Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson III)

Spreading the Gospel of the Messiah among the scattered Jews was important, that’s why when Paul and Barnabas were in the city of Antioch in the country of Pisidia,¹ they went to a synagogue to preach the Good News. They recounted how God led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, brought them to the Promised Land, put a king after His own heart named David on the throne, and from this family line the promised Messiah was to come into the world. Their message was, that the Messiah had come. Now everyone who puts their trust in Him will be freed from the curse of the Law and saved by grace, not by works.

But Paul and Barnabas had more plans. The next Sabbath they went over to where the Gentiles lived and gave them the same message. This made the Jews jealous and they started saying bad things about Paul hoping the Gentiles would be turned-off and not listen. However, here is what Luke recorded: “The people who were not Jews were glad when they heard this. They were thankful for the Word of God. Those who were chosen for life that lasts forever believed. The Word of God was preached all over the area.”² This should be a lesson for all who go out to preach the Gospel. Don’t become disappointed or discouraged when the people you were sent to share the good news with do not respond. God has His eyes on everyone He wants to call as His chosen. So don’t give up, God won’t.

Almost as a second-thought, Paul reminds the Roman believers of what was already written in the Scriptures. This was the same method used by Jesus, reminding the opposition of what was said by the prophets on the subject. For instance, when Paul went to Jerusalem to meet with the council, after giving his testimony the Apostle James reminded everyone in the room of what was said by the prophet Amos: “After this, I will return; and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David. I will rebuild its ruins, I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, that is, all the Goyim [Gentiles] who have been called by my name,’ says Adonai, who is doing these things.³”⁴

Paul now turns and focuses on Elijah and the complaint he had about Israel. This was not the first time one of God’s servants broke down in anger because the Israelites rejected their leadership. At one time God wanted to destroy Israel as a whole, but Moses and Aaron both fell on their faces and cried out: “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with all the people?” So God relented and punished only Korah, Dathan, and Abiram with 250 of their followers by opening the earth and swallowing them alive in what would become a mass grave.⁵

In Elijah’s case, after Jezebel destroyed many of the prophets, he took the surviving 100 and hid them by distributing them throughout the caves in the area and provided them with bread and water.⁶ Then Jezebel chased Elijah and he ended up hiding in a cave. But the time came for God to show Who was in charge. So he sent Elijah out to anoint a new king for Aram,⁷ and a new king for Israel, and to anoint his own successor, Elisha.⁸ These two kings were to destroy the enemies of Elijah among God’s own people.⁹ However, God had good news for Elijah: “I will leave 7,000 in Israel whose knees have not bowed down in front of Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.¹⁰”¹¹

Paul also recalls what happened when Elijah proved to the believers in Israel that God was still on their side when he had them build an altar to the LORD. Jewish Rabbi Rashi tells us what he learned about this altar. That King Saul built an altar on Mt. Carmel. That is what the Scriptures tell us in Samuel: “Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; however, Samuel was told, Saul came to Carmel to set up a monument for himself there, but now he has left and is on his way down to Gilgal.”¹²

According to ancient Jewish commentaries, this monument set up by King Saul was an altar on which to make sacrifices to God. We must remember Judah did not occupy Jerusalem during Saul’s reign and so there was no Temple yet. But later, the kings of Israel tore down all the altars and high places in their land to honor God. So Jewish tradition suggests that the altar Elijah built was, in fact, a restoration of the altar King Saul had erected. And the reason Elijah had this altar rebuilt was to remind Israel that they should keep God’s Name always before their eyes.¹³

This altar, however, was surrounded by a ditch, and Elijah instructed his assistants to pour four huge jugs of water on the burnt sacrifice three times until it soaked the sacrifice and filled up the ditch. Then we read: “When it came time for offering the evening offering, Elijah the prophet approached and said, ‘Adonai, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Isra’el, let it be known today that you are God in Isra’el, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your command. Hear me, Adonai, hear me, so that these people may know that you, Adonai, are God and that you are turning their hearts back to you.’ Then the fire of Adonai fell. It consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘Adonai is God! Adonai is God!’”¹⁴

A number of early church scholars have a variety of comments on what Paul says here. For instance, Ambrosiaster does not feel that Paul is referring here to Jews at large but to those who did follow Jesus when He came. To support his interpretation Ambrosiaster quotes Jesus’ prayer in John 17:12. So for him, it is clear that Paul shows that not only did Elijah remained as one devoted to God who did not worship idols, but that there were many who remained faithful to God, just as there were many Jews in Paul’s day who believed in Christ.¹⁵

Augustine of Hippo, in one of his tracts, wrote about what he feels Paul is inferring here. As he sees it, Paul was pointing out that predestination is sometimes designated by the concept of knowing in advance, as Paul says here in verse 2. So we can safely say that the Israelites were predestined to be chosen as God’s children.¹⁶ Early church scholar Pelagius argues along the same line. How could God reject those whom He knew in advance would believe on His Son? By so doing, Paul eliminates any occasion for pride among the Gentiles, just in case they became boastful because so few Jews, but so many Gentiles, believed in Jesus as their Savior.

The First Covenant prophets had no such foreknowledge. They could only repeat what was revealed to them by the LORD. That is why King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah if he had received any word from the LORD.¹⁷ So it seems that Elijah was also unaware that there were others besides himself who had remained faithful to God.¹⁸ For Augustine, the question now is: If so many faithful Israelites were hidden from the prophet Elijah back then, how many more Jews might be believers in his time in the 4^th Century AD? We cannot always be aware of who is saved and who is to be saved just by counting heads!¹⁹

Bishop Theodoret asked the same question of his people in the 5^th Century AD. Could it be that they, like Elijah who didn’t know about these 7,000 until God revealed their existence to him, were unaware of how many Jews had believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior?²⁰ So Paul uses these instances where God picked out and saved numbers of those who had remained true to His Word, His Will, and His Worship. He wanted his fellow Jews to be aware that there were many Jews who had accepted Christ as their Savior by grace and forsook trying to achieve everlasting life by works.

