Today let’s look at the salvation of Israel. When you look at the Bible, you will see that God has specially chosen the Jews. Even so, when Jesus came to this world, not only didn’t the Jews accept Christ, but they put him on the cross and killed him. From then until now 2,000 years later, they haven’t accepted Christ. Does that mean that the Word of God that Israel is chosen by God is nullified? That is not so. God will according to the promises of the Word of God save them. Today let’s look at three aspects of how God is going to save the Jews.
I. The remnant (vs. 1-6)
First look at the fact that there is a remnant. Please look at verses 1 to 6.
Paul opposed the question, “Did God reject his people?” (1) strongly with “By no means!” (1) As proof, Paul tells the people to look at him. “I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” (1) If Paul who was an Israelite believed, then God had not rejected the Israelites. Paul’s claims are persuasive. It is true that a large percentage of the Jews rejected Jesus Christ, but on the other hand, there were a few Jews who accepted Christ and followed Him. Paul is saying that he is one of those Jews. Not only that, but he is not the only one. If you look at the Bible, God did not use Israel as a whole, but chose righteous men from Israel to use to fulfill God’s work. One example is Elijah.
During the reign of King Ahab, Israel entered into its worst dark era. Those who honored God were terribly persecuted. The country became separated from God, and worshipped the idols of Baal and Ashura. Elijah who was worn out from preaching the Gospel called out before God, “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me” (3)
Elijah is lamenting that God’s chosen people have been killed and “I am the only one left.” (3) God answers him, “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (4)
God has not rejected the promise He made with Israel. In order to keep a remnant of chosen people, today too he has prepared and reserved “seven thousand” to be used as instruments to fulfill the will God Just as “’I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.” (4, 5) For example, Jesus’ 12 disciples were such a remnant. There were all Jews. Also the 500 brethren that witnessed Jesus’ resurrection were also all Jews. These maybe only a handful, but God keeps them as a remnant and certainly has not rejected them.
That was not just in Paul’s age, but in the present age too. In China which is right next to us the Chinese are being saved right and left, and when we see the unbelievable work that the Lord is doing there, we look at Japan where the condition is not like that and lament. We wonder if maybe God has rejected the Japanese. However, that is not so. In reality, we have been saved. When we consider that although there maybe only a handful, a small number of people that are saved, we can know that God has not rejected the Japanese. In fact, God through this small remnant God fulfills his works. We need to as this remnant, until the end preserve the faith.
According to Revelations at that time in minor Asia there were seven churches. Within these churches there were some large churches, but there were some that were not. Christ approves of not the large churches, but churches that before God follows the faith to the end. One of these churches was the Church at Philadelphia. They followed the Word of God and until the end they didn’t give up their faith. It doesn’t matter how many people there are. What is important is whether we are seeking after God or not and whether we are standing strongly until the end or not. No matter how few people there are, if they hold on tight to their faith until the end. God will use them to perform his works. We to in the end times want to be the remnant and to be accepted before God as a saint.
II. Do not be hardened (vs. 7-10)
In verses 7 to 10 Paul tells us about the characteristic of the large majority of Israelites that didn’t believe in Christ and didn’t receive grace. That is that they were hardened. Here it says, “The elect among them did, but the others were hardened.” (7) The elect are those who were “a remnant chosen by grace.” (5) The characteristic of the others were that they “were hardened.” (7) If a heart is hardened, then no matter how much the person hears the Word of God, or sing praises, the person isn’t moved, and has no understanding. Here 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.” (8)
The characteristic of those who have not received grace is that they can not see the Word of God and they can not hear it either. David said, “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.” (9,10) This is a prayer for God to bring pain upon them, that they might die in vain. In other words, it is a prayer of cursing.
The dreadful curse in our life is not understanding the Word of God. When we don’t understand the word of God, we pursue emptiness. There are people who don’t believe in Christ, but they succeed in business, are healthy, and everything they do goes the way they want it to. However, this is a curse. Real blessings are in Jesus Christ. We need to remember that to understand the Word of God, and before God to come in prayer is the greatest blessing there is.
Jesus said about the last days in Matt. 24:38-39、”For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” ”For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” (Matt. 24:38) The problem was not that the people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The problem was that was the only they could see. That was everything to them. “They knew nothing about what would happen” (Matt. 24:39) Then “the flood came and took them all away..” (Matt. 24:39) This is what people with hardened hearts are like. Those people who are really have God’s grace upon them have the assurance and live by, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) To understand is grace. A repentant heart, and a gentle heart is a blessing. Jesus told us to use our hearts to hear. A person that can hear Christ’s Words, who can understand the will of God is a really blessed person, and is a remnant by God’s grace.
Real blessings depend on whether we understand or not. Let’s not harden our hearts, but listen to the Words of Christ obediently. That is the sign of the remnant.
III. Our mistakes will be used (vs. 11-12)
The third point is that God used the mistakes of the Jews to fulfill His works of salvation. Let’s look at verses 11 and 12.
A part of Israel had faith by the grace of God and was chosen as a remnant. A large part of Israel stumbled. “Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgressions, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.” (11) God used their mistakes as part of His plan to bring salvation to the Jews.
Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, but no matter what town he went to, first he would go to the Jewish temple and told the Gospel to the Jews. However, the hearts of the Jews were hardened and they didn’t even try to listen to the Gospel that Paul was preaching. Then Paul went and preached to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were different than the Jews. They heard the Words of the Gospel and obediently accepted it. They bore fruit. The Gospel changed their lives, and became the power that spread the Gospel throughout the world. That was a huge grace for the Gentiles. The reason that Israel stumbled was not so that Israel would fall, but so that through their mistakes, the Gentiles would be saved.
We don’t like to fail or make mistakes. We think of all failures as minuses. God uses our mistakes to fulfill his works. Of course, our sins or transgressions are not automatically forgiven, it is necessary to repent. However, our faults and transgressions are not just over, but God will use our failures to fulfill his own works. He changes the minuses to pluses.
Joseph who appears in the Old Testament was so. Joseph was the second youngest of 12 brothers. The brothers were extremely jealous of him because his father especially loved Joseph. When this problem hit its height, they put Joseph in a pit and planned to kill him. However, when they saw a caravan approaching they thought it would be better to sell him than kill him. Joseph was sold to foreign business men. They made Joseph a slave and took him to Egypt.
Joseph understood that he was in a foreign county, but he didn’t know anyone there, he didn’t know the language, and even though he didn’t desire it he had to become a slave. On top of that the wife at the home where he was working as a slave tried to get Joseph to sleep with her, but when he refused. She accused Joseph to her husband and Joseph was put in prison.
However, many years after this tragedy took place Joseph met his brothers again. As he remembered all that had happened he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph was able to recognize the truth that God is in control of all that happens. He believed that the things that others around him did all of their sins, God used them, turned them around, and made the evil things into good things.
Romans 8:28
To leave things in the hand of God is to depend on God in all situations. Joseph who always depended on God was able to say in the end, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20) When Joseph had bitterness in his heart, Joseph left it in the hands of God. He continued to have faith and hope in God, and in the end he believed that all would work for the good.
We are the same. There are times when we fail, or transgress and are depressed. However, God will use even our failures to fulfill God’s works. The important thing is to have Jesus Christ forgive us of our sins and then believe that God is going to change our life into something better, and that God is working in our lives. God has a special plan for our lives, and all confusion and struggles God will change into good. We need to believe this and leave all things in God’s hands. If we can leaving it in God’s hands, when we reflect over all of life we will realize that God has used all the negative things in our lives for our good and will be thankful. By leaving everything in God’s hands, we can walk a life of future and hope.