Lesson 21 – Romans Chapter 9:1-24
We’ve had an interesting journey so far with Paul in chapters 1-8, where Paul has laid down for us the principles of salvation. Now Paul is going to shift gears a little by addressing how God is dealing with Israel, God’s chosen people. Paul didn’t want to continue any further his teaching on justification by faith until he made clear some of the related truths about the Israelites.
At the end of chapter 8 Paul has established for us that; (1) God has a purpose for every believer, (2) nothing can ever prevent His purpose from being fulfilled, (3) nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.
At this point someone might ask, “what about the Jews, I thought they were God’s chosen people?” God also has a plan and purpose for Israel. Yet some might think that God has put Israel up on the shelf and forgotten about them. Paul addresses this problem in chapters 9 to 11.
Rom 9:1-3
“I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”
Right off the bat Paul is putting his feelings out on center stage, you can hear the emotion in his words… “I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.”
We can see the very same passion from Moses;
Exo 32:31-32
“Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”
Paul says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren,”
“I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ! – if that would save them.” (NLT)
Both of these godly men were willing to be condemned for the sake of their kinsmen, their fellow brothers and sisters.
• Would you be willing to give up your salvation if it meant saving someone you cared about? A very hard question to answer to say the least.
This is pretty intense… Paul cares so much for his fellow Jews that he would allow himself to be eternally separated from Jesus. What makes this even more interesting is that, his fellow Jews were the ones trying to do him in… they would do anything to get rid of him, even kill him.
Paul’s ministry was clearly to the Gentiles, but also to the Jews.
Acts 9:15 (At Paul’s conversion, the Lord speaking to Ananias)
“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;”
Paul would bring the gospel message to the Gentiles and the Jews as well.
Rom. 9:4
“Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,”
“They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed His glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them His law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping Him and receiving His wonderful promises.” (NLT)
Paul is pointing out some of the great privileges of being a Jew. For example, they were called Israelites… Israel was the name that God gave Jacob as an expression of God’s favor toward him.
Gen. 32:28
God said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”
And the glory… the Hebrew word related to glory is, “chabod.” God’s glory came before Israel in the wilderness, we can also refer to it as the Shekinah glory.
Exo. 16:10
“And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.” (NLT)
Israel experienced the glory of God at Sinai, at the tent of the meeting, and also within the temple… where it was manifested in light between the wings of the cherubim on the ark of the covenant. (Only the high priest would see this)
The covenants and the giving of the Law… these gave the Jews lifesaving principles so that they might do well, excel, and succeed in life. All these were given to guide and protect Israel. The most important covenant was the covenant of redemption through Jesus Christ…
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD.
“I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
Jeremiah was speaking of the coming Messiah.
The temple service… service in the temple or tabernacle was very special and important, this was God’s way of connecting with His people. The services were done by the Levites, which were the sacrifices, the different offerings, the cleansings, and worship.
Exo. 29:43-46
“I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.”
From a practical stand point for the Christian, our service to God can be one of the most rewarding things in our earthly experience.
Serving God and His kingdom not only stores up treasures in heaven, but it will also bring much joy and satisfaction into your life.
Rom. 9:4e-5a
“The promises, whose are the fathers,”
Here in the last part of verse 4 and the first pat of verse 5 Paul is referring to the promises and the patriarchs of the Old Testament, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David. The promises are not explained here by Paul, but it could be about the generations that were to come. Most importantly, the promise of the coming Messiah and God’s Kingdom.
Acts 2:39 (Peter speaking)
“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Aren’t you glad God called you into His promise?
Rom. 9:5b
“And from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
“And Christ Himself was an Israelite as far as His human nature is concerned. And He is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” (NLT)
Jesus is God!
Here we have the supreme privilege for the Jews, that the Messiah would come through their bloodline. Everything about Jesus was Jewish, His mother was Jewish, He probably had Jewish schooling, He went to the synagogue where He listened as a boy and taught in as a man. Jesus participated in all the Jewish celebrations and festivals… He was a Jew.
Matt. 15:24
“But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (KJV)
What a privilege, Israel had the Messiah in their very midst, the sad part is, they never received Him as Messiah.
Rom. 9:6
“But it is not as though the word of God has failed.”
God’s word will never fail.
Isa. 55:10
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with My word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Even though the Israelites never received Jesus as the true Messiah, some Jews recognized Jesus for who He is, and became part of His followers. Jesus predicted this…
Luke 24:47
“Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (ESV)
The gospel of the kingdom was to be a blessing to the whole world, but it was only natural that it would be first announced to Israel.
Zech. 10:6
“I will strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will restore them because of My compassion. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the LORD their God, who will hear their cries.” (NLT)
In Paul’s first missionary journey, every time they would come into a new city, Paul and Barnabas would preach in the synagogue to the Jews in that city. In Pisidian Antioch, they were opposed by the unbelieving Jews.
Acts 13:46
“We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (ESV)
The word of God has (never) failed, when the Jews turned their backs on the gospel message, Paul would then focus on the Gentiles.
Rom. 9:6b-8
“For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”
They were not a Jew because of their DNA, but from having a spiritual relationship with God… For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel …so, not all will inherit the promises of God. The Jews had this prideful idea that every single one of them would go to heaven just because they were Jewish… the “circumcised ones.” Paul shows that not all of Abraham’s descendants were his true children… THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.
Gen. 21:12
“But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.”
