Would They Be Envious!

Romans 11:1-16

As we have seen over the last couple of Sundays, this section of the book of Romans, chapters 9 to 11, focuses on the relationship between God and the people of Israel. Paul had a great burden for his own people. He begins chapter 9 saying that he would gladly be cut off from Christ himself for Israel to be saved. That is a serious statement! Paul means that would do anything to save the Jews; he is heartbroken over their refusal to accept Jesus as their Savior. They had stumbled over the stumbling stone of Jesus himself, rejecting a righteousness that comes by faith and instead continuing to apply their own effort in pursuing the law as though salvation was on the basis of works. They missed the fact that Christ had come as the culmination of that law, paying the price himself for sin, so that there could be righteousness for everyone who believes, both Jew and Gentile.

The fact that God would care at all about the Gentiles was very threatening to the Jews. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would bless the whole earth. But the Jews never expected the Gentiles to be treated on an equal basis and have the same access to God – at least not without becoming Jewish. This was a matter of national pride. But we read in chapter 10 that God had said via Moses, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” God was offering the Gentiles something that his own people had rejected. Would that they be envious! With God offering the free gift of salvation by his grace rather than by following the law, the Jews should have been first in line to receive it. But in many cases it appears they just resented the Gentiles having access to something that used to be exclusively theirs: a relationship with the one true God – apart from the law. But God was not giving up on the Jews, as he would continue to “hold out [his] hands” to them, despite their being disobedient and obstinate. We saw that was how chapter 10 ended last time. Today we carry on with chapter 11:

I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.

 – Romans 11:1-2a

Jesus was a Jew, also tracing his lineage all the way back to Abraham. He spent most of his earthly ministry among the Jews, “holding out his hands to them” for their healing and deliverance. But he was not the kind of Messiah that the Jews were expecting, and the majority rejected him and his message – and continue to do so even to this day. Still, there were some who believed, like Paul himself, who was a Jew through and through. Paul had also been an avid follower of the law, but the resurrected Jesus had appeared to him on the Damascus road and convinced him of his need for grace. God was clearly not rejecting his people, but at the same time he would have known how few would accept his way of salvation through Jesus. God foreknew those who would be saved. We read about this back in chapter 8:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.  – Romans 8:28-30

God has called believers according to his purpose. And what is that purpose? To be conformed to the image of his Son. That, then, is the good that God wants to work through all things to those who love him. It’s not some general “good” that will make us happy or give us an easy life. Sometimes Romans 8:28 is quoted in a vague “don’t worry, it will be okay” kind of way. God has a very specific, very beneficial purpose that he is working in those of us who love him, and that is for us to become more like Jesus in every way.

But what about this matter of foreknowledge? Predestination is a difficult concept for us to grasp. Since it has divided the church for more than a thousand years, don’t expect me to be able to offer a conclusive explanation. On the one hand scripture is clear that some people have been chosen for salvation – before the creation of the world, it says in Ephesians. On the other hand, scripture also makes it very clear that Jesus died for all people for all time. For God so loved the world – the whole world – that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him – that means anybody – should not perish but have everlasting life. How can we put these two basic concepts together? If almighty God has chosen us, how could we ever reject him? And yet we know that people do reject God. Is free will an illusion or do we actually have a choice about whether to accept Jesus or not?

As a side note in this regard, even completely secular people can struggle with this type of apparent contradiction. If you take naturalism to its extreme then human behavior becomes completely deterministic. If people are simply an assortment of atoms arranged in a particular order, then they are completely preprogrammed to do everything in a certain way. What is the basis, then, for condemning them for doing certain things that society somehow considers “wrong”? On this basis, free will is indeed an illusion; each of us is simply a product of our genetics and environment.

At the same time, no one actually lives that way! Society is based on the assumption that people have agency, that they are able to make choices, and that they should be accountable for the results of those choices. Do you see the parallel with predestination versus free will in how we relate to God? It is impossible to completely reconcile the two – though people have tried and have cranked out innumerable theological treatises defending one position or the other. All I can say is that God is bigger than us on this issue. The basic problem for our finite human minds is that God is outside of time, and we are too inherently time-bound to grasp what that really means. From the beginning of creation God already knew everything that would happen. He already knows who will accept Jesus and who won’t. Fortunately we don’t, so we still have to take seriously our responsibility to offer the grace of God to everyone who might be open to it – and that means everyone. Let’s carry on in Romans 11:

Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  – Romans 11:2-4

You probably recall the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel, when God answered by fire and showed his glory in an amazing way. You may want to open to it now, starting in 1 Kings 18, because I am not going to read the whole thing. Starting in verse 19 of 1 Kings 18 there was a big showdown between Elijah and all the prophets of Baal, one of the Canaanite deities that the people of Israel has started to worship. By the power of the true God, Elijah was victorious over these prophets, and he rallied the people to kill them. But then Queen Jezebel, who was the effective sponsor of the Baal cult in Israel, threatened Elijah’s life, and he ran away and hid in the wilderness, completely discouraged and afraid.