Martin Luther feels that Paul was not satisfied with just using himself as an example of how God’s grace was always flowing despite the Jew’s hardheadedness and arbitrary attitude with respect to His sovereignty. So he argues against the Jews with a very effective illustration. It was Paul’s way of saying that not all Jews were going to be kept in the fold. Just because none of them had been rejected, then they must think that God was lying when He said it would happen. So Paul asks what could they say when he related an incident in the past where this actually took place? So if it would have been foolish at one time to think that God would not reject any of His people, it would be just as foolish to do the same today. Maybe we all can learn something from history.

What prompted Paul to take such a stance was the fact that the Jews arrogantly assumed that they were God’s people simply because the Gentiles were not. Of course, Paul was speaking of the days in which Elijah thought he was the only one left serving God in Israel. But he found out much to his surprise that there were 7,000 more just like him. Luther focuses on the Greek word kataleipō in verse 4 which means: “to cause to be left over, to reserve, to leave remaining.” By understanding these words we can see how God’s grace and election are magnified. After all, He was the One who reserved them for Himself. What Paul was doing here was reiterating what he said back in Romans 9:16: “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”²¹

Puritan scholar Jonathan Edwards points out one factor that should make all of us even more aware of the kindheartedness of God. He begins by saying: Here in this verse we can see the success the Gospel had among the Jews, for God first began with them.²² He sent His only Son to deliver the Good News to them first; His Son chose all of His disciples from among the Jews; all His miracles and wonders were displayed to convince the Jews first that He was the Messiah. God also sent the Holy Spirit first upon the Jews, and the earliest preachers, teachers, evangelists, missionaries, and Apostles were Jewish. Even though God knew they were going to reject His Son, nevertheless, His first elect were called out from the Jews. So how could they complain if He rejected those who did not and would not believe, and call Gentiles to take their place?

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson II) – 04/24/18

Albert Barnes assesses Paul’s argument here concerning clarification of which laws in the first covenant Jews would not be enforced by the Gospel in the last covenant. In previous chapters, Paul declared that all Jews who were not true spiritual Israelites were unqualified to share in the inheritance of the promises to Abraham. Furthermore, they were the ones who mainly rejected the Gospel of Christ and Yeshua as the Messiah.¹ To most Jews, however, it would be unthinkable that the God who chose them and called them His children would now turn around and abandon them.

So it was important for the Apostle Paul to show that his doctrine was consistent with all the prophecies God gave to His people. Yes, if Paul had said that God had universally rejected all the descendants of Abraham and canceled the first covenant, they would be justly outraged at such a doctrine. But that’s not what Paul was saying. He goes on to tell them that should they eventually return to God and be reinstated to His favor, it would clearly prove that God did not cast off His people, or that He voided His promises.²

Canadian Bible teacher H. A. Ironside sees this as a continuation of what Paul has been discussing in the previous chapter. It is based on his rhetorical question of whether or not there was any reason to believe that God had done away with any agreement He had with the children of Israel. This would obviously be the expected reaction of those who didn’t like another Jew telling them they were no longer God’s only children. So Paul shares his own experience to prove that God had not thrown away His covenant with the descendants of Abraham. He himself an Israelite, a natural seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin, had been called by the Spirit of God and brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So if this happened to him, then it could happen to any Jew who turned away from the Law of Moses and turned toward Jesus Christ to be their Savior from the curse of the Law.³

Frédéric Godet offers no objection to Paul using himself as an example. However, he does quote from German theologian and New Testament critic Karl Heinrich Weizsäcker (1822-1899) who stated that Paul could not possibly limit his proof to his own persona when the believers in Rome were Judeo-Christians themselves, and therefore, qualified to refute the idea of rejection being raised.⁴ In other words, why did Paul use himself as an example of God’s continued dealing with Jews to effect their salvation through Christ? There were plenty of other Jews who had become Christians in the Church in Rome. What Dr. Weizsäcker fails to consider is that Paul felt more comfortable speaking on behalf of himself, whom he knew, instead of on behalf of others he did not know.

F. F. Bruce wrote a very informative preface to this chapter in which he states that in spite of how disobedient and contrary the people of Israel might have been, God had not disowned them because they rejected His word through Jesus the Messiah, anymore than He repudiated them earlier when they rejected His word through Moses and the prophets. Where it says that those whom He foreknew He also predestined, was a principle still in effect for the Jews.⁵ God did not change the way He was choosing people in the time of the Apostles from the way they were chosen during the era of the Prophets. Those He selected were safeguarded by His promise to always retain a faithful remnant.

Although Israel had stumbled, it wasn’t to the point they couldn’t get up again. In fact, it was through Israel’s misstep that the blessings of the Gospel went out to the Gentiles in neighboring lands. This is illustrated in the Acts of the Apostles where we read that the repeated refusal of the Jewish community on one side of the city allowed the Gospel to be taken to the Gentiles on the other side of the city. In other words, every minister sent to the Jews God turned into a missionary to the Gentiles because of the Jews’ rejection of the Good News.⁶

Verses 2-4: God chose not to renounce the Israelites,⁷ the people He chose before they were born. Surely you remember what the Scriptures say about Elijah, how he pleaded with God against the people of Israel. He said, “Lord, they have killed your prophets and destroyed your altars. I am the only prophet still living, and they are trying to kill me now.⁸” So, what answer did God give to Elijah? God said, “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have never bowed down before Baal.⁹”

At the time of the anointing of King Saul, Paul’s namesake,¹⁰ in Gilgal, Samuel wanted to set the record straight. He asked the Israelites if they believed him to be an honest prophet, and they said, “Yes.” Then Samuel mentioned that it was the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron to lead them out of Egypt. But their forefathers quickly forgot and so God allowed them to be conquered by their enemies.¹¹ Then the LORD appointed Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel to deliver them. But now that they were in fear of being conquered by Nahash, King of Ammon, instead of turning to God to appoint another deliverer, they decided to choose their own. So Samuel says to them: “All right then, here is the king you asked for. Look him over. You wanted him, and the Lord has given him to you.”¹²

