safety rope snapped against Brenda’s eye and knocked out one of her contact lenses.

Well, there she stood, on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet above the ground. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn’t there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry in one eye. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find the lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was nothing to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for everyone else to make it up the face of the cliff.

But as she looked out across range after range of mountains, she thought of the verse that says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.” As she meditated, in her mind she said, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me find it.”

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. And there stood a new party of climbers getting ready to start up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?” Well, Brenda could hardly believe her ears. So she hollered, “Yes, I did!” But then she could hardly believe what came next. The climber who found the lens saw an ant moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it on it’s back!

When Brenda got home she told her father, who was a cartoonist, about the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens. He was so inspired that he drew the cartoon below of an ant lugging that contact lens with a message some believer might have prayed to the Lord if they too were asked to carry what someone else needed badly to find in order to see life more clearly.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER ELEVEN

Paul had three objectives when he started this chapter, First, to understand why God has not totally rejected His people, Israel. Secondly, to see the possibility of ungrateful Gentiles deserting the truth in the last days, And thirdly, to accept this as a summary and conclusion for Chapters 9-11.

In looking back we see that Paul concluded chapter ten with a quotation from Isaiah describing the nation of Israel as “a disobedient and contrary people.” He then begins chapter eleven by giving several examples to show that despite this rebellion God has not totally rejected His people.

However, what God has done hardened the hearts of the rebellious Israelites. But the outcome of this “hardening” led to the salvation message being sent out to the Gentiles, which in turn, God was using to provoke Israel to jealousy in an attempt to win them back to Him. This is also why Paul magnified his ministry to the Gentiles, hoping to save some of his countrymen by provoking them to jealousy.

Paul then directs his attention to the Gentile believers, explaining that their obedience allowed them to be “grafted” into the true olive tree of Israel to replace those removed by their own disobedience. This “grafting,” however, is permanent only as long as they remain faithful. In addition, if any Israelites repent of their unbelief, they too can be grafted back in.

As Paul draws to a conclusion, he explains that this is how “all Israel” will eventually be saved. Through a “temporary hardening” of their hearts, mercy can now be shown to the Gentiles, and by showing mercy to the Gentiles mercy will be available to disobedient Israel in the end. In this way, Paul says, that “God will let the Jews stew in disobedience so that He might have mercy on the rest of the world,” proving that God is no respecter of persons and makes His plan of salvation available to all.

Paul ends this section with a doxology praising the wisdom and knowledge of God in establishing such a gracious and merciful plan of salvation.

So where does that leave things? Yes, God has temporarily thrown aside the Jewish people so that He can reach the rest of the world. But this must not be understood as a total and irreversible rejection of His people, Israel. God did too much by calling them out of the world as a special people, then rescuing them from Egypt and planting them in the Promised Land, and keeping them alive down through the ages, despite persecution and torment, to just throw them away.

To illustrate, Paul tells us the story of Elijah. When Elijah’s whole community had turned against Elohim and started worshiping other gods, God told him that it was not all over. God had stowed away a remnant of the faithful that will still be saved. The same is true now. As a whole, the Jews have stumbled a bit when it comes to believing in Jesus. But Paul is careful to note that doesn’t mean God has given up on them ever coming around to believe in His Son as the Messiah.

Look, at it this way: Jesus came to bring God’s message to the Jews. Now, because the all Jews didn’t believe in Him, God decided to spread His message out to non-Jews. Paul says that God did this to make the Jews jealous. That’s why Paul was called and sent out to reach the Gentiles even though he himself was once an unbelieving Jew.

In order for Paul to explain this both to his fellow Jews and the Gentiles, Paul says that the Jews are like a tree with holy roots. Each individual person is a branch on that tree. But some of the branches have died and fallen off. In their place, God grafted in some wild olive branches that didn’t belong on the tree, to begin with. But they’re growing and fitting in nicely, so it has worked out well so far. And Paul warns the new branches not to become egotistical because that’s what caused the original branches to fall off in the first place.

But don’t forget, God is not finished yet, He still has plans for those branches that fell off because of pride and hardheartedness. He will offer them another opportunity to become part of the holy tree once more. Only this time, their spiritual life will not come from Abraham but from Yeshua, the Messiah, God’s only Son. Then both Jews and Gentiles will belong to the same tree with the same roots.

When will that day come? Only God knows. But the fact that it has been promised by a God who never changes is enough to make it real. In the meantime, the Gentiles are to be both evangelists to their fellow Gentiles as well as to the Jews. As Paul looks back on this he is overcome with joy and begins to shout praises of honor and glory to God who is our hope forever and ever. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

I’m already excited about what we are going to learn as we travel through the verses of Chapter Twelve. It is going to be an exciting journey. I Can hardly wait to start. I hope you are excited too.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson XXXIX)

Albert Barnes feels that the English Bible reader is somewhat disadvantaged in understanding Paul’s quote here of Isaiah: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God.” He feels that it should be translated “O the depth of the riches, and of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God.” In fact, the English translation from the Aramaic text by James Murdock (1852) reads that way, as does the Complete Jewish Bible. For Barnes, the Apostle has three subjects of admiration, not two. The Apostle wishes to express his admiration for the riches, wisdom, and knowledge exhibited by God.