This was right after seeing the amazing miracles that so clearly demonstrated the power and supremacy of God, not just the fire coming down from heaven to burn up his sacrifice but also the dramatic rainstorm to end the drought that had stricken the land. Elijah forgot so quickly that God was in control, and he was ready to give up, praying that he might die. So the first thing God does is provide him with rest, food, and drink. What a loving response to a very human condition! Then Elijah was able to continue on to Mount Horeb, a journey of 40 days and 40 nights, it says. Why did he go to Horeb, usually described as “the mountain of God”? Do you recall where it is first mentioned in the Bible? In Exodus, when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. Was Elijah wanting to meet with God in a similar way and have his calling renewed?

We don’t know and the Lord asked him as well, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (This is in verse 9 of chapter 19.) Elijah should have stopped to think, how does this fit in with what God has called me to do? But he can only think of himself at right at that point: “I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.” He felt completely defeated and alone, still down in a deep valley after the mountaintop experience on Carmel. He was disappointed with God and wavering in his faith.

And it’s not clear if he is even accurate in his assessment of the situation. If you look at the beginning of chapter 18 you will see that Elijah met with Obadiah, who is described as “a devout believer,” part of the court of King Ahab, no less. Let’s read that part of the story, since it may not be as familiar.

After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. – 1 Kings 18:1-6

So Obadiah was a faithful follower of God, taking a huge risk by remaining as palace administrator and yet caring for the Lord’s prophets in this way. Understandably he was probably not particularly vocal to Ahab about his faith and what it meant to him.

As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’” “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. – 1 Kings 18:7-12

Obadiah knew that the king’s power was absolute and he could be struck down on a whim for doing anything that displeased the king. His life, therefore, was hanging by a thread every day.

Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!” Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.  When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” – 1 Kings 18:12-17

So Obadiah’s life was presumably preserved this time. He passed on the message that Elijah had appeared after a long absence, and Ahab was clearly eager to meet with Elijah, going to see him rather than waiting for him to come. We don’t hear anything more about Obadiah. It is possible that he was killed in the aftermath of the Mount Carmel incident. We are not told if the prophets that he had protected were also found out and destroyed. That’s just not included in the narrative that we have.

Whether it was true or not, Elijah felt completely alone on Mount Horeb. Not to be too hard on him, but complaining about being the last remaining prophet of the Lord ignores that fact that he was only a prophet because of God’s calling and empowerment. Even if he were killed would God not be able to raise up someone else? I am always encouraged, actually, by these characters in the Bible who speak with God directly and yet react in such patently human ways. I’m sure I have done and would do the same thing.

So Elijah was disappointed: God had started out doing something amazing, and now he appeared to be losing his edge. Perhaps Elijah had assumed that God would immediately overthrow Jezebel and banish all evil from Israel. Why didn’t God finish the job? Have you ever felt impatient in that way? Something starts out great and then turns into a long slog without apparent results? God is teaching us perseverance – and to keep trusting him. He will do things in his time and his way. But it can be a struggle, one that I have certainly experienced many times.

God did not respond directly to Elijah. He brought earthquake, wind, and fire and finally spoke in a “gentle whisper” or “still, small voice,” as the King James puts it. What did he say in that whisper? I often wonder if he didn’t say, “I love you, Elijah.” Then he asks him again, “What are you doing here?” Why are you here? And Elijah responds basically the same way as before: everything is a mess, and you’re not fixing it. And then God’s response is very interesting. He doesn’t say anything about Elijah feeling defeated. (We’re up to verse 15.) He says, in essence, go back to doing prophet stuff. Anoint this and that guy, including Elisha as your successor. And don’t worry, I’ve got this. You’re not actually alone. There are still seven thousand people in Israel who are still serious about following me. God knows what he is doing. He is preserving his people and accomplishing his purposes. He’s preserving a remnant of the faithful.

So after that lengthy detour into the story of Elijah, let’s get back to Romans 11:

So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.  And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. – Romans 11:5-6

Did the seven thousand deserve to be preserved? No, it was by God’s grace that they kept the faith and did not give in to idolatry. They were not worthy of salvation because of what they had done. Their hearts were open to God, and the Holy Spirit was at work to accomplish God’s purpose through them. God did not choose them because they were faithful; they were faithful because he had chosen them.