Then Samuel instructed them to continue to revere and worship the LORD, obey His commandments, and follow the king He gave them, and they would do well. But if they rebelled again, they would be in serious trouble, just as their ancestors were in the wilderness. To prove his point, Samuel mentioned that it was highly unusual for it to rain that time of year in Israel,¹³ so he was going to ask God to send rain as a sign that they had displeased Him by rejecting Him as their King and chose a human monarch to be their leader. Sure enough, Samuel prayed and a thunderstorm immediately showed up.¹⁴ That’s when the people realized what a gross error they had made, and pleaded with Samuel to pray for them lest God in His anger destroyed them. That’s when Samuel told them this: “For the sake of His great reputation, Adonai will not abandon His people; because it has pleased Adonai to make you a people for Himself.”¹⁵

So with this background, Paul stated that he was convinced that God would never spitefully turn His back on the people He chose for Himself. Later on, Ethan the Ezrahite wrote a Psalm about God’s love for His people, and in it he penned: “If his [David’s] children forsake my laws and don’t obey them, then I will punish them, but I will never completely take away my loving-kindness from them, nor let my promises fail. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I’ve said.”¹⁶

I’m also sure that Paul had as much confidence in making his statement about God’s faithfulness as the prophet Jeremiah did when he declared this: “This is what Adonai says: ‘If the sky above can be measured and the center of the earth be penetrated, then I will reject all the offspring of Isra’el for all that they have done,’ says Adonai.”¹⁷ But that still wasn’t enough, the people of Israel were still in doubt, so once again Jeremiah received this assurance from the LORD: “Here is what Adonai says: ‘If I do not keep My schedule for sunrise and sunset, and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, then I will turn away from the children of Jacob and David My servant.”¹⁸

Now, to show that he was not just a bystander or some alienated Jew who took up another religion, Paul assures his readers that he is vouching for God’s steadfast love as an insider. Paul used the same claims with the Corinthians who were taught things different from what Paul told them, by people also calling themselves messengers of the Messiah: “Are they Jews? So am I. Are they from the family of Israel? So am I. Are they from the family of Abraham? So am I. Do they work for Christ? I have worked much closer with Him than they have.”¹⁹

As a note on Jewish thinking on this subject of God overlooking the Jews in favor of the Gentiles, Jacobus Trigland, a Dutch Reform Church theologian (1583-1654), became interested in a sect called Karait Judaism (or Qarait Judaism),²⁰ who arose in the 9th Century AD. The Karaites believed in strict interpretation of the literal text of the Scripture without rabbinical interpretation or paraphrase. They believed that spoken rabbinical law was not part of what had been handed down from God, nor was it inspired by God, but was fictional work of the sages. As such, rabbinical teachings are subject to the flaws of any document written by mere mortals. Nevertheless, each scholar can consider and establish teachings according to their own understanding of the Scriptures.

However, a Karaite motto, quoted in much of their literature, is this: “Search scripture well, and don’t rely on your own opinion.” This doesn’t make it a total free-for-all – like the Rabbinic Jews had done with their commentaries. Karaites derive law from scripture according to their own traditions, scholars, and standards of legal interpretation. They just don’t believe man’s spoken word can ever override the written word of God. In their writings, Trigland found this saying: “The blessed God has not cast away the men of the [Babylonian] captivity, though they are under the chastisement of God.”²¹ This no doubt is in line with Paul’s thinking in this letter.

Paul continues to build his case of defending the Jews’ right not to give up on God because God had not given up on them. But at the same time, Paul wanted to remind them that God will not sit still and become inactive just because the people He chose were sitting on their hands. That’s why God told Elijah, who was despondent over the lack of faith among the Israelites and their allegiance to God, that He will reach out His hand to whosoever will come to Him and believe in Him. Now, if God felt that way about the Jews, how do you think He feels about you, called out of sin, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, chosen to be His own, sanctified for His use, and empowered for His glory?

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN (Lesson I)

Verse 1: In that case, I ask, “Did God force His people to leave Him?” Of course not. I myself am an Israelite. I am from the family of Abraham,¹ from the tribe of Benjamin.

With pain for his people still in his heart, Paul continues his plea to his fellow Jews but now turns from a philosophical approach to make his point a logical one. Today we would call it the process of elimination, or deductive thinking. In this case, Paul asks if what happened to the Jews being pushed aside in favor of the Gentiles so that they might hear the Gospel, a bullying act on God’s part? The obvious answer was, “Of course not!” It was already in His plans.

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster sees Paul using himself as an example to show that he was once part of the Israelites who rejected the Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth. But after he became a believer he realized that, unbeknownst to him, he had been chosen to receive salvation through Christ and become a spokesman for his new Master. However, there were others who were not convinced or convicted by Paul’s conversion, and they chose to remain part of those who were headed for judgment and punishment because of unbelief. Yet he never gave up on their being saved just as he was.²

Early church teacher Pelagius believes that by this time in his letter Paul had convinced his audience to the degree that he could start encouraging them, as a good teacher would, to seek further knowledge on this subject. He did not want to continue his criticism so as not to provoke them into throwing up their hands and walking away. After all, God had not yet rejected them, nor would He. Only those who chose not to believe had rejected God. And since God was the only One who could save them, they had also rejected their salvation. Paul could speak to this with authority since, as an unbelieving Jew, God did not reject him but led him to repentance. So if God could do it for him, He could do it for them.³

For early church Bishop Theodoret, Paul could have used the example of the 3,000 unbelieving Jews who were converted to Christ on the Day of Pentecost, as well as to the many thousands spoken of by the Apostle James,⁴ not to mention all those Jews who left their homeland to settle in other parts of the world who believed the message. But instead, he chose to use himself since he was the one writing the letter.⁵ This is an example of how a personal testimony is much more convincing than telling a story about someone else’s experience.

In this opening verse, Reformer Martin Luther sees a continuation of Paul’s insistence that God had never given up on the Jews. To prove this we can look back to what Paul said in Chapter 3:3: “It is true that because some Jews were not faithful to God it will that stop God from doing what He promised?” And then in Chapter 9:6: “It’s not as though God failed to keep His promise to the Jewish people.” As Luther sees it, in spite of the Jews’ arrogance Paul appeals to God’s faithfulness in keeping a promise. He does so by arguing from the smaller to the greater. In other words, had God rejected all His people at any time, Paul would have been included. However, in spite of his being one of Jesus’ greatest opponents, Jesus met him personally on the road to Damascus to announced that he had been chosen for a special task.

