Israel’s Rejection of Christ
August 16, 2021
Commentary
Today we begin looking at one of the most difficult parts of the Bible, the ninth chapter of Romans. No matter how much we might struggle to understand specific details of this chapter, the key theme is that God is faithful to keep His promises. Paul gives us three facts to remember as we struggle to resolve why the Jewish people reject Jesus as their Messiah:
Fact #1: We know God has given His promises to Israel (vv. 1-5a). Whenever Christians forget this, it’s caused problems. God has given His promises to Israel, and He’s still bound to keep these promises. God’s assurance that the promise would come through Isaac was given to Abraham, and at the time appointed was fulfilled. God in His wisdom chose Isaac and rejected Ishmael, and He chose Jacob and rejected Esau.
Fact #2: We know that Jesus fulfills these promises (v. 5b). A close study of the Old Testament and Jesus’ life reveals that Jesus amazingly fulfills the predictions and prophecies about the Messiah. Jesus is the seed of the woman promised in Genesis 3:15. He is the “prophet like Moses" promised in Deuteronomy 18:15. He is the Passover Lamb foreshadowed in the Jewish Passover festival. He is the heir to David’s throne promised in 2 Samuel 7. Jesus was born of a virgin as promised in Isaiah 7:14. He was born in Bethlehem as promised in Micah 5:2. He was crucified as predicted in Psalm 22. He was despised and considered a criminal as predicted in Isaiah 53, and He was raised from the grave as promised in Psalm 16.
Fact #3: We know God keeps His promises in unexpected ways (vv. 6-13). Paul’s concern here is that a person might conclude that because Israel has rejected Jesus as the Messiah, somehow God’s promises to Israel in the Jewish Scriptures have failed. Yet within ethnic Israel there is a remnant, a small group of Jewish people, who do embrace Jesus as their Messiah.
Application
I am so glad that “whosoever will” may come to a personal relationship with God and that includes me. Romans 10:12-13 tells us that whosoever shall call on the Lord shall be saved, and that there is no difference between the Jew or the Greek coming to God.
Romans 9:1– 13 (NET)
1 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me in the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed—cut off from Christ—for the sake of my people, my fellow countrymen, 4 who are Israelites. To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen.
6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, 7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” 8 This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. 9 For this is what the promise declared: “About a year from now I will return and Sarah will have a son.” 10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our ancestor Isaac— 11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling) — 12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” 13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”