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Has God Rejected Israel? Romans 11 Explained (July 27) · 1 Year Audio Bible Podcast

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In Romans chapter 11, starting in verse 1, Paul asks
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a piercing and a penetrating question. He says,
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I ask then, has God rejected His people, the Jews?
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Of course not! Remember that I myself am a
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Jew, a descendant of Abraham, and a member of the
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tribe of Benjamin. So no, God has not rejected
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the Jews. God has a plan for the Jewish people and for the nation
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of Israel. He goes on to say in verse 11,
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did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery?
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And he answers his own question, of course not.
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Why has this happened? He explains why.
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His purpose, God's purpose, was to make his salvation
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available to the Gentiles, and then
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the the Jews would be jealous and want it for themselves.
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So there's been a divine plan and
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purpose in this partial blinding of the Jewish people,
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that the Gospel, the Good News, would go
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out to the Gentiles, to all the nations,
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and then the Jews would see the goodness, the grace,
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and the mercy, and the kindness of God. Towards these Gentile
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believers and make them jealous to want to
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have this salvation based on faith
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in Jesus Christ. Listen in as we unpack Romans 10
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and 11. Welcome to the One Year Audio Bible Podcast.
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Today is July 27th. Now let's continue our
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journey reading through the entire Bible in one year. This week
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we are reading from the New Living Translation for the Old Testament and for the
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New Testament. Numbers 31:1-54.
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Then the Lord said to Moses, on behalf of the people of Israel,
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take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry.
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After that, you will die and join your ancestors. So Moses
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said to the people, choose some men and arm them to fight the Lord's
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war of revenge against Midian. From each tribe
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of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle. So they
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chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of
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12,000 men armed for battle. Then Moses
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sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe,
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and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them
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into battle. They carried along the holy objects of
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the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge. They attacked
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Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.
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All 5 of the Midianite kings—Evi,
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Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—died
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in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor
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with the sword. Then the Israelite army captured
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the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and
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all their wealth as plunder. They burned all
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the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived.
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After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals,
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they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to
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the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab
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beside the Jordan River across from Jericho.
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Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the
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leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. But Moses
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was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned
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from the battle. Why have you let all the women live?
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he demanded. These are the very ones who followed Balaam's
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advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against
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the Lord at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to
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strike the Lord's people. So kill all the boys and all
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the women who have had intercourse with a man.
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Only the young girls who are virgins may live. You may keep them
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for yourselves. And all of you who have killed anyone or
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touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for 7 days.
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You must purify yourselves and your captives on the 3rd,
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and 7 days. Purify all your clothing too,
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and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.
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Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle,
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The Lord has given Moses this legal requirement: Anything
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made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— that
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is, all metals that do not burn— must be passed
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through fire in order to make them ceremonially pure.
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These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification,
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but everything that burns must be purified by the water alone.
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On the 7th day you must wash your clothes and be purified.
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Then you may return to the camp. And the Lord
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said to Moses, You and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of
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each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle.
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Including the people and animals. Then divide the plunder into
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2 parts and give half to the men who fought the battle and
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half to the rest of the people.
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From the army's portion, first give the Lord his share of the plunder:
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one of every 500 of the prisoners and of the cattle,
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donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give this share of the army's half to
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Eleazar the priest as an offering to the Lord.
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From the half that belongs to the people of Israel, take 1 of every
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50 of the prisoners, and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep,
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goats, and other animals, give this share to the Levites,
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who are in charge of maintaining the Lord's Tabernacle.
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So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
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The plunder remaining from everything the fighting men had taken totaled
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675,000 sheep, and goats,
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72,000 cattle,
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61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 virgin girls.
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Half of the plunder was given to the fighting men. It totaled 337,500
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sheep and goats, of which 675 were the Lord's share,
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36,000 cattle, of which 72 were the
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Lord's share, 30,500 donkeys,
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of which 61 were the Lord's share,
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and 16,000 virgin girls, of whom 32 were the
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Lord's share. Moses gave all the Lord's share
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to Eleazar the priest, just as the Lord had directed him.
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Half of the plunder belonged to the people of Israel, and Moses
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separated it from the half belonging to the fighting men.
