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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 1 * PART 3 * BOOK 25
ROMANS 11:1
Romans 11:9
"...Let their (that is Israel's as a nation) table be made a snare,..." Romans 11:10
I've taught over the years that God deals with the Jew on two levels, National, and Individual. Now verse 11, and on that national basis:
Romans 11:11a
"I say then, Have they stumbled (as a nation of people, as a Covenant people) that they should fall? (in other words, out of God's program, that they're completely removed from anything more to do with their God. God forbid:..."
God has simply set them aside for a period of time. Although Paul gave him a blindness it wasn't permanent, but only for a season. Now that was indicative of the nation of Israel. One day, and we trust that we're getting closer and closer as time runs out, Israel will once again have her spiritual eyes opened. Now continuing on with Romans 11:11.
Romans 11:11a
"...but rather through their fall (because the Nation of Israel rejected their Messiah, and King) salvation is come unto the Gentiles,...
Israel is going to go out into a spiritual blindness, but Saul would go to the Gentiles, and so this is what this verse is saying. What Israel really did when they rejected The Christ, was open up the windows of heavens for us Gentiles, whose forefathers were pagan. Israel alone had the true knowledge of the one True God. But God has now done something totally different, as He sent this apostle out to those pagan Gentiles, and they suddenly almost began to swarm to The Gospel. They had a spiritual hunger that Israel could not comprehend. If you know your Book of Acts, every place that Paul went and preached The Gospel, when the Jews would reject it, he would go to those pagan Gentiles, what would those Gentiles do? They would embrace it, they were thrilled by it, but that made the Jews hate Paul and the Gentiles, because they were infringing upon their God. Now it's amazing how human nature works. As the Jew then became the chief opponent of Gentiles being saved in time, how did the Gentile react to the Jew? Romans 11:11
God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them (the Jew) to jealousy.'"
God was going to turn to the Gentiles with the idea that Israel would get jealous. Go back and read human history. Romans 11:12
"Now if the fall of them (in other words they're rejecting everything and God is setting them aside and turning to the Gentiles) be the riches of the world,..."
It isn't talking about terra firma - the earth - it's talking about the human system. The politics and economy and the world population, predominately of Gentiles, of course. So the fall of this nation Israel, out of God's program for them, is going to bring about the riches of the world. We're talking about spiritual riches, what we as Gentiles have enjoyed. You can't imagine how hungry those poor people are. A spiritual joy! Romans 11:12
"Now if the fall of them be the riches (the spiritual riches) of the (Gentile) world...."
The women! The women! Christianity has just set people free.
Christianity! Because Christianity set people free. Christianity did it! If you don't believe me, go to the library and read the history books. Reading on:
Romans 11:12
They've never attained the fulness God has in store for them. You can already see it in the little nation of Israel. As I told one of my classes the other night, Israel today is no different than Israel back in the time of Samuel. We want to be like the rest of the Gentile nations. We want a king!" If you get a king, you're going to be taxed to death. If you get a king, he's going to draft your kids. Israel is no different today. The government of Israel tonight is frantically seeking to be accepted by the Gentile world. You are a separated people." Jesus said it in John's Gospel:
God hasn't forgotten them. Now let's go on and don't lose sight, that just because Paul has been dealing with the nation of Israel for three chapters, don't lose sight of what he is. And you highlight this verse. Romans 11:13
"For I speak to you Gentiles, (he's been talking about Israel for three chapters, but who is he talking to? The Gentile believers at Rome and those in our own time.) inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office."
I tell people all the time, you on your prayer knees, better thank God for this little Jew who was willing to suffer all the things that a human being can suffer in order to get The Gospel to you and I as Gentiles. Hebrews 5:13,14
II Peter 3:15,16
Salvation!) Every time somebody twists the Scriptures to their people, whether it's a small or large congregation, they are destroying those people who are listening to them.