It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God,
The Arab nation of today comes from the children of the flesh. Ishmael was the attempt by Abraham to help God out.
Gen. 21:13
“And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”
This was purely an act of Abraham’s flesh. Isaac was the promised son, and Ishmael was a result of the flesh. God didn’t even acknowledge Ishmael was the son of Abraham.
Gen. 22:2
“He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
The children of the promise are regarded as descendants
To be found in the category as one of Abraham’s descendants, a conversion needed to take place in the heart.
Rom. 10:9
“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”
For the Jews before the arrival of the Messiah, they had to share in the same “faith” that Abraham had. Not all who claim to be Israel are Israel. Israel; means to be, governed by God, and not all who claim to be of Israel are governed by God. Also, not everyone who claims to be a Christian is truly a Christian… sad, but true. It always comes back to the heart.
The bottom line here is, Paul is saying; “Be careful, not all who claim to be of Israel are truly of Israel.”
(KJV: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called)
Unlike the descendants of Abraham, and all those who descend through the spiritual seed (like you and me), these are the ones who are truly governed by God.
Rom. 9:9-10
“For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;”
“For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.” (NLT)
Abraham had two sons, Isaac the chosen one, and Ishmael the forgotten one. Isaac grows up and gets married to Rebekah, the saga continues…
Rom. 9:11-12
“For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.”
“But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to His own purposes; He calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.” (NLT)
Through God’s sovereignty, He choose Isaac and not Ishmael, then He chooses Jacob, Isaac’s younger son and passed over Esau. We know how things turned out for the descendants of Ishmael, But what about Esau, Jacob’s oldest son?
Heb. 12:16
“Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.”
Esau is cited as the biblical example of the “first of the root of bitterness.” Why did Esau sell his birthright… a birthright that might have given him a position of leadership spiritually, or perhaps a double portion of wealth? Maybe it was because Esau was bitter over the fact that before he was even born, God had said to Rebekah, “The elder, Esau, shall serve the younger, Jacob” (Gen. 25:23). Esau must have thought to himself, “This just isn’t fair,” and as a result of this, he sold his birthright for a lousy bowl of beans. Consequently, Esau became a fornicator… a blasphemous man.
Now that we have a little background about Esau, we can see God’s sovereign plan coincides with His predestination as well. It’s no surprise that God knows what He’s doing, He knew how Esau would turn out.
Rom. 9:13-14
“In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.” Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!”
Paul is proving that God’s word to Israel has not failed, because God always accomplishes His purpose through His free choice of a remnant (meaning Israel) according to His grace.
The problem Paul is talking about is, why are so many individual Jews, the ones who are a part of the elect nation of Israel, why are they not saved? Paul’s answer is that God didn’t choose everyone in Israel to be saved. He later refers to Israel as, “a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.”
Rom. 11:5
“In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.”
With God’s Sovereign plan, grace is always involved.
Rom 9:14-15
Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!
For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”
Exod. 33:19
“The LORD replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. (NLT)
God has His plans, who are we as mere mortals to even dare to question God and what He does? God’s purpose is not held hostage by whatever man decides to do. If that were so, then man, not God, would be the sovereign over the whole universe. But as we’ve seen, the Bible is clear that only God is sovereign over His creation.
Isa. 55:8-9
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the LORD. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (NLT)
For us to question how God does things, it would be like an earth worm trying to tell you what you should do and when to do it.
Hab. 1:5
“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—You would not believe if you were told.”
Truth be told, if God told you exactly all His plans and what is going to happen, your mind would probably just blow-up.
Rom. 9:16
“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
The basis of God’s sovereign choice has nothing to do with how a person acts, but it’s all about God’s compassion and grace. God is free to show mercy on anyone He chooses.
Eph. 2:8
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”
Where would any of us be if it wasn’t for God’s grace? If your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life… never, never stop counting your blessings.
Rom. 9:17
“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
God had compassion and mercy on Israel, while He only had condemnation and punishment when it came to Pharaoh. Some people might be of the persuasion that it was so mean of God to harden Pharaoh’s heart.
In the first place, Pharaoh refused to obey God and hardened his own heart, then God used Pharaoh’s sin against him to demonstrate God’s own power and to magnify His Holy name. God only gave Pharaoh over to what Pharaoh had already started.
Rom. 9:18
“So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
Nevertheless, the fact remains that God is sovereign and He chooses to have mercy on some and withhold it from others.
Rom. 9:19
“You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”
“Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?” (NLT)
Fleshly human logic would certainly come up with this question.
Rom. 9:20-24
“No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?
In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.” (NLT)
From Pastor Jon Courson; “A popular phrase in the political climate of the 80’s was, “Let Reagan be Reagan.” Paul would say, “Let God be God. Let Him do what He wants. Who are you to argue against Him? From one piece of clay, a potter can make a beautiful vase. From another, he can make a trashcan. So, too, the Master Potter can do with you whatever He wants. Now, I could worry about placing my life in the hands of One who sovereignly decides whether I’ll be a vase or spittoon, a thing of beauty or a trashcan… but only until I see the hands of the Potter as He shapes the clay. For then I see the prints where nails scarred those hands, where He loved me so much He died for me on Calvary. Surely, if He loved me enough to die for me, I can trust Him with my life absolutely, and say to Him, “Do with me whatever You wish.”
Jon Courson brings a truth to us that we should all adhere to, that we should “Let God Be God” and follow the path He has carved out for us. Try as we might, we will never fully understand God… but He’s worthy of our full trust.