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It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats,
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36,000 cattle,
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30,500 donkeys,
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and 16,000 virgin girls. From the half share given to
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the people, Moses took 1 of every 50 prisoners and animals and
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gave them to the Levites, who maintained the Lord's Tabernacle.
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All this was done as the Lord had commanded Moses.
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Then all the generals and captains came to Moses and said,
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We, your servants, have accounted for all the men who went out to battle
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under our command. Not one of us is missing. So we
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are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the
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Lord from our share of the plunder—armbands, bracelets,
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rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify
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our lives before the Lord and make us right with him. So Moses
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and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military
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commanders—all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects.
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In all, the gold that the generals and captains presented as a gift
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to the Lord weighed about 420 pounds. All the fighting men
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had taken some of the plunder for themselves.
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So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from
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the generals and captains and brought the gold to the Tabernacle as
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a reminder to the Lord that the people of Israel belonged
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to Him.
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2 Chronicles 19:1-20,
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37. When King Jehoshaphat of Judah arrived safely
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home to Jerusalem, Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him.
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Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? he asked
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the king. What you have done has brought the Lord's anger against
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you. There is some good in you, however, for you have removed the Asherah poles
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throughout the land. And you have committed yourself to seeking God.
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So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but he went
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out among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of
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Ephraim, encouraging the people to return to the Lord,
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the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges throughout the nation
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in all the fortified cities and gave them these instructions:
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Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment.
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Remember that you do not judge to please people, but to
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please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each
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case that comes before you. Fear the Lord and judge
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with care, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted
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justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.
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Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests and clan leaders
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in Israel to serve as judges in Jerusalem. For cases concerning
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both the Law of the Lord and civil disputes. These were his
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instructions to them: You must always act in the
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fear of the Lord, with integrity and with undivided hearts.
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Whenever a case comes to you from fellow citizens in an outlying town,
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whether a murder case or some other violation of God's instructions,
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commands, laws, or regulations,
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you must warn them not to sin against the Lord.
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So that His anger will not come against you and them. Do this
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and you will not be guilty. Amariah the high priest
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will have final say in all cases concerning
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the Lord. Zebediah son of Ishmael, a leader from the tribe
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of Judah, will have final say in all civil cases.
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The Levites will assist you in making sure that justice is served.
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Take courage as you fulfill your duties. And may the Lord be
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with those who do what is right. After this,
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the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Menuites declared
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war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat,
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A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead
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Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.
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This was another name for En-Gedi. Jehoshaphat was
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alarmed by this news and sought the Lord for guidance. He also
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gave orders that everyone throughout Judah should observe a fast.
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So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to
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seek the Lord. Jehoshaphat stood before the people
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of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard of the Temple of the
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Lord. He prayed, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
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You alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of
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all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty.
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No one can stand against You.
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O our God, did You not drive out those who lived in this land when
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Your people arrived? And did You not give this land forever
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to the descendants of Your friend Abraham?
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Your people settled here and built this Temple for You. They said,
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whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war,
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disease, or famine, We can come to stand in Your presence before
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this Temple, where Your Name is honored. We can cry
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out to You to save us, and You will hear us and rescue us.
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And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount
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Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations
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when Israel left Egypt. So they went around them and did
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not destroy them. Now see how they reward us.
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For they have come to throw us out of your land,
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which you gave us as an inheritance.
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O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty
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army that is about to attack.
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We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for
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And as all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones,
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wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon
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one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son
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of Zechariah son of Benaiah son of Jeiel son
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of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
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He said, Listen, King Jehoshaphat! Listen,
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all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says:
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Do not be afraid. Don't be discouraged by this mighty
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army, for the battle is not yours but God's.
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Tomorrow, march out against them.
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You will find them coming up through the Ascent of Ziz at
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the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
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But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions,
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then stand still. And watch the Lord's
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victory. He is with you. O people of
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Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid or discouraged.
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Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with
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you. Then King Jehoshaphat bowed
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down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and
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Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.
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Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the
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Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout. Early the
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next morning, the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa.
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On the way, Jehoshaphat stopped and said, Listen to me, all you people of
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Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God,
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and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in His prophets,
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and you will succeed. After consulting the leaders
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of the people, the king appointed singers to walk
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ahead of the army singing to the Lord. And praising
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Him for His holy splendor.
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This is what they sang: Give thanks to the Lord,
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for His faithful love endures forever.
