I ask, then, has God rejected His own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected His own people, whom He chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, “LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”
It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—His undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favour of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day He has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.” Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”
Romans 11:1-10
Now for Paul’s next question in his series of rhetorical questions: Has God rejected his people then? Paul says no way. Of course not, it is inconceivable that He would reject Israel. That would mean He would have to abandon the covenant, break the promises and reject truth and righteousness. There is no way that God would do that. That would result in Him no longer being just and justifier, the very point Paul was driving home in chapter 3.
“No,” Paul says, “I am an example. He has not rejected me.” Remember the Scripture from 1 King 19 where Elijah thought he was the only one left, when in fact he wasn’t the only one. God told him there 7,000 others who had remained faithful to Yaweh and did not bow their knee to Baal. In every generation God has preserved a remnant. It has always been that way. Remember narrow is the way and few who find it. Then Paul focuses again on the riches of God’s grace, mercy, undeserved loving kindness – His chesed. Oh where would we be without that? It is like Paul is forever amazed by the grace of God. And rightly so. Paul sees the grace of God everywhere. Do you?
Again Paul reminds us there are those that God has chosen by His grace and there are those whose hearts God has hardened. God is the one who knows us completely and chooses what to do with each of us. And He is perfectly in the right to do that. He is God and not us. Remember the-God-gave-them-over comments in Chapter 1. Remember the illustration from chapter 9 where Paul discusses the hardening of Pharoah’s heart. Paul is saying again and again, God is at liberty to harden hearts, shut eyes and close ears according to His foreknowledge.
Once again, has God rejected Israel? No He hasn’t, Israel has brought on themselves the situation in which they find themselves.
Paul of Tarsus
God is your Creator, not your concierge; your Savior, not your slave. He is God, not a genie. You exist for him, not vice-versa.
Rick Warren