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Chapters 9,10 and 11 deal with God's continuing relationship with His chosen people, the Jewish race. Has God broken His covenant with the Jews? Has He broken His promises to send them the Messiah? No, God has not and will never break His covenants with Israel. For background, let's begin the study of Romans 9 with Haggai 2:7-9. Haggai, a Jewish prophet, was told to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to encourage him and the others to complete the construction of the temple. The people were discouraged because they did not have the resources to match the splendor of the previous temple and to some it seemed like nothing in comparison. But God, through Haggai, tells them that the "desired of all nations, will come and I will fill this house with glory." The Jewish people understood that God would come again and dwell with His people in the temple. The Lord says something very startling in Haggai 2:9. "The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace.'" The significance of this Old Testament temple is that it will be connected in the future with the Messiah, the "Desired of all nations." Jesus Christ spoke in this temple and, though it had been greatly embellished by Herod the Great, it never did match in material splendor the grandeur of Solomon's temple. However, the temple from Haggai's day was greater than Solomon's, for it was here that on the eighth day after His birth, the baby Jesus was presented. It was here that Simeon took the baby in His arms saying, "'Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:28-32) It was here the prophetess, Anna, gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38) At the age of twelve Jesus sat in the temple courts among the teachers, listening and discussing spiritual matters. (Luke 2:46-47) One might ask, what happened? If Jesus was the Messiah, why have the Jews, for the most part, rejected Him? It is that question with which Paul deals in the next three chapters. The change in mood from Romans 8:37-39 to Romans 9:1 is like falling off of a mountain top. Paul is now thinking of his own people, grieving because most had rejected the gospel of God's grace. In verses 1-3, Paul establishes himself as a credible witness for the truth of Christ. He reveals his love for his Jewish brothers. We know Paul's Jewish background from Philippians 3:5. We know what he was willing to suffer as a Christian from 2 Corinthians 11:22-33. Paul had become an enemy of the Jewish leaders for the sake of Christ. They believed that not only was Paul dreadfully wrong, but that he was a traitor who was trying to destroy Judaism. Paul was not doing that, of course. He was proclaiming Jesus as Israel's long-awaited Messiah, but he was aware of Jewish hatred, which was why he was anxious to declare his love for his people. (See Romans 9:2-3, 10:1) Paul had a great love for his Jewish enemies. Paul's heart was like the heart of Christ, who wept over Jerusalem and her future destruction in 70 AD. (Luke 19:41-42) Verse 9:3 seems like an odd statement to make, for as a Christian Paul knew he could not ever be separated from Christ. This truth is what the previous chapter has proclaimed so fully. Though Paul knew this could never happen, his words are indicative of his deeply felt love for his Jewish brothers. He is saying that he would do anything to achieve the salvation of his people. The love that was in Paul should be in each of us, if we would be a soul winner. No one can die for another person's salvation. Paul could not, nor could Moses, though he made a similar offer in Exodus 32:32. Jesus is the only one who could and did. But we can love as Paul loved, and point others to the cross. Do you sorrow for those who do not know Jesus Christ and who are, therefore, perishing without Him? Most of us do not. Why? Is it because we do not believe they are perishing? Is it because we do not trust in the power of the gospel for the salvation of everyone who believes? Are we so self-centered and absorbed in our own lives that God's truth and calling for those around us somehow gets pushed to the back of our minds? Paul's example for us is to love our enemies. In fact we are to love most those who treat us the worst, remembering God's love for us while we were His enemies. (Romans 5:10; Matthew 5:43-48). This type of love is not easy, but Jesus Christ leads the way for us by His words and life. The Jewish people are the chosen people of God. They had great advantages in being Jewish. First of all, they had been entrusted with the very words of God. Having God's word was an extraordinary advantage possessed by no other nation until the Christian era. They had the covenant that one day God would send a Savior from their nation who would reign forever on the throne of David. Temple worship taught how sinful human beings could approach a holy God. God must be approached with a blood sacrifice, which testifies to the gravity of sin. This showed that an innocent substitute could die in the sinner's place. The patriarchs provided godly examples to follow. Though these wise and influential men struggled at times, they persevered in faith. Jewish people everywhere are justly proud of the heritage of these great men. Yet, the greatest spiritual advantage that could possibly be imagined did not guarantee salvation, which is the reason for the sorrow Paul has so intensely and poignantly expressed. This should be a warning to Christians as well. As Paul learned on the road to Damascus, we will only be saved through Jesus Christ. (Acts 9:1-19) Paul ends the list of Jewish privileges with an extraordinary statement, "...Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Paul is telling us in stark language that Christ, the Jewish Messiah, is in fact God. It is a tragedy beyond description that they should have rejected Jesus as their divine Messiah, who God had promised to them. They couldn't understand that they were actually rejecting God. Yet, however tragic Jewish
rejection of Jesus was in Paul's day, the rejection of Him today by
both Jews and Gentiles is equally tragic. People seem to have lost hope
of finding answers to life's deepest questions, answers that matter for
one's eternal destiny. Christians must keep in mind that we have been
privileged with the answers, for God has revealed Himself through Jesus
Christ and His Word. His Word teaches us that eternal God began
history, taking charge of it. The cross of Jesus Christ is at the
center of history, giving history meaning and hope. Christ will return
at the end of history, bringing it to a triumphant conclusion. Life's
true meaning for today and eternity can only be found in Jesus Christ,
"who is God over all, forever praised! Amen."
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