Romans Chapter 9
Originally Monday, June 30, 2008
Romans Chapter 9:1-18 God's
Election of Israel
Chapters
9-11 are taken as a single unit with a single theme. Paul
addresses the entire Roman Christian community, made up of Jewish and Gentile
house churches. The Gentile members were predominately God Worshippers who
had been converted by early Jewish Christian missionaries from Asia Minor
and possibly Palestine and Antioch. These converts would be relatively well
versed in Judaism and the Old Testament. Paul has presented his Gospel of
redemption of all through faith, faith's necessity and the unrighteous state of
all humanity, Jew and Gentile alike. God has shown no partiality thus there is
no saving advantage in circumcision or being Jewish. All must turn to God,
recognizing Christ as the agent of their justification and ultimate
glorification with God.
But
there is a problem that nagged Paul during his entire missionary experience:
the Jews were overwhelmingly rejecting him and his message while the Gentiles
were welcoming both in large numbers. Beyond the original work among the Jews
of Palestine and Syria which was generally productive, the response had been
meager acceptance to outright violence. By the time Paul writes, whatever
success had been realized had dramatically slowed, and by the end of the next
decade would essentially disappear. We read the details of this erosion in
Mark, Matthew and Luke. We read of the bitter antagonism between the Synagogues
and Christian missionaries in John. Paul understands what is happening but he
struggles with why it is happening. It simply isn't logical that the Jews would
reject one of their own, Jesus, and risk the wrath of God. These chapters
represent his inner conflict and conversation, written for the benefit of
others.
Paul's
distress is obvious. He feels great sorrow and anguish in his heart. He would
rather be cursed than see his fellow Israelites cut off from God. They have received
so much: the adoption (election as the chose people), covenants, Law, and
worship (Temple). All of Israel's great past is theirs including the promised
Messiah. With a bit of selective reasoning Paul claims that the true
children of God are those who are the result of the promise made to Abraham,
the chosen one, and Sarah. The promise of a son was realized with the
birth of Isaac. Isaac, the only son of Sarah and Abraham, is now chosen by
God to continue the line of true Israelites. But it is not that
simple. Isaac has two sons by Rebecca. A choice must be made. Only one can
be chosen to carry on the direct line from Isaac. God will make the choice
against all convention and it will be Jacob over Esau, even though Esau
is the first born (compare Deut. 21:15;
32:4). It will be Jacob who continues the line of the true Israel and Jacob
will rule over Esau (Gen. 25:23).
In Vs. 13 Paul uses the prophecy of Mal. 1:2-3 to justify the
rejection of Esau. The translation cannot be sugar coated. The Hebrew and
its Greek translation are clearly as we read it, "I have loved Jacob, but
I have hated Esau." The harshness of the text stems from the history of
Israel in relation to Edom, the offspring of Esau. Malachi's prophecy
tells of the future destruction of Edom by Israel for Edom's treachery in not
allowing the Israelites to pass through their land at the time of the Exodus (Num. 20:14-21). (Herod the Great
was half Edomite and never trusted by the Jews of his time).
Paul
knows this sounds like an unjust and arbitrary choice by God. Of
course, according to scripture, God cannot act unjustly (Deut. 32:4). Paul supplements God's choice citing Exod. 33:19; 9:16 as examples
of God's authority to make such choices. God is the God after all and as far as Paul is concerned, not to be
questioned. Perhaps it would be helpful to keep in mind that Paul's
thinking is shaped by an ancient understanding about how God and other
deities operated within history. It was understood that events in
Israel's history were often the result of God's direct action or intervention
rather than human cause and effect. As far as the writers of much of the Old
Testament were concerned there were no coincidences in Israel's life or that of
its neighbors as it related to Israel. One good example is Cyrus, King of
Persia. Isa. 45:1ff tells
of God "anointing" (makes a Messiah) of Cyrus (without his knowing
it) to overthrow all the enemies of Israel to bring an end to Israel's
(Judah's) Babylonian exile and to return the people to their homeland.
Romans Chapter 9:19-29 God's
Wrath and Mercy
Paul
continues his point from vs.
15 that God chooses whom God will for God's own purposes. Using the
analogy of the potter and his clay, he answers the rhetorical objection that
since God can choose how God pleases, how can God find fault with the one's
chosen for wrath since it is God's will that they receive wrath no matter what?
Paul rejects the objection first on the basis that the human has no standing to
argue with God. Then he speculates (what
if) that God might be acting in such a way as to show God's power by consigning
some to wrath and by doing so showing "the riches of his glory
for the objects of mercy." Remember, Paul is setting up a speculative
scenario using the Greek philosophical style of debate. This is a
hypothetical thesis - antithesis - conclusion structure but we have to
follow his argument to its conclusion before we can see his resolution. For
now, we understand God chooses whom God chooses, period.
Moving
from choices in ancient Israel to Paul's own audience, he writes that God
has already chosen (called) some for a new community. The first
were Jews - the Jewish converts to Christianity beginning in Jerusalem
twenty years before this letter. Then God called some from among the Gentiles
(look at vs. 15). If some Jews
question if God would do such a thing, Paul directs them to Hos. 2:23-24 as an analogy not a
prophecy. As an analogy, Paul understands that God has chosen Gentiles as
Christians, a new people, a loved people, as "children of the living
God." He follows with a combination of Isa. 10:22, 28:22. These verses characterize those Jews who have
(and may in the future be) converted to Christianity, as the remnant of Israel,
frequently noted in the prophets as those who remained faithful to God and did
no "go after" the pagan gods of other nations.
Romans Chapter 9:30-10:4
Israel's Unbelief
The
result of Paul's musings is a preliminary conclusion: The Gentiles didn't seek
righteousness but found it through faith, while Israel, did seek
righteousness but through works of the Law. Failing to fulfill the entire Law
they could not find it because they did not seek it through faith. They have,
Paul writes using Ps. 118:22, Isa.
8:14, stubbed their toe against the stumbling block which is faith and
they have fallen. Paul knows Israel is devoted to God. But it isn't an
"enlightened" zeal. By requiring that God's
righteousness be mediated only through the Law, they fail
to understand that Christ has put an end to the law as far as it relates to righteousness.
Their failure has now opened the door of righteousness "for everyone
who believes with faith," for the unclean Gentiles.
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