March 20, 2024
Romans 11
Are you as a witness to the promises of God or do you feel God had abandoned you? At this time, we come to that question about the Jewish nation, did God abandon them as a nation? Scripture tells us that the Jewish nation as a nation did not live up to the promises of God and judgement came to them, leaving only a remnant, Isaiah 6:13. God also promised Abraham that the world would be blessed by his offspring, Genisis 12:3b.
The Scriptures say God has always had a remnant that He called His own, who did not succumb to other gods or traditions and who faithfully trusted in Gods ways, first in the old covenant of Law from God to Moses to the new covenant in Christ. Even before the law was given, God was searching “throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to Him”, 2 Chronicles 16:9, as Abraham was in believing God. Or Job, when God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns from evil.” Job 1:8. Job is quoted as saying, “I had heard reports about You, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:5 and Job speaks about God by his faith, Job 7. Job is considered to have happened around the Patriarch which was before the law. I think we could say Job is a remnant and a witness to the promises of God.
Paul reminds us about Elijah from verse 2-3; one day Elijah was representing God to the nation of Israel, their king and queen and 450 prophets who were serving Baal. The short end of the story, God proved, once again, He is God, and the prophets of Baal were killed. Now Elijah is running for his life from Jezebel who wanted revenge, he became depressed as he complained to God of being the only one left who trusted in Him. God was working behind the scenes, though, in the hearts of 7,000 men, a remnant,” who did not bow down or kiss Baal”, 1 Kings 19:18. These men were a witness to the promises of God. These men, by way of faith to God, did not follow the reasonable way of the times, to follow Baal. Reasoning men will consider the facts and make decisions based on human reasoning, taking over the part played by God. Faithful men, are reasonable men, who would wait on God and trust His ways, Scripture says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” Isaiah 55:8-10 Most reasoning men are men who have a hardened heart, for they make up their minds based on the facts at hand without considering God’s ways. A hardened heart is God’s judgement on them, giving them their desires of their heart. Now, don’t confuse this with the reasonable men. God says in Isaiah 1:18-19, “Come now, let us reason this together. Though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”
God asks us, “what is in your heart?” Does your heart believe in the promises of God? Do you love Jesus? If you believe in the promises of God then you love Jesus and you will obey Jesus’ teaching, the Word, from scripture. John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” In your heart will come love from the Father. Paul, by the Spirit, is telling us to look at their history and believe God. God has not forsaken the nation of Israel because Paul is a Jew and stresses that the nation of Israel will be saved. Because Israel failed, they were hardened. What did they fail at? They failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. They failed to recognize salvation came as a gift of grace not works, verse 6. God will not share His glory with anyone! But men, do not boast as we have learned; we can just as easily be grafted out, if our hearts harden, of the vine. The good news, the Jews can be re-grafted into the vine. We pray for the re-grafting of the Jews because the whole nation of Israel will only consist of the remnant while the others will remain blind.
Do you want to be more knowledgeable of Spiritual things? Have a deeper walk with Jesus? Respond faithfully to all your circumstances? Have prayers that God says are pleasant to His hearing? By the Spirit Paul says, these requested prayers start in heaven from God. They are pleasant to Him because they are from Him and because they are from God they will be sustained and workout by Him only to return to Him. This is extraordinary! Bowing our heads in prayer to request the will of God upon us; be ready for action! Colossians 1:9, “For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” This is a prayer that came from God to us by the Spirit, to honor Jesus. This prayer is the will of God for His people.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You have given to us, this day, Your wisdom in hearing and studying this letter. Like Paul we say “the depts of the riches both of wisdom and of the knowledge of You! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways.” We can only be assured to rest in your will for our lives. No one is above you and your Word brings me comfort because of your promises. Forgive me when I question You, who am I to do such a thing? I pray the nation of Israel will come around to believing Jesus is the Son of God. I pray the gentiles will confess; Jesus is Lord! I pray we continually walk humbly by Your side!
Amen
-David Mroz