If you think that Paul, when he was a Pharisee, hated Jesus and His followers, he probably despised the Gentiles even more. But our Lord had other plans. He could call Paul to be a Christian to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. By using himself as an example, Paul not only shows how wide God spreads His arms in love but how firm and gracious is God’s purpose of predestination and election to completing His plans. Not even the most desperate circumstances could derail God’s plan of salvation. The cross and the grave certainly didn’t sabotage God’s plans for His Son, how much less for one who called himself the least of God’s servants and the biggest of sinners⁶.⁷

Fellow Reformer John Calvin has a similar impression of what Paul is wanting to say here. In Calvin’s mind, what Paul said up to this point about the blindness and stubbornness of the Jews, might seem to imply that when Christ came and was rejected by the Jews, He merely redistributed God’s promises to the Gentiles, thus depriving them of any hope for salvation. Paul wants the Jews to know that God’s promise to Abraham had not been abolished; God had not forgotten what He said and thereby denied all Jews entrance into His kingdom, as the Gentiles were before Christ arrived. But the question is not whether God had justly or unjustly rejected His people. As proven before, when the people, through false zeal and lack of knowledge had rejected the righteousness of God, they suffered a just punishment for their stubbornness. They were deservedly blinded and denied access to the promises of God’s covenant with Abraham.

In John Calvin’s mind, the reason for their rejection by God is not what’s under consideration by Paul. It’s the dispute concerning something else: If the original covenant which God made with their forefathers had been discarded, then they certainly deserved such punishment from God. However, the idea that it became inoperable through their disloyalty, is totally unreasonable. Paul held the following as a fixed principle: Since adoption is by grace and based on God’s mercy alone, and not on mankind, it stands firm and inviolable no matter how great the unfaithfulness of mankind may be. That by itself cannot abolish it. It was necessary for Paul to point this out to the Jews so that the truth and election of God not be thought of as being dependent on the worthiness of individuals.⁸

Bible scholar John Bengel combines Judges 6:13, where Gideon tells the angel that the people feel that God has abandoned them, with Psalm 94:14, where the Psalmist says that Adonai will never desert His people nor abandoned their descendants. to prove the point that even though God has manifested His grace toward the Gentiles in the face of the rebellion of the Jews, it is still not over between them. Bengel has Paul saying: “Far be it from us to say that God has rejected His people, when the very title ‘His people,’ contains the reason for denying it.”⁹

I find the paraphrase of this verse by John Taylor more appealing than that of John Locke. As Taylor puts it, “But what I [Paul] have argued concerning the present exclusion of the Jews, must not be understood as if God had absolutely, universally, and forever thrust His people Israel away from Him.”¹⁰ Both scholars see this as the beginning of Paul’s prophetic work related to the future of the Jews and Gentile with respect to the spread of Christianity. With the Jews rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, the door had been opened to the Gentiles for centuries to come. But God is not finished with the Jews, a remnant of which will still be brought back into the kingdom. But Paul’s message to the Gentiles includes a warning not to take their current alienation with God as a reason to brag, and in the process consider the Jews a lost cause. Their weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning when they return to God with a harvest of souls in their hands¹¹.¹²

Adam Clarke sees Paul making the point that this rejection of the Jews is neither universal nor final. Paul could not have put it better: I am also an Israelite – I am a true descendant of Abraham through Israel to Jacob, then by his son Benjamin. So it is with Christian Jews who can say they stand both in the grace of God and in God’s covenant with Abraham. Rejection is only for the stubborn and disobedient. But for those who believe in Christ will remain a part of Christ’s Body.¹³ In this sense, Paul is drawing a distinction between the Jews in the body of Christ with those on the outside to show that God’s grace has proven itself sufficient for the task of saving those who believe from being rejected by God.

Robert Haldane sees a clear reason why the Apostle Paul included himself in this argument. In so doing Paul does something here that few people appreciate. Besides claiming to be an Israelite, Paul also states that he was a pure descendant of Abraham. So why claim in the second part what is obvious in the first part? If he is truly an Israelite, surely then he is a descendant of Abraham. But this should not be taken as needless repetitiveness. A charge is often made against repetitive thinking, which is called “tautology.” Rather, think of this as a needed reiteration of an important truth.

This is done to give what is said doubled force and meaning. That’s why, in addition to declaring himself an Israelite, he adds that he was a direct descendant of Abraham. In other words, he was not an impostor or someone who got in through conversion or marriage. For Paul, this was no ordinary fact, but an important truth on which he placed great emphasis. He will carry this over to show that just because a person says they are a Christian, it does not mean that they are automatically then a follower of Christ. But to say I am a Christian and a follower of Christ gives it more emphasis.

Paul’s reason for doing this is to impress on the minds of his readers a sense of what is called intrinsic importance. That means, whatever is being said has a built-in factor that makes it important. By not only claiming to be an Israelite but also a descendant of Abraham, Paul is revealing the intrinsic value of God’s covenant with Abraham and all the promises made to him respecting his descendants. Paul did this to show that God had not rejected the children of Abraham who was called the friend of God.¹⁴

Furthermore, Paul added that he was of the tribe of Benjamin. This was not a particular honor seeing how they acted in the Book of Judges and the episode in 1 Samuel. You see, the first king of Israel, Saul, was a Benjaminite. But even though King David came from the tribe of Judah, when the 10 tribes of Israel formed their own kingdom, the tribe of Benjamin joined Judah who would then become the Jewish people. That’s why when Paul wrote this letter to the Christian Jews in Rome, it gave him more credibility by noting that he was a Jew by way of Benjamin. Had Paul been a Gentile, who claimed to be a student of Judaism, speaking to the congregation in Rome, the Jews would have dismissed him right away. But by proving that he was a Jew by birth, education, practicing Pharisee, but now a dedicated Christian, they had to listen to what he said. ¹⁵

While studying philosophy at the University of North Dakota, I was introduced to the writings of Chinese philosopher Laozi (also pronounced Lao Tzu (604-531 BC). In one of his books, he made a statement that was very revealing. There are many variations of how the Chinese text was translated into English. For instance, one translator rendered it, “In the pursuit of knowledge, everyday something is added. In the practice of the Tao, everyday something is dropped.”¹ But I also like the more precise translation that goes, “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

This is another way of encouraging anyone to learn something new every day to broaden their boundaries of knowledge. But to be wise, you must be open to the idea that whatever you knew about some concept may not be accurate, or you have the opportunity to add new facts to what you already know. In doing so, you remove what you knew to make room for what you now know that will change your viewpoint or expertise. In other words, our capacity to retain knowledge is limited, so out with the old and in with the new.

