In Romans, chapters 9-11, the Apostle Paul deals with a subject that was obviously difficult for him to consider, God’s rejection of His brethren in the flesh. Of course, God had not rejected them because He didn’t love them, but because after centuries of dealing with their inconsistencies and failures, they had finally committed the unthinkable sin, rejecting Him.
Just a couple of days before the leaders of their nation had Him crucified, Jesus spoke His final words to them and their city, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the LORD” (Matthew 23:37-39).
Jesus was their promised Messiah, but the nation rejected him. As a whole, the nation continued to reject Him until the day came that Jesus words to His apostles were literally fulfilled, that ‘not one stone (of the temple) would be left upon another which was not thrown down’ (see Matthew 24:2); as in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed their city and obliterated their temple.
Paul had been called by the very One his nation had rejected to be His apostle to the Gentiles, something for which he was forever grateful (see Ephesians 3:8). But he forever struggled with the fact that his brethren, for the most part, the Jewish race of which he belonged, had been rejected by God for the crime of deicide and that in this judgment, “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25). He even stated in Romans 9:2-3, “That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsman according to the flesh,” meaning that he loved his people so much that if his be estranged from God would bring salvation to them, he would be willing to do it.
But in Romans 11:21-22, Paul issued a warning to Gentiles not to think too highly of themselves because God’s grace had been extended to them saying, “For if God spared not the natural branches (Israel), take heed lest He also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” These should be very sobering words to us today.
For generations, Israel continually tried the patience of God through their disobedience and idolatry, transgressing His law and refusing to listen to those God sent to them to call them back in repentance. He had once before destroyed them and sent them into exile, but in His goodness brought back a remnant of those taken into captivity and re-established them in the land, as if to give them a second chance to faithfully serve Him. But, as noted above, they failed miserably in that opportunity also, and God dispersed them throughout the nations for almost two millennia.
But Paul wanted to make sure Gentiles understood something, that we are no better than they were and that we best not think that God will treat us any different if we reject and refuse to obey as they did or, as we have begun to do today, defy His commandments altogether.
We in America are not much different than Israel was. Many that originally came to America sought to establish this as a Christian nation and our laws were set up in accordance with the laws of the Bible. But like Israel we have more and more tried His patience in denying His word and, like His ancient people, have now rebelled against Him and His laws. God has throughout our existence been good to us but we, as Paul warned, need to start considering His other side, His severity towards those that continually reject Him.
Now there have always been individual Jews that have come to faith in Christ and there will still be individuals in our nation that will do so. But if our nation as a whole, continues on its current trajectory, we can expect Him to deal with us just as He did with them. Because this is true, we need to pray daily for our nation. Time may be shorter than we think.
For God’s glory and His alone,
Pastor Terry.