Barnes then goes on to explain what Paul meant by “riches.” The expression “the depth of the riches” is a Hebraism, meaning riches that are too great to count. The word denotes the abundant blessings and mercies which had been conferred on sinful people by the Gospel. These were vast and wonderful. The pardon of sin; the atonement; the hope of heaven; the peace of God; all bestowed on the sinful, the poor, the wretched, and the dying; all signal the great mercy and rich grace of God. So every pardoned sinner may still exclaim that the grace of God which pardoned them is indeed wonderful and past their comprehension. It is beyond the power of language to express, and all that the Christian can do, is to follow the example of the Apostle and bow down in profound admiration for the rich grace of God.¹

Henry Alford agrees with Barnes. There is some doubt whether the words wisdom and knowledge are nouns that modify riches. In the Greek Testament it can be concluded the three nouns are all coördinate: denoting the riches of the Divine goodness.² Alford then adds an interesting exegesis of what Paul quotes in verse 36. As he sees it, Paul uses these last words to establish what he has alluded to in all that he has said above, the mystery of the Trinity. Alford says that this agrees with what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 8:6, and that all things are revealed by the Spirit of God; so when he says, “O the depth of the riches!” he signifies the Father, of whom are all things; and “the depth of the wisdom,” he signifies Christ, who is the wisdom of God; and “the depth of the knowledge,” he signifies the Holy Spirit, who knows even the deepest things of God. For Alford, while this is not a formal allusion to the three Persons in the Holy Trinity, they are an implicit reference to the three attributes of Elohim respectively manifested to us by the three Co-equal and Co-eternal Persons.³

H. A. Ironside taught that the last four verses in this chapter are in the nature of a Doxology. The Apostle’s heart is filled with worship, and praise, and admiration as the full blaze of the divine plan fills the horizon of his soul. Apart from revelation, none could have known God’s mind, just as no created being could ever have been His counselor. No one ever earned grace by first giving to Him, in order that blessings might be received in return; but everything is of Him, and through Him, and to Him, to whom be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.⁴

Charles Hodge agrees with the above scholars in that riches, wisdom, and knowledge are genitives that stand in the same relation to the word “depth.” He then goes on to give a long exposition of this doxology. From a doctrinal point of view, it is a radical principle of the Bible, and consequently of all our true faith. Namely, that God is all and in all; that of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things eternal. It is the tendency of all truth to exalt God and to humble creation; it is characteristic of true righteousness to feel that all good comes from God, and to desire that all glory should be given to Him.⁵ It is the tendency of many and the result of all correct views of Christian doctrine to duplicate the same feelings expressed by the Apostle at the close of this chapter. However, any views that might have the tendency to lead us to ascribe, in any form, our salvation to our own merit or power cannot be scriptural.⁶

Charles Ellicott also comments on any reference to the Trinity in verse 36. He notes that even though all things proceed from God, that all things are made or wrought by Him, and that all things exist for His glory, and to carry out His purpose and will, it is a mistake to see in this, (as some of the older commentators have done), any allusion to the Trinity. The subject of the whole verse appears to be God the Father, and the prominent idea is the unity of creation corresponding to the unity of the Godhead. The whole system of all created things issues from Him and returns to Him. They are meant to accomplish in their course of existence to operate according to His charitable designs. Ellicott does admit, however, that the use of the prepositions that bind these nouns together could be understood as expressing the threefold relation (origin, causation, and returning) which the doctrine of the Trinity embodies.⁷

F. F. Bruce disagrees with Hodge and others that riches, wisdom, and knowledge are three genitive nouns. For Bruce, instead of treating these three as separate divine properties, we may take “wisdom and knowledge” as dependent on “riches.”⁸ Then with regard to verse 36, Bruce hints that the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) may have had access either to the writings of Paul or the same source quoted by Paul. For instance, in his “Meditations,” we read where Aurelius writes: “From thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee all things return.⁹”¹⁰

Douglas Moo gives us something to consider. The three questions in verses 34–35 are taken from the First Covenant. The first two from Isaiah 40:13 and the third may come from Job 41:3. The questions may correspond, in reverse order, to the three attributes in verse 33: “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” – knowledge. “Who has been His counselor?” – wisdom. “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” – riches. These questions are obviously rhetorical and expected the answer is, “no one.”

But the wisdom tradition Paul reflects taught that wisdom was able to do what no person was able to do: understand and interpret the mind of God. As the embodiment of wisdom, then, Christ, through His work of salvation, reveals God’s plan to us. If the first two questions remind us how far we are from fully understanding God, the final question reminds us of God’s grace, a great theme of these chapters. What God does in His plan of salvation He does not do because anyone has earned His favor or deserves His kindness, but solely out of His own great love for us.¹¹

Jewish scholar David Stern makes the point that the three chief areas in which God manifests His nature and His power are alluded to here: creation (from Him), revelation (through Him), and redemption (to Him). Orthodox Judaism has observed that these same themes pervade the whole Bible and find expression in the traditional ways of celebrating the Sabbath and the other Jewish holidays.¹² Also, the word, “Amen,” instructs the congregation hearing the letter read aloud to say, “Amen” in response to, and in agreement with, Paul’s praise of God.¹³

Preacher Charles Simeon believes that from all that Paul says here in this chapter we can learn three important things that will affect our attitude toward God: First, learn to be submissive. These were the words of the High Priest Eli to young Samuel, “It is ADONAI; let Him do what seems good to Him.”¹⁴ Second, learn to be thankful. As the Psalmist said, “God, how I prize your thoughts! How many of them there are! If I count them, there are more than grains of sand.”¹⁵ And the third, learn to be confident. Again the Psalmist tells us, “Though clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”¹⁶

How many times have we already seen that, in numberless instances, God brought good out of evil. This should give us even more reason to bless Him as much for things which have been contrary to our desires, as for things which have been gratifying and brought us comfort. Learn, then, to trust Him for the future; and, in your darkest hour learn to exclaim with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him¹⁷.¹⁸

THE END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson XXXVIII)

Martin Luther has an interesting philosophical view of Paul’s quote here from Isaiah concerning the unsearchable things of God. He says that we must know the correct distinction between wisdom and knowledge: Wisdom pertains to the contemplation of eternal things; knowledge to the study of temporal things. Luther goes on to remark that spiritual wisdom deals with the things which we can neither see nor understand without the help of the Holy Spirit, which we accept by faith. But knowledge deals with what God created. Therefore, it is by His wisdom that God viewed all things before they came into existence. It is by His omniscience that nothing happens that God does not recognize as things that were supposed to happen. Therefore, it is called God’s “spontaneous knowledge.”¹ No doubt Luther’s point is that all we know about God is what He has revealed through the prophets and all that He has created. It is impossible to know God as He really is with the human mind, it is beyond our comprehension, as Paul says here in verse 34.