It has been said that knowledge is the accumulation of facts and experiences. Wisdom is knowing what to do with knowledge and the skill of applying it to make good choices. So in a way, knowledge is the accumulation of information learned through education or experience. On the other hand, wisdom is knowing how to apply your knowledge for the benefit of others.

Years ago it was reported in “The Independent,” a newspaper in England, that a journalist name Miles Kington was heard to say, “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing you don’t put a tomato in a fruit salad.” So the more you learn is of little value unless you also learn how to use it for what’s good. This led me to make up my own quote, “Knowledge is knowing the right thing to do; wisdom is knowing why it’s the right thing to do, and do it.”

King Solomon was the epitome of knowledge and wisdom. In his Book of Proverbs, he makes several statements on this subject. For instance, in one place he says: “[Knowledge] starts with God – the first step in learning, is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.”² If someone ever asks you why you study the Bible or go to God for wisdom, just tell them that God is omniscient. If they aren’t sure they know what that means, just say to them, “He knows everything.”

When Jesus was asked, as a young lad talking to some elders on the Temple grounds in Jerusalem, where did He get such wisdom, He told them, “What I teach is not mine, but belongs to Him that sent me.”³ The Apostle Paul explained that Jesus “…has become to us Wisdom from God.”⁴ So as a Christian, you may know the Bible by heart and have memorized all 1189 chapters, but if you don’t know how to put it into action and why it is important to not only “do” but “be” what the Scriptures say about a child of God, then you may be rich in knowledge, but you are poor in wisdom. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

A BIG REVELATION IN A SMALL OBJECT

A new associate pastor was being given a tour around the church property by the senior pastor. He was a bit insecure about his goals in life and asked this seasoned head pastor for some advice. The older preacher suddenly walked over to a rosebush and plucked off a rosebud and told his young assistant to try and open it without damaging any of the bright red petals.

The young assistant was somewhat amazed. Here he was asking his new mentor about finding the will of God for his life and ministry, and he was teaching him a lesson on horticulture. But he respected his new boss and proceeded to try and unfold the small rosebud. No matter how hard he tried, he realized that it would be impossible to open that little rose without damaging the petals.

When the senior pastor noticed that his young assistant was having trouble trying to unfold the rosebud, he asked if he could recite a poem to him. The young man nodded, Yes. So the pastor began:

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so easily,
But in my hands, it dies.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God’s design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So, I’ll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step along the way.

The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord and Savior knows.
I will trust my God to show me,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

A lot of times in life we too are faced with having to make adjustments that require a change or move or reevaluation of who we are and where we are. Too often, we try to open the rosebud of opportunity too fast because we want to see the outcome right away. In doing so, we often damage or even ruin our opportunity before it even begins. So why not do what this young minister and what the poem says to do? Just wait patiently for God to unfold this budding opportunity at the right time for it to blossom big and beautiful. Then you will be given the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy all the blessings He has in store for you. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

A FASCINATING STORY WITHIN A STORY

Imagine a long, long time ago, a very wealthy and powerful man was looking for a wife. He had his eye on the granddaughter of a very close friend of his. As he watched her grow and mature, he loved her even more. Things seemed to be going well, but then they took an unfortunate turn.

After his good friend died, the girl decided to move away into another country because things were life was becoming very hard where they were. Upon arrival, she was treated somewhat harshly, but because of her honesty and integrity, things got better, much better. In fact, she was given a high position within that country leader’s administration.

But then that leader died, and the next leader did not like the fact that this girl had come into the county and been given such a position of authority. So in a short time, she was reduced to nothing more than becoming a slave girl. When her wealthy and powerful suitor heard about it, he became distraught and decided on getting her out of that situation.

So he found an ex-prince from that country and persuaded him to go back as an emissary and bargain with the leader for her freedom. He promised to give him whatever he needed to gain her release. The ex-prince reluctantly agreed. But the bargaining did not go smoothly. Each time the leader would agree but then at the last minute change his mind, a calamity of some sort would hit the country. This went on for some time, but finally, a tragedy happened, and many people mysteriously died, including the leader’s oldest son.

That was enough, so he agreed to let the girl go. So the emissary helped the girl escape and told her he was taking her to meet the man who helped set her free because he wanted to marry her so they could settle down in the beautiful country where her grandfather once lived. Her groom-to-be promised to give the whole land to her as a wedding gift.

But on the trip, the emissary noticed that this otherwise lovely girl had a mean streak. Whenever things didn’t go her way, she would get upset and start making demands. She threatened to go back to where she had been a slave if they weren’t given to her. But the emissary persuaded her that would be a terrible choice.

One day the wealthy groom told his emissary to meet him at a mountain retreat where he would give him the marriage contract. So the emissary informed the bride-to-be and asked here to not try and follow him because she could get hurt. After spending some time with the wealthy man, the emissary returned with the wedding contract. But upon arrival at the camp where the girl was staying, he was flabbergasted.

While he was away, she had taken all her jewelry and made an image of a man she had eyes for back in the land where she lived as a slave. The emissary saw her praying in front of this image, promising to love this man the rest of her life. The emissary was so angry he tore up the marriage contract. When word reached the wealthy man, he too was very distressed and told his emissary that if she was going to act that way, then he would let her die right where she was. But the emissary interceded, and the future groom agreed to keep her as his bride. So the emissary had to write a new marriage contract.

