“Not All Israel”

TEXT:  Romans 9:6-13

REVIEW

1.  Paul’s Love for His Countrymen: What a Christ-like love Paul displays for his countrymen, the Jews!  If he could, he would suffer the pains of hell for them, that they might be saved.  But he cannot do this.  He is himself chosen by God, and the purposes of God’s election cannot be overturned.  Furthermore Paul does not have the requisite righteousness and eternal nature necessary to successfully atone for anyone’s sins.

2.  God’s Love for Paul: Why then does Paul make the point in such a solemn way at the beginning of this chapter that he would face hell for the Jews if it could save them?  God is giving us a glimpse into the redeemed heart that is truly moved by the love of Christ.  Paul is imitating God’s love – not in some showy hypocrisy, but in all sincerity.  Paul knows the love of God for him, and he is moved by this love to have a true love for his kindred who are of God’s chosen people.

 

TODAY’S PASSAGE: 

Romans 9:6-13   6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,  7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called."  8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.  9 For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son."  10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac  11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),  12 it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger."  13 As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."

 

What happened to the chosen people?

            For years I have walked to church with my neighbor and co-laborer, Pastor Steve Bartell of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church here in Exeter.  One of our most frequent prayers to God based on Isaiah 55:11 is that God’s Word would not return void in Exeter.  We can pray those words with confidence because the Lord’s promise is so clear on this point.  We know that God will use His word here to accomplish His saving purpose in this town.

            But what if we could not count on God’s promises?  What if God had made a promise of eternal salvation to a people and then had abandoned them to His judgment?  Paul in Romans 8 has written of the great plan of God in his love for His chosen ones.  Those words would not mean much if God had made promises to others in the past and had not been faithful to His word.  Some might suggest that this is precisely what has happened in God’s dealing with the Old Covenant people, the Israelites.

            The apostle Paul wants to address this potential objection in the verses before us today.  In order to make his point Paul goes back to the first book of the Bible – Genesis.  Paul would have us consider the story of Isaac (the son of Abraham), and the story of Jacob (the grandson of Abraham, and the son of Isaac) in order to see the truth about God’s promises.

            This man Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, had a second name that was given to him by God.  That name was Israel.  Israel had twelve sons, and their descendants were the Israelites.  It was from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that the nation of Israel came.  Was it necessary for each and every Israelite to be given eternal life in order for God’s promises regarding Israel to be fulfilled?

 

The Example of Isaac

Paul quotes from Genesis 21 here.  Let’s take a look at the context:

Genesis 21:9-13   9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.  10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."  11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.  12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.  13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."

God had a great plan for both of Abraham’s sons, but only one of them (Isaac) was the child of God’s promise.  The other son (Ishmael) was the child of Sarah’s plan that Abraham agreed to.  Despairing because of her inability to have a child, Sarah came up with the plan that Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant could produce offspring for her.  Ishmael was Abraham’s son according to the flesh, but he was not the child of the promise.

Paul quotes the promise of God from an earlier chapter in Genesis to make his point:

Genesis 18:9-14   9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" So he said, "Here, in the tent."  10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)  11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.  12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"  13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'  14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

                The promise was not only that Abraham would have a son but that Sarah would have a son.  Ishmael could never have been counted as the child of the promise, despite the custom that would have counted the servant’s son as the son of Sarah.  The promised child would come by God’s gift, and not by man’s panic.  Isaac was the elect son, and not Ishmael.  Though God would have a great plan for Ishmael, there is no sign that the son of Hagar was given eternal life, though he was a son of Abraham.

 

The Example of Jacob

            On to the second generation.  This time we are not dealing with half-brothers, but twin brothers.  Once again, the child of promise would be a gift from God to a woman that could not conceive.  But this time two boys would be given to her, yet only one would be chosen by God for salvation.

Genesis 25:21-23  21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.  22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.  23 And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."

            The two boys were Esau (the older) and Jacob.  Even before they were born, before they had any opportunity to do either good or evil, the announcement of God’s choice (election) was made.  Esau would serve Jacob.  The Edomites would be the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau, but the Israelites would be descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it would be from the Israelites that the promised Messiah would come.

            Paul goes on in Romans 9 to quote from the prophet Malachi, who speaks of God’s plans for the nation of Edom and Israel, and grounds these plans in God’s electing love for Jacob:

Malachi 1:2-5   2 " I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved;  3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."  4 Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.  5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, 'The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.'

 

The Only Alternative to Election

            Paul is very specific in the conclusions that he draws from the case of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau.  He says that God did this in order that his purpose in election might stand, “not of works but of Him who calls.”  There were many things in the lives of these men that were worthy of comment, and the Bible does that in other places, but in Romans 9 Paul is not interested in the works of these two brothers.  He is interested in the electing purpose of God.

Here’s a fair question for you to ask.  Should we be concerned about the doctrine of election?  When there are so many places where the good news of Christ needs to be preached, and when there is so much suffering in this world, who cares about twin brothers born thousands of years ago? 

Well, of course, God does.  That needs to be enough reason for the rest of us.  Part of the beauty of preaching through books of the Bible, is that you are not permitted to just skip things that you would rather avoid.  This fits in with the clear example we are given for our imitation in Acts 20:27 that the Apostle Paul declared the “whole counsel of God.” 

I guess when I come to a passage like this I could preach about kittens, but I’m not sure that you would stand for that.  But there is something for you to consider here.  God does things on purpose and he is very wise and loving toward his people.  The words of Romans 9 are for your benefit. 

The Jews had used the doctrine of election in the wrong way.  They had turned election into a matter of national spiritual pride.  How odd that we would take pride in the doctrine that insists that it’s all about God and not about us!

Spiritual pride demeans the cross of Christ, but election does not support pride.  It attacks it.

There is only one alternative to salvation by the electing grace of God, and that is salvation by the good works of man.  Even if your good works are reduced to a good decision for Jesus, it still puts the focus on you and not on the Lord.  Our focus needs to be on the God who loved us, and gave Himself for us.  We have not been saved by God because of any good work, or even because of any good decision.  We were chosen by Him about the same time that He determined that He loved Jacob.  Not every genetic descendant of elect parents yields an elect baby.  God’s promises to Israel were fulfilled in the election of a saved remnant out of the larger body of the nation of Israel.  What a privilege that through Jesus Christ, the true elect seed, you and I have been brought into the true Israel of God, by God’s saving grace! 

God’s promises have not failed.  His word of promise has always been and shall always be for the elect.  As much as it pains Paul, he must conclude, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel.”