One In Jesus

Rom 11:26b-29

(Rom. 11:26-27 ESV)  26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;  27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

As tempting as it is to skip Paul’s OT quotations, by now we’ve learned that we must consider his references in their own context to understand Paul’s meaning most fully. He quotes a portion of a passage to refer to its larger context. Continue reading →

Rom 11:25-26a

(Rom. 11:25-26a ESV)  25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  26 And in this way all Israel will be saved … .

So, believe it or not, we’re just now getting to the really hard part of chapter 11. As we covered a few posts ago, “mystery” refers to something that was once hidden but is now revealed. Paul’s explanation of how the salvation of the Jews and Gentiles is coming about is the revelation of a profound truth that used to be hidden.

In v. 25, the “partial hardening” of Israel will continue until “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Continue reading →

Rom 11:-17-21

(Rom. 11:17-21 ESV) 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Paul uses an olive tree as a metaphor for Israel. The OT and intertestamental literature uses the same image many times. Continue reading →

Rom 11:9-10

(Rom. 11:9-10 ESV) 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Paul next quotes from Psalm 69:22-23 to make a similar point regarding God’s darkening of the eyes of Israel. Except in this case, the psalmist is not asking for God to keep his enemies from understanding; he is asking for justice — that his enemies suffer as he has suffered. In fact, the curses he calls down on his enemies parallel his suffering recorded in vv. 1 – 10 —

Although the imprecations of these verses sound severe to modern ears, these wishes and petitions do focus on judgment in kind. They seek a reversal. Moreover, as prayers, they commit this just retribution to God. Because “they put gall in my food” (v. 21), may the table set before them become a snare (v. 22). Because “my eyes fail” (v. 3), may their eyes be darkened so they cannot see (v. 23). Because “I am a stranger to my brothers” (v. 8), may their place (or tents) … be deserted (v. 25). Because “I sink in the miry depths” (vv. 2–3, 14–15), may your salvation, O God, “set me on high” (Hb. teśaggebēnî, NIV protect me, v. 29). (On the book of life, see on 87:6.)

Robert L. Jr. Hubbard and Robert K. Johnston, Psalms, 2012, 288.

Therefore, the passage Paul quotes is not speaking of predestination or hardening but justice for the faithlessness of the Jews who reject Jesus. In fact, the earlier verses of the Psalm are often applied to Jesus — Continue reading →

In the last post, we observed that the Jewish worldview assumes that God is involved in everything, whether to our minds natural or supernatural, but without taking away free will.

This was part of their worldview, that is, how they saw the world, and therefore isn’t explained in scripture, at least not directly. This post will explore how God can be involved in everything that happens without taking away free will.

Bush (Exodus 1:65) argued that “the language implies simply [and he cites usage that agrees in Judg 9:24; 2 Chron 26:8; Isa 35:3; 41:7; and Jer 23:14] that the course of events should be so ordered that, without any positive divine influence exerted upon him, the haughty king should take occasion to confirm himself in the disregard of the counsels of the Most High.… This God is said to have done because he permitted it to be done”

Walter C. Kaiser Jr., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 1990, 2, 334 (emphasis and bracketed material his).

Continue reading →

The meaning of “harden” in Rom 11:7-8 should be clear by now. And I know it’s hard to imagine me — of all people — over-arguing a case. But the point is not just to define Paul’s word. It’s to demonstrate a better way of reading the text — not just this text but all texts. So humor me as we dig more deeply into “harden.”

“Harden” in Exodus

The concept first appears when Moses demands that Pharaoh let God’s people go. Continue reading →