The story goes on to say that after they married and settled down in the land of her grandfather, the girl would go from loving him to being unfaithful to him with many lovers. As a matter of fact, he sent one of his loyal sons with a letter, telling her that he considered her as nothing more than an adulterous and unfaithful wife.¹ In fact, he even sent her a certificate of divorce.² In fact, he also wrote a story about their relationship for one of his other sons to read to her.³ Yet, he could not bring himself to just abandon her to her own ways because he knew what a dreadful end that would bring.

So now after many, many years, he came up with a plan he had once told her about long ago, he decided to seek someone else to be his wife. It was a woman who lived in another country; one with whom he had not had a close relationship with. He planned to make his ex-wife so jealous that she would come running back to him. But it didn’t work. So since they were divorced, he married this other woman who loved him very much. But instead of this making her envious, she resented him even more for doing this.

So one more time he sent an emissary to her to plead with her to let him still take care of her and provide for her. But she let him know as long as that other woman was in the house she had no interest in their having a cordial relationship. It looked like it was all over. But this last emissary finally told her, that this man didn’t do things that way. He loved her from the beginning, and he would love her to the end.⁴

This my friends, this is the story within the story of Romans, Chapter Eleven. So beginning on Monday, April 23^rd we will start examining this story verse by verse. I hope and pray you come along because there are many exciting insights you will gain from that relationship and how will eventually turn out. God bless you for being a faithful follower and student of God’s Word – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Preparatory Insights Into Our Study of Romans, Chapter Eleven

I am a firm believer in the principles of Bible study as taught by Dr. Charles A. Briggs (1841-1913), an American theologian.¹ He believed that for us to really understand almost any portion of Scripture, we must begin by noting who the author is and their place in the evolving history of God’s revelation of Himself to the world.

Then we must examine how what was written applied to the people, situation, and times in which it was penned. Were they addressing any particular problem or explaining any issues on which God wanted His voice to be heard. Then to look and see what was said on the same subject being studied by other writers of Scripture to examine their various opinions. If this writer has other books in the Bible, then see if they address the same subject elsewhere to note if there is any deviation from what they said in the text you are studying.

While doing this, the original language which the writer used must be kept in mind. Why? Because if you are reading what they say in English or any other language, the translation may not have revealed all the nuances and possible play-on-words that the writer employed. Also, check to see if any specific original words were translated using a different English word elsewhere in Scripture. This will help in putting what the writer is saying into context.

Then comes an acknowledgment that these writers were influenced by the customs and manners of their ethnicity and time in history. This is especially true when they attempt to explain something that the Spirit inspired them to write by using illustrations which were in vogue at that time. To understand these will help to better understand the point the writer was trying to make.

Following this, the Bible student must take into account that whatever capacity they may possess intellectually and emotionally to comprehend and formulate ideas and inspiration that comes to their mind over is being read, there are many others who are even more qualified to explain what the writer was saying, and had insights that they have. Not only will examining those commentaries help the text blossom into a more significant source of perceptivity, but it will also no doubt challenge what they thought they just read and force them to reexamine the text again. Is this a bad thing? No! It will either help them confirm what they have believed all along and that they have the right concept of doctrine, or it may change their mind because they found out that what they believed cannot be supported by Scripture.

This is the method I have been using in our study of Romans, and we will see how important this is in understanding Paul’s message to both Jews and Gentiles in Chapter 11. I look forward to sharing with you what the Holy Spirit has helped me to assimilate from the text and great scholars over the centuries. Hopefully, it will inspire you not be satisfied with just being a reader Scripture, but a student of Scripture.

And finally, let me say that the most successful students in my classes in Seminary were those who asked questions and shared impressions. So please feel free to do this either in our classes on Facebook or on my Blog page. Believe me, I will endeavor to give you a response as quickly as I can. I promise! – Dr. Robert R Seyda

TO ALL MY PRECIOUS READERS

You are all exceptional people. Despite all the distractions that demand your attention each day, you still stop and take time to study your Bible. I’m sure our heavenly Father looks down and smiles each time He sees you reading His word. I’m sure it brings joy to His heart.

In fact, the Scriptures say that you are a blessed person because your delight is in the Word of God.¹ In other words, it makes you happy when you open the pages of the Bible and let the words penetrate your heart and mind. You are like the Psalmist who said that God’s Word was like a lamp to his feet and a light on his pathway.² The same writer went on to ask God to open his eyes so that he could see the wonderful things contained in His Word.³ But he wasn’t finished, he prayed to the Lord and told Him that this was his way of seeking to know Him better so that by having His Word stored up in his heart it would give him strength to avoid doing anything that displeased his Lord and Master. That’s why I’m so proud of all of you!

We will continue our study of Romans by taking a walk through Chapter 11. As a teacher, I can tell you that this chapter would not speak to you so insightfully if you had not already read Chapters 9 & 10. They are an introduction to what Paul is going to say now to the Church in Rome. That’s why I’m so excited to begin our lesson on this important part of Paul’s message to God’s people. He starts by informing his fellow Jews that in spite of their being a disobedient and contrary people, God has not thrown them away as defective and unusable.

This provides a lesson for us today to see that no matter how long we’ve served the Lord as His children, the danger of growing cold and getting away from His guidance and direction is a constant, daily threat. Yes, there have been times when God allowed us to stray from His Light, but it was all done to teach us a lesson. No matter how far astray we went, He was right behind us, ready to embrace us when we turned around to answer His call to come back to Him.

Remember, when we were grafted into the original vine in order to partake in all of God’s promises that He made to His people, that grafting was necessary because without being in Him we would not be able to survive the storms and diseases of life. If you still call yourself a Christian and are a true follower of Jesus Christ, it’s not because of your strength you made it, it’s because of His Strength, His Love, His Kindness, His Mercy and His Forgiveness.

So I’m excited to start our exploration of Romans 11. But I’m just as excited that you are walking along with me. And since the Holy Spirit is our constant comforter and guide, we will discover some things we never knew before. How exhilarating is that! God bless you for your willingness to make God’s Word an important part of your life. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER TEN

The Apostle Paul had been writing earlier about the love he had for his fellow Jews even though they kept focused on keeping the Law and thereby establishing their own righteousness by works. But the problem was, they had no interest in submitting to God’s righteousness. They rejected the idea that Christ had brought an end to using the Law to gain righteousness. They just couldn’t see the impossibility involved, even though Moses had written about righteousness based on the Law, that the person who believed in and practiced them must also live by them down to the last letter. This was a matter of having more zeal than knowledge. It takes both of these combined in one faith. Such faith was now available in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Israel was being given plenty of opportunities to heed the Gospel of Christ, but for the most part, they refused it, thereby hurting only themselves.