This has been true down through history. God has preserved a remnant and preserved faith. I think of the Dark Ages, when the light of the gospel grew so dim almost everywhere. And yet at that time there were monks hidden away, copying the Bible by hand so that it could be preserved. And there was the remnant of believers preserved in China during the Cultural Revolution, underground and cut off from the rest of the world. They grew in numbers during this time of severe persecution. In some places to be sure Christianity was completely eradicated. But now in many of those same places brave believers are once again going and bringing a witness to Jesus and the salvation that he offers to everyone.

So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. No matter how dark and messed up the world seems to appear, true faith is growing and being passed on. Jesus asked in Luke 18, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” And the answer is YES, because God’s grace is still at work and will persist.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

  – Romans 11:7-8

“The elect” is another term associated with predestination. They are the ones that God foreknew. This is quite honestly a tough passage. Were people earnestly seeking God and not finding him? We have to assume that what they were seeking was his approval, but most were going about it the wrong way, through self-effort, with the idea that we can be right before God by doing all the right things. There are many followers of other religions today seeking God but going about it this same wrong way. Many of them are doing good things – but in light of their eternal destiny they are counting on those good things to outweigh the bad things they are also doing. And sadly, many of them seem to have eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear to understand a different way, a way of grace and faith in the accomplished work of Jesus.

But what is God’s role in this? What is this “spirit of stupor” that he gives people? It sounds like it describes someone who has spent too long on the internet or playing video games! We are responsible for what we put into our minds through our eyes and ears. Does it bring us closer to God or draw us away from him? The stupor is actually a result of the choices that we make. God will provide it on that basis. He does something in response to something that we are already doing.

I am reminded of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, back when Moses wanted to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. It says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but it also says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. One quote that I came across in this regard I found helpful. I’m not sure who came up with it first.

Revelation devoid of illuminating grace hardens sinful hearts. The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay.

People can have an encounter with God, but if their hearts are not open to him it will just turn them further away. People who have not yet received the grace of God will automatically be in opposition to him. In some mysterious way faith is a gift, but it is one we have to receive. Therefore, these difficult passages don’t let people off the hook. They might want to say, “God is going to do what he wants, so it doesn’t matter what I do.” And yet he does expect each of us to respond to his grace.

And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”  – Romans 11:9-10

This is a quote from Psalm 69, where David is asking God to give him relief from his enemies. The table represents provision, something good that people are not willing to acknowledge as coming from God. Refusing to acknowledge God will blind people to his goodness. The table becomes a snare as people sink deeper into a self-centered existence. Blessings become burdens, bending backs and darkening eyes. This is part of God’s judgment on sin, his just retribution – certainly a dire prospect for all us, apart from his grace. But fortunately his grace is always available to anyone who will receive it.

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.  But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. – Romans 11:11-14

In what sense did Israel’s loss mean riches for the Gentiles? You probably recall that the early church started out in Jerusalem with a local vision. Opposition from the Jews is what drove out the believers into other parts of the world where they began sharing the gospel with the Gentiles, too. The transgression of the Jews in opposing the gospel helped make it available to the Gentiles. Paul is hoping for a holy envy among his own people who could see the transformed lives of the Gentile believers and the other blessings of the Holy Spirit – and desire that for themselves.

Carl has talked about what a rich thing it is for a Jew to come to accept Jesus as Messiah. All of the Old Testament begins to make sense in a new and delightful way. This understanding and heritage are part of the “greater riches” that Paul is referring to here.

For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. – Romans 11:15-16

Their rejection in some sense brings reconciliation to the world. Everyone realizes that this salvation is not the exclusive domain of the Jews anymore. Their acceptance of it, however, is like life from the dead. Even the “dead” people of Israel can experience the resurrection of life and hope. Firstfruits refers to a ceremony described in Numbers 15, where a portion of grain from the beginning of the harvest was made into a cake to present to the Lord. This consecrated the entire harvest. The firstfruits consecrating the harvest and the root consecrating the branches refers to the faith that has always existed within the people of Israel, within that remnant that has truly submitted itself to God. We see the heroes of this faith throughout the Old Testament. We benefit from all who have gone before us, putting down deep roots into God’s grace so that we as the branches can also flourish in our faith. We will look more next time at what it means for us to be grafted into the root as branches.

I would like to close by asking for prayer for my friend Tzachi in Tel Aviv. He loves Yeshua as his Messiah, and like the Apostle Paul his heart’s desire is for the people of Israel to be saved. He explains to anyone who will listen how the prophecies of the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, find their fulfillment in Yeshua. The love of Yeshua flows out from him to people, but he has a tough, tough calling. Israel is actually quite a secular country, and many people are programmed to reject the gospel. But God still loves the Jews, and he is using people like Tzachi to bring them the good news and preserve a remnant saved by grace through faith among that people group, even in the country of Israel itself. Let’s keep praying for the salvation of Israelis.