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At the moment they began to sing and give praise,
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the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab,
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and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
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The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies
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from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had finished
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off the army of Seir, they turned on each other.
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So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point
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in the wilderness, there were dead bodies lying on the ground for as far as
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they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
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King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder.
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They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables.
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More than they could carry. There was so much plunder
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that it took them 3 days just to collect it all. On the 4th
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day, they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its
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name that day because the people praised and thanked the
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Lord there. It is still called the Valley
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of Blessing today.
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Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading
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them, full of joy that the Lord had given them victory over their
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enemies. They marched into Jerusalem to the music of
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harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple
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of the Lord. When the surrounding kingdoms heard that
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the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel,
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the fear of God came over them. So Jehoshaphat's
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kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him
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rest on every side.
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So Jehoshaphat ruled over the land of Judah.
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He was 35 years old when he became king, and he reigned in
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Jerusalem 25 years. His mother was Azubah,
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the daughter of Shilhi. Jehoshaphat was a good king,
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following the ways of his father, Asa. He did
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what was pleasing in the Lord's sight.
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During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the
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pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to following
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the God of their ancestors. The rest of the events of
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Jehoshaphat's reign from beginning to end are
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recorded in the Record of Jehu son of
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Hanani, which is included in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
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Near the end of his life, King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance
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with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was a very wicked man.
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Together they built a fleet of trading ships at the port of Ezion-Geber.
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Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu
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from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said,
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because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah,
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the Lord will destroy your work. So the ships met
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with disaster and never put out to sea.
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Romans 10:14-11:12.
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But how can they call on him to save them unless
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they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have
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never heard about him? And how can they hear about
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him unless someone tells them? And how
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will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
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This is what the Scriptures mean when they say, How beautiful are
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the feet of those who bring good news!
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But not everyone welcomes the good news. For Isaiah the
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prophet said, Lord, who has believed our message?
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Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good
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news, the good news about Christ.
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But what about the Jews? Have they actually heard
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the message? Yes, they have. The message
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of God's creation has gone out to everyone, and its words
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to all the world. But did the people of Israel really
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understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of
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Moses, God had said, I will rouse your
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jealousy by blessing other nations.
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I will make you angry by blessing the foolish Gentiles.
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And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God: I was found
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by people who were not looking for me. I showed
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myself to those who were not asking for me.
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But regarding Israel, God said, all day long I
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opened my arms to them, and they kept disobeying
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me and arguing with me.
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I ask then, has God rejected his people?
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The Jews? Of course not!
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Remember that I myself am a Jew,
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a descendant of Abraham, and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
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No, God has not rejected His own people whom
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He chose from the very beginning.
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Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this?
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Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and
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said, Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I alone
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am left, and now they are to kill me too.
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And do you remember God's reply? He said, you are not the only
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one left. I have 7,000 others who have never bowed
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down to Baal. It is the same today,
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for not all the Jews have turned away from God.
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A few are being saved as a result of God's kindness
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in choosing them. And if they are saved by God's kindness,
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then it is not by their good works.
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For in that case, God's wonderful kindness
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would not be what it really is— free and
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undeserved. So this is the
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situation. Most of the Jews have not found the
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favor of God they are looking for so earnestly.
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A few have— the ones God has chosen. But the rest were
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made unresponsive. As the Scriptures say, God has put them into
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a deep sleep. To this very day He has shut
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their eyes so they do not see and closed their ears so they do
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not hear. David spoke of this same thing when he
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said, let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap
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that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to
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stumble. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
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and let their backs grow weaker and weaker.
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Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery?
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Of course not. His purpose was to make His salvation
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available to the Gentiles, and then the
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Jews would be jealous and want it for themselves.
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Now, if the Gentiles were enriched because
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the Jews turned down God's offer of salvation,
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think how much greater a blessing the world will share when
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the Jews finally accept it.
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Psalm 21:1-13.
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Now the king rejoices in Your strength, O Lord, He shouts with
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joy because of your victory, for you have given him
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his heart's desire. You have held back nothing that he requested.
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You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.
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You placed a crown of finest gold on his head, and he asked
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you to preserve his life, and you have granted his request.
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The days of his life stretch on forever. Your victory
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brings him great honor, and you have clothed him with splendor
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and majesty. You have endowed him with eternal
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blessings. You have given him the joy of being in your presence.
