In this chapter 11, in the first 10 verses Paul answers the
question whether or not God has rejected Israel. Of course the answer is negative and the
proof of the answer is Paul himself and the other elect in the record of the
Jewish people. This reaches back to Chapter
9 where we have learned that not all Israel is Israel (Romans 9:6). “But this is the very thing Paul denies,
namely, that God ever intended to save all ethnic Israelites. His purpose has
always been to save a remnant within, but not the entirety of, ethnic Israel.”[1] This must serve as an interpretative key
for these important chapters. The
clear statement in 9:6 has to cover all of Chapters 9-11. “The proof that God
still has a saving purpose for ethnic Israel, the proof that God has not
rejected his people, is the present remnant, not a future restoration.”[2]
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! Paul goes on to ask a
deeper question, “So I ask,
did they stumble in order that they might fall . . .?” (Romans 11:11a, ESV).
Did they πταίω (err, make a mistake, sin) in order that they might (fall under
judgment, come under condemnation)? The NASB, I think is a better translation: “I say then, they did not stumble so
as to fall, did they . . .?”
So who are the "they"? The overall context and especially the
verses that follow suggest that Paul has in mind the nation of Israel as a
whole. As Dr. Moo states, "The “they” in this question might be
hardened Israelites but probably refers to Israel in general (v. 7)."[3]
So here’s my paraphrase: "Israel's
error (by not all accepting the Good News (10:16) did not condemn them, did
it?" Notice that the tone is
past/present not future. I tend to swim
against the tide on this. Most read an
optimistic, futuristic tone in Paul such as this commentator: "The stumbling is admitted; an
irreparable fall is not. This is a broad hint of the future salvation of Israel
that Paul goes on to affirm."[4] That may be true but it cannot be affirmed at
this point, to say the least.
No, in 11:1
Paul is affirming: God has not rejected
His people, has He? And in 11:11,
similarly, Paul is affirming, God has not
condemned His people, has He? In
other words, Paul is not peering into the future, he is looking at the past and
reviewing the realities of Romans 9 and 10 and concluding: Israel's failure did not bring about final
condemnation. The salvation of Paul and
the salvation of the Jewish elect is proof of that. So Paul's answer is that emphatic: By no
means. There's that word again: γίνομαι,
God forbid, by no means.
In verse 1 of chapter 11, Paul's defense of the fact that
God has not rejected Israel is his own salvation and that of other chosen Jews,
a remnant. Interestingly and in
parallel, in verse 11, Paul's defense of the fact that God has not condemned
Israel is the salvation of the Gentiles.
“So I ask, did they
stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their
trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.”
(Romans 11:11, ESV). Notice the present tense is retained: through their trespass salvation has come to
the Gentiles."
Most Bibles rightly cross-reference this with Acts 13:46 (ESV), 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly,
saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since
you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we
are turning to the Gentiles.
The goal is to make Israel jealous. The Greek word is παραζηλόω. It could mean jealous in a good way
that results in emulation and envy, or a response provoked by anger and
bitterness. It would seem that by Paul’s
use of the idea, he has the notion of emulation
in mind. For example he writes in verse
14, “in order somehow to
make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.” (Romans 11:14, ESV). Here we have another proof that Israel is not
condemned. Individuals, moved by some
sort of jealousy can still trust the Savior and be redeemed. At this point there is no wide-scale national
return in mind.
So the
failure of Israel as a nation has not deterred God from His original purpose,
i.e., to keep “. . .
a remnant, chosen by grace.” (Romans 11:5, ESV). And
this failure of Israel has resulted in the door being opened to the Gentiles,
which in turn has been a means of grace to awaken the desire of some Jews to be
saved.
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Previous Blogs on this topic:
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1
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Romans 11:1-6
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2
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Romans 11:7-10
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3
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Romans 11:11-12
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[1] Storms, Sam (2013-04-30). Kingdom Come: The
Amillennial Alternative (Kindle Locations 5146-5147). Christian Focus
Publications. Kindle Edition.
[2] Storms, Sam (2013-04-30). Kingdom Come: The
Amillennial Alternative (Kindle Locations 5199-5201). Christian Focus
Publications. Kindle Edition.
[3] Moo, D. J. (2002). Encountering
the book of Romans : a theological survey (p. 167). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic.
[4] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis
CD-ROM:Romans/Exposition of Romans/VI. The Problem of Israel: God's
Righteousness Vindicated (9:1-11:36)/F. Israel's Temporary Rejection and the
Salvation of Gentiles (11:11-24), Book Version: 4.0.2
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