By Paul explaining the Law in this light and the keeping of the Law in self-righteousness compared to the righteousness offered by God, it showed the Jews (and the Gentiles) that no one can be saved by keeping the Law. It takes a public profession of the faith in Christ a person has in their heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Jesus from the dead, that a person can be saved. Jesus kept the law perfectly, something no Jew, and certainly no Gentile, had ever done or could do. And until they believe and confess this as the basis for their faith, there was no other way to get right with God.

The righteousness that God now offers through Christ is based upon faith in Christ’s work on the cross, not keeping the Law. It doesn’t involve the accomplishment of some great feat (like ascending to heaven or descending to hell). That’s impossible, to begin with. As foretold by Scripture, it is extended to all, both Jew and Gentile. And it is offered to both through the same medium of preaching the Gospel. God is no respecter of a person’s national origin, skin color, or gender. He makes no distinction between the Jew or the Gentile because He is Lord of all. This is why the Gospel is such Good News. It is for “everyone,” no matter who they are, that “calls on the name of the Lord” which saves them. Even with this, it still doesn’t depend on the will of man alone. As the Apostle John wrote, “all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”¹

The problem with the nation of Israel, then, is that not all of them accepted the Gospel message, even when they had ample opportunity. But as Moses predicted, the day would come when God would provoke Israel to jealousy by another people, who Isaiah said did not seek God yet found Him, while Israel continually rebelled against Him. And even though their salvation didn’t depend on them but on Christ, they still needed to listen to the Gospel message.

How else were they supposed to believe unless they heard what Jesus had to say? Paul clarifies his point by writing that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God.” The fact that faith comes by hearing the “word of God,” means that by hearing Christ they were listening to God, Paul also asks how those who preach the Word of God can do so unless they are sent? This is why it was so crucial for them to understand that he had been sent by God to tell them the Good News of Christ.

Paul, in quoting Isaiah, writes a compelling line by asking a question; “who has believed what he has heard from us?” In Isaiah’s day, very few believed, even though many heard. That is still true today. Many believe, but few are saved. Jesus said many will cry out to Him on the day of His return, “Lord, Lord” but He tells them to depart because He never knew them at all.² Many are called, but few are chosen. Why? To hear the Gospel and believe it, is not enough…it must be obeyed. Paul saw the same problem that Isaiah identified in ancient Israel, and that’s the fact that “not all obeyed the Gospel.” It takes a person of God with the Word of God and the Spirit of God to make the children of God for the glory of God. There is real power in the Gospel, as Paul wrote, “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”³ If all we had to depend on were our own power, then none would be ever saved.

The Jews just didn’t get it. They thought that by their law-keeping, they would be accepted by God but that’s legalism and salvation by works, and God will not allow that⁴ because it’s nothing more than filthy rags.⁵ It is “Christ [Who] is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” In other words, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved.”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TEN (Lesson XXXI)

Adam Clarke sees Paul proving, by answering the objection raised in verse 16, that the unfaithfulness of the Jews was caused by their own stubbornness. In fact, the opposition they were now making to the Gospel was foretold and criticized 700 years earlier. And with the acceptance of the Gospel by the Gentiles it was proof that the Jew’s opposition would not in any way keep the Gospel from reaching those who were lost. Furthermore, by the Jews having rejected this Gospel, they could expect no other gospel to come. Having turned their back on Jesus the Messiah, there would no other messiah coming to take His place. The same is true today. Anyone who turns away from reaching God and heaven as outlined in the Scriptures, need not look for another path. There is none!¹

For Scottish Bible scholar Robert Haldane, if Moses was hinting about the calling of the Gentiles, Isaiah screamed it out loud. It was a two-edged sword message. On the one hand, telling the world that the door was opening to the Gentiles to come in and enjoy a seat at the table with Abraham and become part of the family of God through Jesus Christ was remarkable! On the other hand, telling the Jews that because of their obstinance and unbelief, their name card on the banquet table with Abraham had been removed. Not only that but since their invitation to become part of the family of God through Jesus Christ had been returned unanswered, it was obvious they had no interest in changing their ways in order to enjoy the blessings of salvation through Christ Jesus.

But that’s not all. While Haldane sees the wall that kept the Gentiles out of being included in Abraham’s promise for so long having been knocked down, at the same time he sees the Jews trying to erect that wall again because they couldn’t accept God’s decision to enlarge the family of believers. With the Jews, God had employed the outward means of righteousness through the Law to lead men to obedience. This was done without the accompanying influence of His grace applied through the Holy Spirit. With the Gentiles, God used the inward means of righteousness that was accredited to them for their obedience through faith, just as it was with Abraham. The Jews had been chosen through Abraham, the Gentiles through grace. The Jews had their lineage and circumcision to submit as proof of a covenant, the Gentiles had nothing to offer. The Jews sought salvation based on merit, the Gentiles sought salvation based on mercy.² In other words, the Gentiles were walking by faith and the Jews by sight.³ How odd that the Gentiles who were once on the outside looking in are now on the inside looking out. Meanwhile, for the Jews it is exactly the reverse, they’re now on the outside looking in.

When viewing this from today’s perspective, Albert Barnes believes there are a number of things we can learn. First of all, the unconverted in this world are in serious danger without the Gospel. They are sinful, polluted, and wretched. In some countries like India and China, the pagan temples are still around, but in other highly industrialized countries, they have erected their own temples where they gather to worship in self-indulgence and immorality. Secondly, the power of the Gospel still brings salvation to those who believe. And it is not just for one nation.

