Last week we raised the question - Has God Rejected His Covenant People? Romans 11:1 answers this question saying, "Certainly Not!" If God's current rejection is not total or final, how did the Jewish people arrive at this partial rejection by their God?
In Romans 10:21 our Lord God says, "All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people." From the day that God created man and woman, He has desired an intimate and loving relationship with those He created. However, shortly after The Lord led His people miraculously through the Red Sea, they started murmuring and disobeying.
How has our Lord God responded? Romans 11:7 says, "God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day." The vast majority of God's Covenant People cannot see who is their Messiah and cannot hear their Messiah's message. Before we lose heart over this challenging but important message, we should again look at Romans 11:1 and Romans 11:11 that present the same message - God Has Not Rejected His Covenant People - Their Current Situation Is Only Temporary!
How do Gentiles fit into this picture? Romans 11:11 continues by saying, "But through their fall, to provoke them to jealously, salvation has come to the Gentiles." Yes, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and their belief and confession, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Romans 11 continues to show clearly how Gentiles should relate to the Jewish people in this current situation:
Provoke Them To Jealousy - Verse 11
Do Not Boast - Verse 18
Do Not Be Haughty, But Fear - Verse 20
Continue In His Goodness - Verse 22
Again, this is not the end of the story. Our Lord God is still a loving, compassionate and caring God. He has not given up on His Covenant People! Stay Tuned!
May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Everyday,
Frank
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