Romans 11:19-24
19You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
Paul realises that his Gentile readers might feel superior to the Jews because they were cut off, while they (the Gentiles) were grafted in, and so he addresses this thinking. He goes on to explain that the Jews were cut off because they did not put their faith and trust in Jesus, and the Gentiles were grafted in (and stand), because of their faith in Jesus.
He tells his Gentile readers to not be haughty but instead to possess a holy fear, because if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jews), owing to their lack of faith, neither will He spare them if they become haughty. In fact, there’s no room for haughtiness at all, because the Gentiles have really done nothing to boast about. Jesus did what we couldn’t do. He lived the righteous life, paid the penalty for our sin, and then gifted us with the Righteousness of God. We merely accepted His free offer – therefore this eliminates any possible reason for boasting. Therefore if we boast, we undermine the gracious gift of God, and open ourselves up to His judgment against us.
He then goes on to remind them to bear two things in mind – things they, and we today, should never forget. The first thing we should never forget is the goodness of God, and the second thing is the severity of God. God was good to the Gentiles in that He welcomed them into the family when they put their faith in Jesus, but God was also severe in His dealing with the Jews, who rejected Jesus, and His work on their behalf. As a result, the Gentiles were adopted into His family, and the Jews were cut off from the family for a while. He reminds us that if we don’t bear this in mind we too will be cut off.
He then adds another element of encouraging information. He says that if the Jews don’t continue in unbelief; i.e. if they put their faith in Jesus, they will be grafted into the olive tree again. In other words, if the Jews who were cut off because of their unbelief, chose to believe in Jesus, they will be reconciled back into the family of God. He goes on to say that God is able to graft them in again.
Paul goes on to explain the process of the re-grafting of the Jews into the olive tree. He says, that if the Gentiles, who like a wild olive tree, could be grafted into a cultivated olive tree – something which is contrary to nature, how much easier would it be for the natural branches to be grafted back into their original olive tree. This gives the present day Jews a lot of hope that they can be grafted back into the olive tree, if only they put their faith in Jesus.
Romans 11:25-32
25For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Paul then goes on to explain something more – something he calls a mystery. He says that he does not want the Gentile believers to be ignorant of a mystery of God, so that they don’t consider themselves wise in their own eyes. This is what he wants them to know – that God has blinded the Jews partially, only until all the gentiles have had a chance to put their faith in Christ. Once that has happened, all the Jews will be saved.
Paul then goes on to quote from Isaiah 59:20 where Isaiah prophesies, that the deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This seems to be a prophecy about a time to come where the Jews are going to put their faith in Jesus and be saved.
He says that with regard to the Gospel, the Jews are now enemies of God for the sake of the Gentiles, who are being saved, but with regard to being God’s chosen people, they are still loved by God, and this is on account of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who put their faith in God. What he’s saying is that though God has cut off the Jews for a season, both owing to their unbelief, and so that the Gentiles would be saved, He still loves them, and considers them His special chosen people, because of His promise to the patriarchs who put their faith in God, and because of this, they will be saved again.
Paul goes on to say that there are two things that are irrevocable with God – His calling, and His gifts. When He chooses someone, He doesn’t utterly reject them, and when He gives a gift He does not take it back.
Paul then reminds his Gentile readers that just as they were disobedient to God, but have now experienced the mercy of God on account of the disobedience of the Jews, so also the Jews are now disobedient to the Gospel of God, so that just as the Gentiles received mercy from God, they too may receive mercy. He then makes this amazing concluding statement, where he says that God Himself has actually committed them to disobedience, so that He might have a chance to demonstrate his mercy on both the Gentiles and the Jews. Initially God had mercy on the Gentiles, and opened the way of Salvation to them, and blinded the eyes of the Jews owing to their unbelief, but later, He will have mercy on the Jews as well, and open their eyes to Salvation through faith in Jesus, therefore God will be demonstrating His mercy on both Jews and Gentiles alike.
Romans 11:33-36
33Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counsellor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
After such a lengthy explanation of God’s plan of Salvation beginning in Chapter 1 and verse 1 and ending in Chapter 11 and verse 32, (of course there were no chapters when Paul wrote this epistle), Paul then makes this declaration concerning God’s wisdom and knowledge. “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” He’s informing his readers of God’s amazingly wise plans to save the world from a lost eternity, away from His Presence in a place called Hell, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. What knowledge of God, to know that man would live in rebellion of Him, and to make plans accordingly, to give all men an equal opportunity to get saved through faith in Jesus. He goes on to say that the way God judges is far beyond our comprehension, and differs with our ways of judging. He further adds that God’s ways are incomprehensible to us humans – they are far higher than ours.
Paul then quotes from Isaiah 40:13, where he says, “Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become His counsellor?” He seems to ask who can fathom God’s mind and ways of functioning, and who can give God advice as to how to deal with problems and issues.
He goes on to ask who has given anything to God that God should repay them. That’s a great question that we all need to bear in mind – there’s nothing we can give God that we haven’t received from Him. Let’s not think we’re doing God a favour when we serve Him in any way. Paul then concludes that all things are created by God, we have received them all through God (His Son Jesus), and all things were meant to be used to worship and serve God, so that ultimately He gets the glory in and through our lives.