When it is preached in all the languages of the world it brings about tremendous change in the lives of those who are touched by its power and redeeming grace. Thirdly, the Gospel has not undergone any revision to remain relevant. The Gospel preached today is the same spoken of by Jesus Christ when He gave the great commission to go into all the world and preach it to every person who would listen. Fourthly, those who are touched and changed by the Gospel must themselves be ready to go and share it with others. As was quoted by Paul, “How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace.”

Charles Hodge focuses on the mercy of God in this verse. It shows how God was willing to deal with the most depraved and despised sinner with tenderness and compassion. To love the unlovable. As Paul saw it through the eyes of Isaiah, all the day long He extends His arms of mercy, even to the disobedient and the doubters. This will be testified to by all those who are saved and all those who perish. Everyone will be compelled to acknowledge the glory of God’s patience, as well as their own confusion and self-condemnation. Every soul that is saved will bow before Him who saved them and confess that He is the one who did the work to make it happen. Meanwhile, those who refuse to listen or decline the call and are then destined for eternal separation from God will also have to admit that the person who made that happen was no one other than themselves.⁴

Charles Spurgeon laments that so many who hear the Word and hear it most often, still turn away from it in disgust and apathy. Meanwhile, others who hear it for the first time and are moved and shaken by its clarity and power, are blessed from the beginning. Spurgeon used this illustration to describe some of those who regularly attended his Metropolitan Tabernacle in London that some of them were just like pieces of rubber from India. They are easily impressed, they yield to every truth that is uttered, but they soon get back into their same old shape again.

Remorsefully, after twenty years of hearing the Gospel says Spurgeon, they’ve become what they were before, only this time, they are hardened and will not bend. That is difficult for any pastor to admit. At the same time, Spurgeon recounted how when he dropped in on even the most irreligious individual, whose heart was as hard as a piece of stone, the very first tap of the hammer of the Gospel was enough to shatter the stone so effectually, that it never gets hard again.⁵

Frédéric Godet is impacted by what is said leading up to verse 21. It is the emotional contrast between the conduct of Israel and that of the Gentiles in receiving the Gospel. The Israelites react with stubborn resistance while the Gentiles respond with openness and pliability. The Lord is represented as a Father figure, who from morning to night stands with arms outstretched to receive His children. But instead of hugs and joyful laughter among the Jews, they experience nothing but refusal and contradiction. No one reading this can come away with the impression that this rejection is God’s fault. It is the hardheartedness of the Israelites themselves. Yet, praise God, where sin abounds God’s grace is there in greater quantity.

This story of the Jews and Gentiles seems to come to an end, at least for a season. God’s efforts toward His rebellious people seems to be over. Only the Gentiles now appear destined for all the glory once ascribed to the descendants of Abraham. But Godet asks that we all wait until we read Chapter 11. Once more God will allow the overflowing of His grace to reach out again to Israel. Only this time, instead of feeling pain and disappointment at the Jew’s response, our heavenly Father will see a more glorious and victorious result.⁶ When that will happen no one knows but God. But let’s pray that it comes sooner rather than later to the glory of God.

Karl Barth offers his definition of this “guilt” on the part of the Jews. He says we must stop and consider this: “Guilt is not innocence. Guilt means we can but we won’t.” It is a case of an unwillingness on the part of many to give up what they have for what God has to offer. It’s the refusal to come down from a lofty pinnacle of self-pride and bow humbly at the feet of a new Master. In a way, the Jews simply wanted to sit comfortably in their tents and not go out, like Abraham, to meet the God who has come to see them.⁷ Unfortunately, this is one characteristic of all people who are stubborn in their opposition to God.⁸ God is not a tyrant nor a dictator. He is a loving, caring heavenly Father who wants to protect His creation from the coming disaster on the Day of Judgment.

John Stott hears this message from Paul: God has been actively holding out His arms to Israel to enter His Promised Land ever since He had Moses lead them out of Egyptian bondage. He is like the father of the Prodigal Son in Jesus’ parable.⁹ But the only response He has received from the Jews is that they are comfortable in the pig pen with the estranged relationship they have with Him. Sort of like a wife and husband who are separated. They don’t want a divorce, but they don’t want to live together anymore.

On the other hand, the Gentiles who have had no interest to ask or even seek God are open to His invitation to enter a new relationship. So when the Jews find out that God has another love, they are jealous. But God tells them, I did it on purpose to see if you even cared about our love affair. In spite of this, however, the Jews are determined to remain a disobedient and obstinate people until God apologizes. When reading this, you can almost feel God’s disappointment, His dismay, His grief.¹⁰ The same can be said today of those who live in a Christian nation where the spires of churches, topped with crosses, are seen throughout the land, yet they drive by without giving it a second thought. Oh God have mercy on all of us!

Methodist preacher Charles Simeon imagines these closing words of Paul as an altar call. He hears Paul saying to the Jews, you must seek Him if you want to find Him. It must be you calling out to God, not God calling out to you. Yes, He is sovereign and dispenses His blessings to whomsoever He will, and under whatever circumstances He deems necessary. But you must desire His blessings. And if you have no desire to seek them, then you are choosing the consequences. And what consequences will they be?

Look at all those over the centuries who have turned away from God. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah. Thank Him for the patience He has already exercised on your account. Take into consideration his long-suffering in reaching out to you with the hand of salvation. Even at this moment, He is waiting to be gracious to you. And once you are His you can be content as you go on your way weeping with gladness, bearing the seed of His Word for sowing, so that you can come back with shouts of joy, bringing bundles of grain from the harvest He has given you¹¹.¹²

As the Apostle Paul closes out this part of his letter to the church in Rome, we not only hear the cries of desperation by the Prophet Isaiah, but they are magnified by Paul’s own grief at the plight of his people, the Jews, and their belligerent denial of Jesus as the Messiah. From Moses, down through the Prophets, continuing through Jesus the Messiah’s time here on earth up until Paul, the Jews had shown a rebellious spirit in complying with God’s Word and Will for them. The Apostle was hoping that this time they would listen. Today if a minister expresses the same passion for the lost they are criticized as being insensitive to people’s personal freedoms to be who they want to be. But the day is coming went it will no longer be a gentle invitation to be saved, but a cry desperation by God’s servants for all to come in while there is yet time. That day may be closer than we think.

THE END OF CHAPTER TEN