Devotion #2: God’s Megaphone

There is always so much to unpack when reading a passage written by Paul! Sometimes, it can seem a bit overwhelming to figure out where to even begin. This is where I find myself when approaching Romans 11:1-10. Paul writes, “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.’ But what is God’s reply to him? ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.’ And David says, ‘Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.’” 

Paul addresses the Gentiles on the issue of the Jews rejecting Christ. Paul, a Jew himself, says just because the Jews rejected Christ does not mean that God has rejected them as a group! Some Jews acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. There is a remnant. The Jews are God’s chosen people, but what exactly does that mean? 

First, for what purpose did God choose them? We have to go back to Genesis 12:2, where we see God chose Abraham. The verse reads, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” From Abraham came Israel. In Exodus chapter 19, we see God chose Israel to be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). This meant that Israel was to represent God to the rest of the nations. They were God’s megaphone. 

Fast forward some 1,400 years, and we are faced with Jesus. He is a Jew Who was sent to be the perfect representation of God for the nations. God had a plan all along. All the way back in the Garden of Eden, there was a plan. When God addresses the serpent in Genesis 3:15, we see His plan of salvation. It all comes to fruition with the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, even though the Jews rejected the Redeemer, it does not deny the nation the promise of redemption. God is truth and, therefore, cannot lie. So, when God told them they were His possession, that is it. Done deal! They are His people, and through them, the Savior was given. 

What is really awesome is that there is a place for both Jews and Gentiles in eternity. Romans 10:12 adds, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” For that, we can rejoice! For that, we can praise, for it is all part of God’s plan! 

A Jew or Gentile can be saved if they give their life to the Lord. However, the Jew or Gentile who rejects the Gospel will face eternal separation from God. The blood of Jesus covers the sins of all people, Jew or Gentile!