Rather than taking this final doxology as Paul’s message to his readers, John Calvin notices Paul’s own wonderment over the things of God which he just shared. Paul marveled as his devout consideration of God’s dealings with the faithful. Having spoken from the Word and by the Spirit of the Lord, Paul was overcome by the grandeur of so great a mystery as God’s plan of salvation by faith. So what else could he do except exclaim in wonder that the riches of God’s wisdom are higher than our human reasoning can ever explore. Calvin is also struck by Paul’s admission of how incomprehensible are the things of God. Therefore, he warns that we should never try to discover anything related to the Lord beyond what He has revealed of Himself in the Scriptures. Otherwise, we will enter a maze from which the escape is not easy. It must, however, be noticed that Paul does not speak not here of all God’s mysteries, but only those which are hid in Christ. Such things ought only be admired and adored by us because they are beyond our comprehension.²

Then Calvin finishes by saying that we cannot by our own faculties examine the secrets of God, so we are admitted into a certain and clear knowledge of them by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And if we follow the guidance of the Spirit to where He leads us, there we ought to stop and, as it were, fix our eyes on Christ until He moves us further on. There is no reason to speculate what might or might not be. If anyone will seek to know more than what God has graciously revealed, they will be overwhelmed with the immeasurable brightness of God’s blinding light. But we must bear in mind the distinction between the secret counsel and hidden counsel of God. The secret counsel is made known in Scripture. For although the whole doctrine of Scripture surpasses in its height the mind of man, yet an access to it is not closed against the faithful who reverently and soberly follow the Spirit as their guide. But the case is different with regard to His hidden counsel, the depth and height of which cannot by any investigation be reached.³

John Locke takes Paul’s citations from the Scriptures as a way of teaching the Jews modesty and submission to the over-ruling hand of the all-wise God. It was time that they made peace with God and themselves over His favorable dealing with the Gentiles. After all, His wisdom and ways were infinitely above their comprehension, so how could they take it upon themselves to advise Him on what to do with those who were formerly heathens? Did God owe them anything? No! They owed Him everything that had come to them through Abraham that made them eligible to receive the Messiah.⁴

When writing about the depth and riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge, John Bengel makes the point that the different meanings of biblical terms deserve to be noted and collected. “Knowledge” directs all things to the best end; “Wisdom” knows when it has reached that end. Bengel goes on to note that what we are reading in Scripture are all the things that the Lord has willed, and said, and done. It does not unfold the reasons for what God wills either in general or specifically. These often involve things too high for our infant conceptions because they refer to eternity⁵.⁶

In his writings on the Trinity, Grace, and Faith, Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards wrote that by way of the Holy Spirit the discernment of all good things promised in the Gospel is revealed. Therefore, it is easy to see the force of the Apostle’s argument in Galatians when he asked: “There is one thing I want to know. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law? Or did you receive Him by hearing about Christ?⁷”⁸ Edwards goes on to say that in the offer of Redemption, it is God by whom any goodness we possess is purchased, and it is God that purchases it, and it is God also that is the good purchased. Therefore, all that is good within us is of God, through God, and in God, As Paul says here in verse 36, “For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”⁹

Edwards then goes on to note that it is so great and amazing that God designed this whole plan of future events in His own mind! This means that everything He planned has always been laid out before His eyes and that nothing has ever come into being to surprise Him or make things too difficult for Him to understand or caused Him to be perplexed as to why it happened. He has already from eternity set up the framework and established the boundaries in which all things were to operate. How incomprehensible and wonderful in planning and excellent in working it out is God! That’s the reason we exclaim with Paul, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”¹⁰

Bible commentator Adam Clarke was awed by the scripture Paul chose to quote and makes the observation that the Apostle clearly considers the designs of God inscrutable, and His mode of governing the world incomprehensible. His designs, strategy, and goals are all infinite, and consequently unfathomable. It is impossible to account for the dispensations either of His justice or mercy. He does things under both these which far surpass the comprehension of mankind. But although His workings are of great depth, yet they are never self-contradictory: though they far surpass our reasoning, yet they never contradict reason; nor are they ever opposite to those ideas which God has implanted in mankind of goodness, justice, mercy, and truth. But it is worthy of remark, that we can more easily account for the enforcement of His justice than we can for the display of His mercy. We can see everywhere ten thousand reasons why He should implement His justice, but scarcely can we find one reason why He should show His mercy. And yet, these displays of mercy for which we can scarcely find a reason, are infinitely greater and more numerous than His displays of justice, for which the reasons are, in a vast majority of cases, obvious for apparent reasons.¹¹

When Paul exclaims how deep and unsearchable are the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge, and how impossible it is for mankind to fathom what God thinks and know fully what He has done, does now, and will do in the future, that it should bring praises from people everywhere, Robert Haldane feels that in concluding his discussion of those deep and awesome subjects which, in the earlier part of this Epistle, had caught his attention, Paul emphatically declares the impossibility of comprehending how limitless are God’s attributes.

But far from judging, like some do, that we have nothing to do with such mysteries as the sovereignty of God in justifying “the ungodly,” and choosing or rejecting sinners according to His own good pleasure, Paul delighted in elaborating on the glorious perfections of Elohim as displayed in these doctrines. And as they bear most directly upon the state and security of Christians, he designates them at the beginning of the next chapter as the “mercies of God,” involving all the blessings in store for Jews and Gentiles, and constituting the foundation and support of all his exhortations for practical living. He thus teaches that these doctrines are conducive in the highest degree to the advancement of holiness, and that in no respect do they interfere with the responsibility of any individual.

