Romans 9

 

9:1

“I could wish”  is idiomatic for stating an impossible wish

 

9:3

“my brothers” qualified by “of my own race”

 

9:4

“adoption as sons” even Israel does not inherit the right but had to be taken from outside the family

 

Deuteronomy 14:1,2;  Hosea 11:1

 

  • Adoption as sons
  • Divine glory
  • The covenants – Abraham, Sinai, David (or, Abraham’s renewed to Isaac and Jacob)
  • Receiving of the law
  • Temple service
  • The promises
  • Theirs the patriarchs
  •  From them Christ ancestry
    • “God” does not have a definite article “the” so it does not say “The God” but instead “God” and refers to the attributes of God and not the person  God
    • John does the same thing in John 1:1 in “the Word was God” as in “the Word had the attributes of God” not “the Word was The God”

 

Israel is to be respected in the church age because:

1)      Israel is the source of all these blessings for the Gentiles or the World

2)      Israel will return and enter the plan of  God again

 

9:6-9

God’s word did not fail.  God’s plan and promises did not fail

Israel failed. 

Not all in Israel chose the plan. 

Just because you are Abraham’s descendent does not mean you are in the plan.

Ishmael was not.  Keturah’s children were not

Isaac was, but Ishmael was not.

 

Isaac was born of God’s promise, Ishmael was man’s plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

9:10-13

How about twins born at the same time?  Esau and Jacob

They had the same father Isaac who was the promised son.

Does this mean they were “Israel”?  No.

Just because they came from Abraham and Isaac does not mean they are in Israel.

 

9:13

“hated” does not refer to an emotional feeling since God blessed Esau in many ways.

Luke 14:26 we are to “hate” our own life and our families

This hatred is a reference to the fact that Jacob’s line was chosen to produce the promised nation.

It is not a matter of salvation here.  This is not about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being chosen to be saved but instead is a matter of forming a nation called Israel.

 

The point so far is not all of Israel is Israel even from the beginning.

Israel began not by Abraham having children, because Ishmael and Keturah’s children are not

Israel is not all of Abraham’s grandchildren, because Esau was not.

Abraham’s nation came through Isaac and Jacob.

 

Physical descent had nothing to do with the founding of Israel in the early days.

 

The comparison is made:

If Israel was formed by God choosing Abraham – Isaac – Jacob in the beginning and leaving out Ishmael, Keturah’s children and Esau  then it should not be surprising that as time has continued from 2000 BC until 65 AD that there have been others who appear to be “descendents of Abraham” but really are not.

 

This is not saying God chooses but that it is not merely by natural descent.

Many in natural Israel have been eliminated because of their lack of faith.

 

Go to Romans 9:30-33 “they pursued it not by faith. . .They stumbled over the stumbling stone.”