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For the king trusts in the Lord; the unfailing love of
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the Most High will keep him from stumbling. You will
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capture all your enemies; your strong right hand will seize
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all those who hate you. You will destroy them as in
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a flaming furnace when you appear. The Lord will
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consume them in His anger; fire will devour them.
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You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they
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will never have descendants. Although they plot against You, their evil
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schemes will never succeed. For they will turn and
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run when they see Your arrows aimed at them. We praise
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You, Lord, for all Your glorious power.
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With music and singing, we celebrate Your mighty acts.
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Proverbs 20:4-6. If you are
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too lazy to plow in the right season, you will have no food
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at the harvest. Though good advice lies deep within
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a person's heart, the wise will draw it out.
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Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is
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really faithful? I want
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to speak to you today from our reading from Romans chapter 10 and then
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the first part of chapter 11. And we are
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on the theme of Jews, Gentiles,
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and Israel, and how does that all tie together
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with salvation. So Paul
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opens with a really keen question
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in Romans chapter 11, verse 1. He says,
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I ask then, has God rejected His people, the Jews?
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Of course not. And then he says,
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remember that I myself am a Jew, a descendant
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of Abraham, and a member in the tribe of Benjamin.
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So in the previous chapter, he's talked about how faith comes
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by hearing to the message and hearing by
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the Word of God with faith, receiving Jesus Christ by faith.
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But that the Jews had rejected this, that they missed
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becoming a member of God's family and God's household because
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they were trying to get into the household through obedience
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to the law, the Old Covenant, covenant given at Mount Sinai
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to Moses. And so instead,
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it's about faith in Jesus Christ. And now,
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once Jesus died on the cross and this New Covenant has been
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inaugurated, Now both Jews and
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Gentiles can become a member of God's household,
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God's family. What do I mean by the word Gentile?
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A Gentile by definition is just anyone who is not a Jew.
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If you're not Jewish, then you're a Gentile.
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And what do I mean by the word Jew?
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Well, ethnic Jews or ethnic Israel are those
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people who are descended through their bloodline from
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they are
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part of the 12 tribes of Israel. So that's ethnic Israel.
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But Paul said earlier that just because
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somebody is ethnically Israel— Israeli does
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not necessarily mean that they're part of God's family or
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God's household, but that there's this New Covenant in place
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that it's by faith, by trusting in Jesus,
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and that now salvation is not only for the Jews,
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but it's for the entire world. It's for every nation and
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tribe and language and people.
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So now Paul is getting into an issue because
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he's foreseeing a problem down the line,
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hundreds of years down the road.
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That there's this evil doctrine that has come up
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in the church that's been there for centuries, and it has reared
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up its ugly head in recent days ever since October 23rd,
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or ever since October 7th of 2023.
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And this is the notion of replacement theology.
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Replacement theology basically states that all the covenant
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promises that God gave to Israel to the Jewish people,
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that they're now null and void, and that all of those covenant
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promises are now given to the church, that God is through with
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Israel, God is finished with the Jewish people, and that now
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the church has replaced Israel. And this could be nothing further
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from the truth. This is an absolute lie from the pit
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of hell, and Paul is beginning to address this in
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Romans chapter 11, starting out with that first verse.
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Has God rejected His people, the Jews? Of course not.
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He then goes on to say that there's a purpose,
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a reason why there has been a partial blindness
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on the eyes of the Jewish people. Why have
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they not understood or received Jesus
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as their Messiah? That there was purpose in it,
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that God had a divine plan for Israel, a set,
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um, a plan for them, and then He hit the pause
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button. And now the
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gospel, the good news, is going to go out to the Gentiles, to all the
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nations, and we're now in the Church Age.
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And then there's going to come a time in
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the fullness of time when God will once again
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deal directly with Israel as
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a nation and with the Jewish people. And He'll turn His face
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back to them during a 7-year period known
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as the Tribulation. So there
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has been a purpose in this partial blindness of the Jews in rejecting
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the gospel and in rejecting Jesus because the
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gospel then went to the nations, it went to the Gentiles.
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So we'll get into this some more, Tomorrow, keep listening.
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God is not finished with Israel. He has an incredible
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plan and great things ahead for the nation of Israel and for
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the Jewish people. We'll see you tomorrow.