Haldane then explains that Paul, by no means, denies that these great truths are “hard to be understood” by mere humans who consider themselves “wise and discreet,” yet refuse to receive the kingdom of God as “little children.” On the contrary, he lays out the absolute impossibility of any person being able to define the boundless and unfathomable incomprehensibility of the Divine attributes as manifested in God’s dealings with the children of mankind. How often does the profane ingenuity of man pretend to fathom, and sometimes even dares to accuse, the inscrutable ways of Elohim! But what a contrast does the Apostle’s language, in these concluding verses of this chapter, present to the vain and presumptuous speculations of some interpreters of Scripture! Multitudes receive the testimony of God only so far as they can satisfactorily account for all the reasons and grounds of His conduct, when measured according to the petty scale of their limited mental capacity. How unbecoming is such a creature as mankind! Will he who is but “of yesterday,” and “knows nothing,” who is born “like a wild donkey’s colt,” pretend to penetrate the wise intellect of the Omniscient Creator of the universe?¹²

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson XXXVII)

John Locke points out that God’s actions as stated here by Paul in verse 32, was not due to His putting the Jews out of His kingdom, but it was in response to their putting themselves out of His kingdom. In other words, they were acting like the prodigal son.¹ So God lumped them together will all those who still didn’t believe in His Son as the Savior of the world. This way, He could deal with them as disobedient sinners through His love, grace, and mercy. So now, when they come to Him, it will be through Christ, the Gospel, and the cross, not by way of Abraham and their claim as being part of the original covenant.

Once they are willing to accept God’s unquestionable sovereignty over humanity, then their worship of Him will take on a new meaning. It frustrated Paul to see their continued rebellion against accepting their promised Deliverer and King. Even His miracles were not enough to convince them. So God decided to remove the roadblock in their thinking by appealing to them as sinners and not His sons. Since they had never been born again, this was not a case of backsliding so that they would think they were starting over again. Therefore, the Gospel message that had been designed for the Gentiles was now going to be used for the Jews as well.²

Adam Clarke makes a similar point by saying that this refers to the guilty state of both Jews and Gentiles. They had all broken God‘s law. The Jews were disobedient to the written law; the Gentiles were disobedient to the law written in their hearts. They are all represented here as having been accused of many transgressions. As they stood before God in His courtroom, they were found guilty on all charges; given the death sentence that they rightly deserved and then ordered to be incarcerated in the sinner’s prison of unbelief to await their execution. Once there, they were hoping that God would change His mind and commute their sentence. Then the Good News came! God, in His own compassion, moved by no merit found in either party, caused a general pardon by the Gospel to be proclaimed to all as a result of the sacrifice of His Son on their account. All they had to do was to repent and receive their forgiveness by faith.³

But, says Clarke, the Jews refused to receive this pardon on the terms which God proposed, and, therefore, continue locked up in their unbelief. But as the offers of mercy continues to be made to all indiscriminately, the time will come when the Jews, seeing the vast increase of the Gentiles going into the kingdom of the Messiah, and the glorious privileges which they enjoy will also lay hold of the hope set before them, and thus become united with the Gentiles as one flock under one shepherd and one bishop of all their souls. Clarke feels that this is a fine and well-chosen metaphor under these circumstances to expresses the guilty, helpless, wretched state of both Jews and Gentiles in need of salvation.⁴

Frédéric Godet also touches on the subjects of common salvation and universal salvation. In his mind, the domain of disobedience, within which God has successively detained all sinners, leaves both Jews and Gentiles with only one choice. They can humbly accept salvation from the hand of mercy or refuse it as being unnecessary. There is, therefore, no inference to be drawn from this passage in favor of a final universal salvation for all without exception. Paul teaches only one thing here: that at the close of the history of mankind on this earth there will be a dispensation of grace in which salvation will be extended to the totality of the nations living here below, and that the magnificent result will be that the humiliating periods through which the two halves of mankind, Jews and Gentiles, will have successively come to an end. The Apostle had begun this vast exposition of salvation with the fact of universal condemnation; he closes it with that of universal mercy. What could remain for him to do now but start singing the hymn of adoration and praise to a merciful and loving God?⁵ What we need to notice here is that Godet does not go on to say that God’s universal mercy will lead to universal salvation. That is an individual, not a group, decision.

Charles Ellicott sees Paul’s writing here as a persuasive matter embracing the whole course of human history and summing up the divine philosophy of the whole matter. The goal of God’s plan was that absolutely everything He created was to work in absolute harmony so that it resulted in fulfilling His divine will. We are able to see only a part of God’s ways, and the direction things are going now makes it difficult for anyone to believe that in the end “all things will work together for good,” because the full process by which this will happen is still not clearly seen.⁶ What Ellicott is talking about here is exactly how and when will the Jews as a nation turn to Christ as their Savior. All they can do is speculate based on their understanding of dispensational prophecy.

John Stott also has some interesting things to say along the same lines as Godet. For him, disobedience is likened to a dungeon in which God has incarcerated all human beings so that they have no possibility of escape except as God’s mercy releases them.⁷ This has been the argument of this letter to the Romans. Starting in the first three chapters, Paul demonstrated that all human beings are sinful, guilty and without excuse, and then from chapter 3:21 onward unfolded the way of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. He writes something similar in Galatians. “The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin… We were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge (the Revised Standard Version renders it, “was our custodian”) to lead us to Christ.”⁸ Thus human disobedience is the prison from which divine mercy liberates us.

