(Israel and The Church)
(Who Is Israel?)
(Romans 9:4-8)
Text:
Romans 9:4 "Who are Israelites; to whom [pertaineth] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises; 5 Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
Opening Thoughts:
To our Text:
1) Who are Israelites: I must profess the answer seems obvious, in view of it's context we immediately think of national Israel.
2) To whom pertaineth the adoption? Again in it's context the answer seems most obvious. National Israel.
3) To whom pertaineth the glory? The ark of the covenant, the leading of the nation by the cloud in the wilderness and a pillar of fire, the presence of Jehovah in the Holy of Holies, or even being God's special nation. No matter what we make of the word the "glory" that Paul has in view, it seems all belong to the nation of Israel.
4) To whom pertaineth the covenants? Here the mark of the covenant made with Abraham. Obviously the answer is national Israel!
5) To whom pertaineth the giving of the law? Again no mistake can be made Paul has hemmed us in and we must with one resounding voice cry these things belong to the physical, literal, nation of Israel!
6) To who pertaineth the service of God? No doubt John Gill is on the mark when he says: "or "the service", as in the Greek text. So the Jews are used to call it "the service"; and false worship is called by them "strange service", which is the title of one of their Misnic tracts; and here it signifies the whole worship of God, in the whole compass of it, sacrifices, prayer, praise, etc., daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly:"
7) To whom pertaineth the promises? Temporal and spiritual, both lied within the nation of Israel. The promise to send a redeemer? Again we must conclude Paul seems to have in view the literal physical nation of Israel.
8) Where have our fathers descended from? Again no answer seems available but from the physical nation of Israel.
9) As concerning the flesh, or the lineage; where did Christ come from? Again the answer is unavoidable. PHYSICAL, NATIONAL ISRAEL. Paul has hemmed us in, he has gone to great measures to ensure we answered the question as he wanted it answer, the answer to Paul's question posed in Romans 9:4-5 seems it must be national Israel.
Guess what we are wrong and now Paul will continue in the following verse to prove how we were wrong. Not physical israel is in view, but rather spiritual Israel.
Now Paul brings up what many might attempt to use as an argument against
all he has said. Paul you have already proved that God has cast of
the nation of Israel because of their sin. It appears all of God's
promises, or at least many have come to no effect. Notice in the
second half of verse 6 how Paul answers this charge:
"For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel:"
That is, they which are the descendants of the patriarch Jacob, whose
name was Israel; or who are of the Israelites nation, the physical, literal
nation of Israel; they are not all "the Israel", they are not all the "Israel
of God". So Paul's conclusion: Though they may be "Israel after
the flesh", (I Cor 10:18), that does not make them the "Israel of God"
(Gal 6:16). Thus one can indeed be a Jew outwardly but fail be be
a Jew inwardly! For as Paul states not all Israel is indeed Israel.
One might protest and say, but Paul I am no bastard, I can prove my
lineage back to Abraham. Surely you have those who are not "true
blooded" Israelites in mind. Paul does not even allow this thought
to breed! Look to verse 7:
"Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all
children:"
Here Paul makes it clear that all Abraham's seed were not the children
of the promise; for it was said to Sarah, (Ge 21:12), that the promised
seed should be confined to Isaac's line, of his issue should the Messiah
come, and all the true seed of Abraham, who are born after the manner of
Isaac, by the word and promise of God. And as Ishmael, though Abraham's
natural seed, was cast out, and here we find a type of those according
to the flesh, those who rather than being children of the promise are children
of lineage; so Isaac is a type of Abraham's spiritual seed, who are born
not of the power of nature, but by virtue of the promise of God.
Finally to close our thought for today (verse 8):
"They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the
children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
To be counted a true seed is not in your natural birth, but rather
in you being a child of the promise, your supernatural rebirth.
Galatians 3:14 "That the blessing of Abraham might come
on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise
of the Spirit through faith."
Thus we are children of the promise regardless of our lineage.
Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Thus we are indeed the real seed of Abraham, reagrdless of our national
lineage, because we have faith in Jesus.
Closing Thoughts
1) The ones born not of the flesh, but of the promise.
Written to a Gentile church:
Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
