In Pursuit of Israel
The Lord has been teaching me so much lately, and some of the dots between them are starting to be connected. This morning, during our meeting, I was reading Romans 11 and learning about God’s relationship with Israel in the New Testament, after Jesus’s death and resurrection. And Romans 11:11-12 and 15 were so significant for me to read. Paul says in this scripture:
“11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But He wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer for salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.” “15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who are dead!”
Knowing that the Israelites are God’s chosen people is important here. He chose them to be the ones to start out sharing the message of God with other nations in the beginning of reconciling humanity to Himself. Looking back to the Old Testament, there are a number of stories about Israel’s disobedience and their turning away from God to pursue their own wills and worship idols. We know God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and cut off a number of people and nations who went against His commands without heeding His warnings. We are also told through scripture that He is longsuffering, like in 2 Peter 3:9 NKJV, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” The word longsuffering translates to “long-tempered.” The Old testament is as well full of stories of Israel’s repentance, reconciliation, and reconnection with God that are made possible by such an attribute. He has such great patience with us, and we, like Israel, take it for granted far too often. He does not will that anyone should perish or be cut off, and gives us all opportunities to turn back toward Him and repent of our sin. Because God has chosen Israel, He is longsuffering with them, patiently waiting for their return to reverence and obedience to Him.
God displays this in offering salvation to the Gentiles, to other peoples and nations who are not part of the nation of Israel. In Romans 11:11, we can see that God is doing this in an attempt to draw Israel back to Himself, into reconciliation and relationship with Him. God is using the Gentiles to bring Israel to know Christ. To be saved!! To be in perfect relationship and in right standing with Him because He doesn’t want them to become spiritually dead and eternally separated from Him. The roles have now been shifted. Those who were chosen and sent to bring God to unbelieving nations are now in need of another nation to share the Good News with them, with the intent that the people of Israel would desire to know Christ as the Messiah, their Lord and Savior.
Verse 12 also interests me because Paul addresses an argument. Basically the questions, “But what about the Gentiles? Is God just using them to get to the Jews that don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah?” If he were to respond to these questions with questions, I would imagine it would be something like, “What harm or deceit is in saving the Gentiles from their sin and eternal separation from their Creator and Father? Are we not all called and given the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of ALL nations”? If a Gentile was to be converted, that would have been their assignment anyway! And not only their assignment, like a responsibility or duty, although it is that as well, but rather when you know God, love Him, and have experienced His love in a deeply profound way, it becomes the greatest desire of your heart to make Him known to others. To share with them the joy and hope you now have in Jesus. So, with more people being brought to Christ and given salvation through Him, and as more and more Jewish people become Christ followers, it is an even greater blessing to the world. The desire of our heart and of God’s heart is being met. Verse 15 adds more detail: “For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who are dead!” LIFE!!!! For those who are dead!! The dead will be given new Life in Christ; in knowing Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Those once destined for the grave given the gift of life and life to the full, a life of abundance by knowing God our Father and Christ His Son. There is nothing more exciting than eternal life with Jesus.
Here were my notes:
We Gentiles are grafted in as a result of Israel’s disobedience— God used their disobedience for good— to still bring humanity into reconciliation with Him. He didn’t give up because of their inability to submit to His authority. God wanted to use all of Israel to bring about reconciliation, He chose them for this task. Now, God is using the Gentiles to preach the Good News to the disobedient of Israel and the rest of the world in His desire to be connected with us because of His deep love for us. God is always making ways to chase us down and to bring us back to Himself. He is constantly pursuing us with His salvation, love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
In applying this to my own life, I wrote:
I can rest assured that my God desires to be in relationship with me, that He is pursuing me with all goodness, kindness, patience, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He is longsuffering, steadfast, and trustworthy. Wow, I love Him.
And, wow, He loves us. He loves us so much that He will make a highway through the sea, move mountains, bring forth water from rocks, defeat nations with a rock and sling-shot, turn water into wine, feed 5,000+ people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, conquer death itself, prepare His Kingdom for us, give us the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us as His temple, and SO. MUCH. MORE. John says in John 21:25 NLT that, “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” Read His Word, and let Him show you just how loved you are by Him.
love & be loved,
Ashlyn