Stott has a question about the term “all mankind” that Paul uses here. What exactly is he pointing out by saying that all mankind is on-hold because of their disobedience to God, but that all will receive mercy in the end? Some people have taken this verse upon which to build their theory of universal salvation for everyone without any fear of retribution. But this letter to the Romans will not allow this interpretation since in it Paul declares that there is to be a day of God’s wrath.⁹ on which some will experience God’s fierce anger.¹⁰ What, then, is the alternative? It is to note that in both halves of verse 32, regarding those whom God has imprisoned in disobedience and those on whom He will have mercy, Paul does not actually write of “all mankind” as an indication that it will include every single one. Rather, that mankind as a whole has been under the curse of sin and that the offer of salvation will be made to all. However, not everyone will accept God’s offer of salvation to be among the called and chosen, so they who refuse will then suffer the consequences.¹¹

Verses 33-36: O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God!12 How inscrutable are His judgments! How unsearchable are His ways!13 For, ‘Who has comprehended what is in the Lord’s mind? Who has been His counselor?’14 Or, ‘Who has given Him anything and made Him pay it back?’15 For from Him and through Him16 and to Him are all things.17

The writings of Paul are rich with what appears to be ancient creeds, declarations of faith, and portions of early hymns. This text could possibly be one of those. If we look at these words as a prose or anthem of faith, drawn from different scriptures, they ring with such certainty that it causes our faith to rise and our hearts to beat so strongly that we want to stand up and cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty!”

What Paul says here is something most modern liberal theologians, agnostics, and individuals with little spiritual knowledge who try to serve as interpreters of Scriptures never really fathom. The only place in the Bible where I find that God came to man for assistance was when He asked Adam to name the animals,¹⁸ and that was before sin took over. If we mortals, with finite minds, can fully conceive and predetermine events as our immortal, infinite God did, then He isn’t God after all! At most, we can only scratch the surface of one infinitesimal speck of knowledge He has graciously given for brilliant minds to conquer. When a person rises in their conceit in an effort to explain just why or how or what God did, the Lord only chuckles at man’s ignorance. But beware lest your vanity and pride go off the rails at the expense of not meeting God’s Son. “Except you be converted and become as a little child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

When my children were small, they took for granted what I told them about the sun, moon, stars, galaxies, nature and animals, ethics and virtues, etc., as being true. As they grew older and learned more on their own, it was a joy when I would hear one of them say, “You know dad, you were right!” Jesus said that this is the kind of faith we need to have in what He has told us. For sure, when we get to heaven all of us will exclaim to Him, “You know, Father, You were right!”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson XXXVI)

Charles Hodge comes to the same understanding, as mentioned above, concerning what was good for the Gentiles is now good for the Jews. The cases of the Gentiles and Jews are very nearly parallel. The Gentiles were a disbelieving people and required mercy from God. Likewise, the unbelief of the Jews will also require that same mercy. As the Gospel came from the Jews to the Gentiles, so it is to return from the Gentiles to the Jews. Paul had before stated how the unbelief of the Israelites was instrumental in promoting the salvation of other nations, and how the conversion of the Gentiles was to be reciprocated to the Jews.¹

Frédéric Godet gives a sweeping view of what has happened over time to bring the world to the place where Paul saw his vision for Jews and Gentiles in the future. The entire course of the religious history of the world has been deeply affected by the calling of Abraham. His descendants were a people especially destined by God to receive His divine revelations, and the other nations were left to discover Him based on what they saw in creation. From that moment on, there begin the hostility between those whom God chose to be His own and those who were left out. But at one point in time the paths of these two groups crossed each other when Jesus came into the world. Those two immense curves which traverse the ages of antiquity in opposite directions, and which, crossing one another at the advent of Christianity, now continue on but in reverse directions. This will all be terminated when they meet again and this time merge with one another to become just one people as God’s chosen children.²

F. F. Bruce gives his synopsis of God’s ultimate purpose for the human race as now revealed by Paul. It is mercy for both Jew and Gentile. The faithful remnant of both the Jews and Gentiles “chosen by grace” has not yet been completed. So at this point in time we are unable to declare who will or will not be saved because election by divine mercy is to be extended to all without distinction.³ There is an unmistakable universalism in Paul’s language here, even if it be a prophetic universalism and not one for the present age. But it must be taken as being representative or many rather than an individual.

Paul has already announced that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”⁴ All have been convicted before the tribunal of God; none, whether Jew or Gentile, can lay any claim to His mercy based on who they are or what they’ve done. If there is to be hope for any, it must depend solely on God’s mercy. But there is still hope because of God’s boundless grace. God’s purpose in allowing both the Jews and Gentiles to learn that their disobedience to His will must be confessed and openly admitted, was so that He might lavish His unmerited kindness on Jews and Gentiles together for the same reason – His tender mercy.⁵

Jewish scholar David Stern focuses on the need for God’s grace and mercy. A key fact about God’s mercy is that it contains within itself a moral imperative that it not be held back from anyone. God Himself does not withhold His mercy; and anyone who has truly received God’s mercy cannot but let themselves be a channel for communicating that same mercy to others. Therefore, the importance of what Paul is telling the Gentiles is this: Everything you have from God – your salvation, your righteousness, your hope – comes from God having shown you His mercy by grafting you into Israel, through your trusting Israel’s Messiah. You have that mercy in your possession, and it is wrong for you to hold it back. Therefore, both because you owe it to the people of Israel to display God’s mercy toward them, and because God’s mercy is in its essence not something that can be hoarded, you are always to be showing Israel the same mercy that God has shown you.⁶

Stern concludes his passionate plea by saying that Paul specifically exhorts Gentiles along these lines in Romans 15:27. Indeed, most of the rest of this letter is devoted to instructions about how to express God’s mercy to others. And the operative word is “now;” which is used twice in this verse. It gives urgency to the exhortation: Gentiles should show mercy now so that unbelieving and disobedient Jews who are headed toward a tragic destiny, may now, through them receive God’s mercy and be headed toward a glorious destiny. Israel’s salvation does not depend on some future event for which Christians must passively wait. All that is needed is for Gentile Christians (and Messianic Jews) to show God’s mercy to the unsaved of Israel. They can and should do it now. Then, “all Israel will be saved.”⁷

