Sermon Central
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A Passion For God's Ancient People. Abridged.
Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Jun 18, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Eight prerogatives of Israel: “The adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came" (Romans 9:4-5).
A PASSION FOR GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE.
From the dizzy heights of Romans 8, the Apostle Paul seems to suddenly hit an unprecedented low in Romans 9:1-5. The crescendo of the previous glorious chapter meets the jarring note of Paul’s passion for his own people - God’s ancient people, Israel! Three times the Apostle asserts the truth of what he is about to say:
“Truth I say in Christ; I am not lying; my conscience bears witness with me in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1).
What is it that suddenly unbalances him which such disturbing force? The answer comes in a couplet:
“That grief to me is great, and unceasing sorrow in my heart” (Romans 9:2).
This may sound redundant: but this doubling of words is a Hebraism based on the two Greek words used in succession to translate the one Hebrew word for ‘sorrow’ in the LXX translation of Isaiah 35:10 (cf. Isaiah 51:11).
The reason for this despair is not unrelated to what has gone before. The Apostle has extolled the love of God in Christ Jesus, but he is ever conscious of the failure of Israel to embrace the salvation so freely offered. What he says next is astonishing in the extreme:
“For I was wishing I myself a curse (anathema) from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3).
This is not without precedent. After the incident of the golden calf at Mount Sinai, Moses pleaded with the LORD on behalf of Israel. Moses boldly declared that if the LORD would not forgive them, then he (Moses) should be blotted out of the book of life (Exodus 32:32).
Yet we know from Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Moses was not blotted out of the book of life. And it was impossible that Paul should ever be anathema to his Lord.
Paul lists eight prerogatives of Israel: “The adoption (cf. Hosea 11:1), and the glory (1 Kings 8:10-11), and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises” (Romans 9:4).
They were descended from the Patriarchs; and from them came “the Christ according to the flesh (cf. Matthew 1:1), who is over all, God blessed forever (cf. Titus 2:13). Amen.” (Romans 9:5).
Yet Jesus is not the unique property of Israel, but came in fulfilment of the prophecy to Abraham that ‘in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed’ (Genesis 12:3; cf. Romans 1:3-5). Paul despaired that, even given all these privileges, Israel still rejected their own Messiah!