Another Jewish writer states that the Gentiles in Rome were benefiting from the “unbelief” of these Jews, yet, as we will see, condemning them because they, the Gentiles, did not see God’s incomprehensible ways.⁸ Both the Jewish disobedience and God’s mercy are in the present tense. Mercy is shown to the Jews through Gentile inclusion in the faith of Israel. The current stumbling of these Jews is, in God’s deep wisdom, a blessing not a curse since it brings salvation to Gentiles and provokes unbelieving Israel to reconcile with the Messiah they rejected.⁹

Verse 32: All people have at one time refused to obey God, so He treats all mankind as being disobedient so that He can show all mankind mercy.

Now Paul pushes his point one step further by making a universal statement: It is through unbelief that all mankind became candidates for God’s love, grace, and mercy. This is something no one will be able to obtain just by claiming to be good. Look at it this way, the only way a man can be saved from drowning is because of the fact he cannot swim or stay afloat. The only way a woman in a house on fire can be saved is because the fire is threatening her life because she cannot escape. The only way a child can be saved from starvation is because they are dying without food because it is unavailable. In other words, you need a threat in order for salvation to be a relevant factor.

This is what Paul tried to point out to the Galatians when he wrote: “The Holy Scriptures say that all individuals are guilty of sin.¹⁰ Then that which was promised might be given to those who put their trust in Christ. It will be because their faith is in Him.”¹¹” That’s why Paul told Timothy: “God wants all people to be saved from the punishment of sin. He wants them to come to know the truth. There is one God. There is one Man standing between God and mankind. That Man is Christ Jesus. He gave His life for all people so they could go free and not be held by the power of sin.”¹² And the reason this is so critical, is what Paul told the Romans earlier: “You get what is coming to you when you sin, and that is death! But God’s free gift is life that lasts forever. It is given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.”¹³

When it comes to recognizing God’s grace and mercy, Ambrosiaster notes that from earliest times of civilization all nations lived in ungodliness and ignorance because they were without God.¹⁴ This is confirmed by Rabbi Avraham Saba in his writings about what the Jews said concerning the people of that era. He states that normally, even wicked people entertain some worthwhile thoughts on occasions and plan to carry them out, even if they may get sidetracked. But the Torah testifies that the generation living before the flood of Noah did not even entertain worthwhile thoughts at all. The people of that time did not even contemplate the idea of doing what was considered right. He sees that these people do not correspond in any way to the individuals described by David where he said, “Those who live a blameless life by behaving uprightly; those who speak truth from their hearts.¹⁵”¹⁶

As Ambrosiaster sees it, for this very reason the law was revealed by which the worst ones could be picked out and restrained. But by the activity of Satan’s influence sins began to multiply, so that when the commandments were given, mankind was considered even more guilty. Then God, who in the mercy of His goodness always takes care of His human creation, seeing that even without the law sin still existed and that by the law it could not be wiped out, decreed that He would only require faith by which the sins of all mankind might be abolished. Thus although a person had no ground for hope through the law, they were nevertheless saved by the mercy of God. To declare everyone as being disobedient, means that this decree comes as a gift from God at a time when everyone was lost in the fog of unbelief, so that grace might appear to be the freest of all rewards. Therefore, nobody should boast, for the one who is proud of their ignorance is to be pitied.¹⁷

John Calvin makes two points on what Paul says here. First, that no one should rejoice in their salvation at the expense of others. All mankind comes to the cross on the same level of sinfulness and a need for God’s mercy. Paul leaves no doubt that the Jews are equally as guilty as the Gentiles. Both should understand that the avenue to salvation is as open to one as it is to the other. Calvin implies that Paul intends to teach two things here: First, there is nothing in any individual that should cause God to prefer one over the other. Second, apart from the simple favor of God, He is under no obligation when it comes to granting His mercy to whomsoever He pleases.

The main emphasis in understanding the word “mercy” is that God is bound to no one individual or group. Therefore, He saves all freely for they are all equally lost. It is indeed true that this mercy is offered without any discrimination to all, but it must be received as a gift by everyone through faith.¹⁸ But Calvin also warns that no one should interpret what Paul says here as a guarantee that everyone will be saved. John Bengel agrees and says in particular to the Jews, that the restoration Paul speaks of is not universal, but given to the elect who acknowledge their need for salvation and accept God’s offer of pardon and forgiveness.¹⁹

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German poet, zoologist, botanist, and geologist once said: “Our friends show us what we can do, our enemies teach us what we must do.” Goethe went on to say that what friends do with us and for us is a real part of our lives for it strengthens and advances our personality. The assault of our enemies is not part of our life, it is only part of our experience. We can deal with it and learn to protect ourselves against it just as we do against frost, storm, rain, hail, or any other of the external evils which may be expected to happen.¹

There are insightful things we can learn from our friends, especially our closest friends. First, we can learn that quantity is of very little value while quality is everything. One good word of advice from a close friend is worth more than hundreds of words of flattery.

Secondly, we can be ourselves among good friends. This means we don’t have to pretend or put on a happy face when we are really despondent. Others may simply tolerate you, but a good friend will be tender with you. Thirdly, trust is a valuable commodity. In fact, it is priceless among good friends. You can tell it like it is without fear of being devalued. Real friends will never make fun of your hurt feelings because they are there to support you.

Fourthly, good friends need you as much as you need them. By helping others, we are inspired to strengthen ourselves. If people didn’t have problems, we wouldn’t be needed. Being a good friend can help someone you care deeply about to take the mean things they’ve been handed and make something meaningful out of them.

Fifthly, as long as you have true friends you are never alone in this world. Not only are they ready and willing to be with you in time of need, but to walk through the trouble with you to help you figure how to handle it. Sixth, what we learn from good friends make us better. Just as you often carry your good friends to help them progress, they will carry you when you need assistance and motivation. There’s nothing like growing together with good friends.

Seventh, even with good friends there can be disagreements. But instead of each one trying to prove the other wrong, good friends are willing to listen to where they may be wrong. Friendship helps us to be attentive with our words and actions. Accepting our own mistakes may be difficult, but who better to help you recover than a good friend? And eighth, understanding the true value of friendship will make any person thankful and grateful for having good friends. Good friends learn a lot from each other and what is learned will become precious lessons in life.

King Solomon had a quaint way of putting it when he said that just as iron sharpens iron, people sharpen one another.² That’s why friends who stick close to one another fit so well together. Solomon also said that being scolded out in the open is still better than hidden love.³ That means that sometimes good friends have to yank us by the arm to get our attention when they see that we are making fools out of ourselves. And it was the Apostle Peter who advised us that loving one another as good friends do, will help us get over many mistakes that could otherwise take us down.⁴ So if you have any good friends, keep them close to your heart. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

(Next week we’ll see what we can learn from those who are disrespectful to us.)

SLEEPING THROUGH A STORM

The following article was used by a blog writer. We do not know if it is a real story or one told like a parable. Either way, there is something important to learn here. I hope you enjoy it.

A young man applied for a summer job as a farmhand. After asking him about his experience in working on a farm, the farmer then asked, “Is there anything you can do?” The young man looked at him and said, “Yes, I can sleep through any storm.” The farmer laughed… but he liked the young man so he hired him.

A few weeks later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the middle of the night by a violent storm that came ripping through their valley. He and his wife jumped out of bed, grabbed their clothes, and got dressed. The farmer went running to wake up his new hired hand, but the young man was sleeping so soundly he didn’t hear a thing. The farmer didn’t have time to fool with the young fellow, so he and his wife scurried around, checking to see if everything was secure.

That’s when they discovered that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. When they inspected their property, they found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. They saw that bales of hay to feed the animals had been covered with a tarpaulin that was anchored to the ground with large rocks. The tractor had been moved into its garage. The barn was properly locked tight. Even the animals were calm and had plenty of feed. All was well.

The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep through a storm.”

Because the farmhand did his work correctly and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for any storm. So when the storm did actually come, he was not concerned or afraid. He could sleep in peace.

So what is the moral of this story? Rick, the writer of the blog, made this observation:

If we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business; our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of “I could have, I should have.” We can sleep in a storm. And when it’s our time to go, our goodbyes will be said with satisfaction.

The Bible is very vocal about being prepared for what’s coming. We are told that Noah took God’s warning seriously and out of reverence and respect built the ark years ahead of time that would help save him and his family from the devastating flood.¹ And Jesus told a story about ten young girls who were invited to be in a wedding, and what happened to those who prepared and those who did not.² And then our Lord warned everyone, “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”³

You start getting ready as soon as you hear that the storm is on its way, not when you see the dark clouds gathering in the sky. Who goes out when the winds are already at 50 mph to prepare their house for a hurricane? Or who begins to move things to the second floor when the water is already lapping at their doorstep? God’s Word contains a checklist of things we can do to be prepared for the persecution that will come in the last days, make sure you have them all checked off so you can sleep through the storm.⁴ The key to it all is found in these words by our Master, “Those who faithfully perform to the end the duties they were given will be saved.”⁵ – Dr. Robert R Seyda.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson XXXV)

H. A. Ironside lectured on these verses and taught that the Apostle Paul was trying to tell his fellow Jews that although they were hostile to the Gospel, at that time, and even though God took this occasion to extend His grace to the Gentiles, He had not forgotten or forsaken them. According to His divine plan, they are still beloved for their forefathers’ sake. That means God will never take back His gifts and calling of the Jews as His people; the promises He made to the patriarchs and to David will and must be fulfilled.

Study carefully the 89th Psalm in this context. Just as the Gentiles, who in time past had not believed God but have now obtained mercy through the Jews’ unbelief, so in like manner, when the Gentiles prove unbelieving and are set aside, Israel will obtain mercy when they turn back in faith to God. So in the end, whether those saved are Jews or Gentiles, they are saved based on the same principle of God’s love, grace, and mercy.¹

Frédéric Godet summarizes his thoughts on these verses and concludes that Israel found itself in a two-fold relationship with God. On the one hand, they were His enemies. While, on the other hand, were His beloved. But in the end, being God’s beloved will win out over being His enemy. The term “hated,” opposed as it is to “beloved,” can only be taken in the passive sense: an object to be hated by God who is reluctant to pour out His fury on them.² It needs not be said that when the feeling of hatred is applied to God, we must eliminate from it any personal resentment on His part, or of the spirit of revenge. God hates sinners in the same sense in which they ought to hate themselves. That is to say, their own immoral lives. This sentiment is the way holiness hates wickedness.³

Godet goes on to suggest that this irrevocable character of Israel’s destiny has nothing in it contrary to individual liberty; God will hold nothing back in order to get them to where He want’s them to be. God will only allow unbelieving generations to succeed one another as long as it is necessary before a generation will come along whose eyes He will open and lead them safely back to Him. And even then, when the spirit of revival sweeps over a nation, there will still be some allowed to rebel and withdraw because they refuse to take part in it. Therefore, it will be impossible for Israel as a people (“the people whom God foreknew,”)⁴ that this destiny of returning to God could ever be terminated before it is realized because of the divine foreknowledge that arranged it.⁵

Messianic scholar David Stern takes the Jewish point of view on this subject. He does not hear Paul saying that the Patriarchs earned God’s favor by their meritorious actions, neither for themselves nor for their descendants. Rather, he is speaking of the Patriarchs as receivers of God’s gracious promises because of their obedience in faith. God made wonderful promises to them concerning their descendants – the people of Israel; He must keep those promises in order to vindicate His own faithfulness and righteousness,⁶ seeing that God is forever righteous and faithful. God’s free gifts, those promises and indeed all the gifts mentioned in Romans 9:4–5, and His calling the Jews to be a people dedicated to God, a holy nation,⁷ a light to the Gentiles,⁸ are irrevocable.

God cannot, and will not, deny His own eternal nature as a faithful fulfiller of promises. In the light of Chapters 9–11, in general, and these verses, in particular, any Christian theology which teaches that God no longer loves the Jews, or that the Jewish people will not receive all the good things God has promised them, contradicts the express teaching of the Last Covenant.⁹ Furthermore, such teaching necessarily portrays God as unfaithful and unworthy of being trusted by anyone, Jew or Christian.¹⁰

Verses 30-31: At one time you yourselves refused to obey God. But now you have received mercy, because of Israel’s disobedience. And now that they are the ones who refuse to obey because God showed mercy to you they may now receive mercy from Him.

Now Paul tells the Gentiles that the tide has shifted. He clearly proved that because of Israel’s unwillingness to accept Jesus as the Messiah, His grace flowed unrestricted to them. But now that they have become believers, it is the Jew’s turn to receive the same grace and forgiveness. So Paul repeats his message to the Corinthians: “Some of you were like that. But now your sins are washed away. You were set apart for God-like living to do His work. You were made right with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of our God.”¹¹ So, says Paul, what God did for you Gentiles He certainly should be allowed to do the same for the Jews.

Daniel Whitby sees Paul pointing to the Gentiles and more or less saying: Don’t let what happened to the Jews happen to you. Their unbelief is what caused them to miss the coming of Yeshua the first time. But there will be no second time for the Gentiles. When their period of grace is over, only those who believed and were converted will be saved. However, just like there were Gentiles converted to Judaism under the Law before He came, so there may be Gentiles converted through the ministry of the believing Jews right before Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth to begin His millennial reign.¹² This same message should be transmitted to the non-Jews who are turning away from the Gospel in unbelief. For some reason, they have come to believe that they will still end up in heaven because God is simply too merciful to send them to hell because of all the good works and charitable giving they have done.

John Bengel responds to the question of how could the Gentiles have refused to obey God before the Law or the Gospel was brought to them. He believes that Paul is referring to those laws and codes that were passed on from Adam to Noah, and Noah to succeeding generations. We know from near-east documents that codes such as those of Hammurabi already existed and practiced during the time that Abraham lived in Chaldea before God called him to go to what would become Israel’s Promised Land. For instance, one such law reads: “If anyone brings an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offence charged, be put to death.” And another: “If anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death.” There are some 282 such laws found in the writings of Hammurabi.

Adam Clarke sees Paul’s reference to be part of a maxim that he is trying to teach the Gentiles. It can be understood this way: Although the Gentiles in times past were in a state of alienation from God, they were never totally excluded from getting to know God. In fact, they were brought into the Kingdom of the Messiah through the mercy of God, despite their unbelief. Therefore, as Clarke sees it, the Jews are currently, through their infidelity, shut out of the kingdom of God. But this exclusion will not be everlasting.

It also serves to open a new scene when, through farther displays of mercy to Gentiles, Jews may also obtain mercy by being received into the kingdom of God again. This will take place whenever they consent to acknowledge the Lord Jesus and count it a privilege to be fellow-heirs with the Gentiles of grace and everlasting life. As sure, therefore, as the Jews were once in the kingdom, and the Gentiles were not, so sure is it now that the Gentiles are in the kingdom and the Jews are not. But by the same assurance that brought the Gentiles into the kingdom, the Jews will be brought back into that kingdom.¹³

Robert Haldane writes concerning God’s mercy and how the Gentiles can work with Him in bringing the Jews to the truth. It appears that God abandoned the Jews to their idolatrous unbelief in order that their eventual restoration might serve as an illustration of how His mercy and grace was bestowed on the unworthy idolatrous Gentiles. Had the Jews all received the Gospel at first, both they and the world at large would have been inclined to believe that they did not need the same conversion or the same grace as the Gentiles. This would have confirmed the view which they hold of themselves, that by hereditary descent from Abraham they are entitled to heaven and the privileges of Messiah’s kingdom.

But since they have crucified the Son of God, and continued in the most blasphemous rebellion against Him for so many hundreds of years, their conversion will display the same mercy that called the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness and were not seeking God. If the unbelief of the Jews was the occasion of showing mercy to the Gentiles, so the mercy shown to the Gentiles shall be the occasion of showing mercy to the Jews. The same mercy that saved the heathens who believed without any mixture of merit, will save the Jews. And by the same token, the mercy shown to the Gentiles is a sign that the Jews will also obtain mercy.¹⁴

Some may wonder why God allowed the Gentiles to exist for so long without knowing Him more intimately and understanding His Laws better, and why He allowed Israel to drift so far away from the truth given to them that they rejected His Son who came to be their Messiah. Albert Barnes tells us that it was all done to highlight God’s mercy. As Barnes sees it, mercy is favor shown to the undeserving. It could not have been shown to the Jews and the Gentiles unless it was before proved that they were unworthy. For this purpose proof was furnished that they were all in unbelief.

It was clear, therefore, that if favor was shown to either one it must be on the same grounds that it was undeserved mercy. Thus, all people were on the same level. And those who were admitted to heaven were given that privilege without showing favor to one or preference for another. It was all done out of God’s mercy and love. It does not prove that all people will be saved, but that those who are saved will be saved by the same mercy of God. That’s why Paul is emphasizing that any salvation conferred on Gentiles will be the same on the Jews.¹⁵