9
Concern for Israel
1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For [if it were possible] I would wish that I myself were accursed, [separated, banished] from Christ for the sake [of the salvation] of my brothers, my natural kinsmen, [Ex 32:32]
4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, the glory (Shekinah), the [special] covenants [with Abraham, Moses, and David], the giving of the Law, the [system of temple] worship, and the [original] promises. [Ex 4:22; Hos 11:1]
5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to His natural descent, came the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), He who is exalted and supreme over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
6 However, it is not as though God’s word has failed [coming to nothing]. For not all who are descended from Israel (Jacob) are [the true] Israel;
7 and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants [by blood], but [the promise was]: “Yoᴜʀ ᴅᴇscᴇɴᴅᴀɴᴛs wɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀoᴜɢʜ Isᴀᴀc” [though Abraham had other sons]. [Gen 21:9-12]
8 That is, it is not the children of the body [Abraham’s natural descendants] who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as [Abraham’s true] descendants.
9 For this is what the promise said: “Aʙoᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ [next year] I wɪʟʟ coᴍᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ Sᴀʀᴀʜ sʜᴀʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ ᴀ soɴ.” [Gen 18:10]
10 And not only that, but this too: Rebekah conceived twin sons by one man [under the same circumstances], by our father Isaac;
11 and though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything either good or bad, so that God’s purpose [His choice, His election] would stand, not because of works [done by either child], but because of [the plan of] Him who calls them,
12 it was said to her, “Tʜᴇ oʟᴅᴇʀ (Esau) wɪʟʟ sᴇʀvᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʏoᴜɴɢᴇʀ (Jacob).” [Gen 25:21-23]
13 As it is written and forever remains written, “Jᴀcoʙ I ʟovᴇᴅ (chose, protected, blessed), ʙᴜᴛ Esᴀᴜ I ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ (held in disregard compared to Jacob).” [Mal 1:2, 3]
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses, “I wɪʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ ᴍᴇʀcʏ oɴ wʜoᴍᴇvᴇʀ I ʜᴀvᴇ ᴍᴇʀcʏ, ᴀɴᴅ I wɪʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ coᴍᴘᴀssɪoɴ oɴ wʜoᴍᴇvᴇʀ I ʜᴀvᴇ coᴍᴘᴀssɪoɴ.” [Ex 33:19]
16 So then God’s choice is not dependent on human will, nor on human effort [the totality of human striving], but on God who shows mercy [to whomever He chooses—it is His sovereign gift].
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “I ʀᴀɪsᴇᴅ ʏoᴜ ᴜᴘ ꜰoʀ ᴛʜɪs vᴇʀʏ ᴘᴜʀᴘosᴇ, ᴛo ᴅɪsᴘʟᴀʏ Mʏ ᴘowᴇʀ ɪɴ [dealing with] ʏoᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ so ᴛʜᴀᴛ Mʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ woᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘʀocʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ.” [Ex 9:16]
18 So then, He has mercy on whom He wills (chooses), and He hardens [the heart of] whom He wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still blame me [for sinning]? For who [including myself] has [ever] resisted His will and purpose?”
20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers [arrogantly] back to God and dares to defy Him? Will the thing which is formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” [Is 29:16; 45:9]
21 Does the potter not have the right over the clay, to make from the same lump [of clay] one object for honorable use [something beautiful or distinctive] and another for common use [something ordinary or menial]?
22 What if God, although willing to show His [terrible] wrath and to make His power known, has tolerated with great patience the objects of His wrath [which are] prepared for destruction? [Prov 16:4]
23 And what if He has done so to make known the riches of His glory to the objects of His mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory,
24 including us, whom He also called, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles?
25 Just as He says in [the writings of the prophet] Hosea:
“I wɪʟʟ cᴀʟʟ ᴛʜosᴇ wʜo wᴇʀᴇ ɴoᴛ Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ, ‘Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ,’
Aɴᴅ [I will call] ʜᴇʀ wʜo wᴀs ɴoᴛ ʙᴇʟovᴇᴅ, ‘ʙᴇʟovᴇᴅ.’ ” [Hos 2:23]
26 “Aɴᴅ ɪᴛ sʜᴀʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀcᴇ wʜᴇʀᴇ ɪᴛ wᴀs sᴀɪᴅ ᴛo ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ‘ʏoᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴoᴛ Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ,’
Tʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ sʜᴀʟʟ ʙᴇ cᴀʟʟᴇᴅ soɴs oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪvɪɴɢ Goᴅ.” [Hos 1:10]
27 And Isaiah calls out concerning Israel: “Tʜoᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ soɴs oꜰ Isʀᴀᴇʟ ʙᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀɴᴅ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ, ɪᴛ ɪs oɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴍɴᴀɴᴛ [a small believing minority] ᴛʜᴀᴛ wɪʟʟ ʙᴇ sᴀvᴇᴅ [from God’s judgment];
28 Foʀ ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ wɪʟʟ ᴇxᴇcᴜᴛᴇ Hɪs woʀᴅ ᴜᴘoɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ [He will conclude His dealings with mankind] coᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ wɪᴛʜoᴜᴛ ᴅᴇʟᴀʏ.” [Is 10:22, 23]
29 It is as Isaiah foretold,
“Iꜰ ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ oꜰ Hosᴛs ʜᴀᴅ ɴoᴛ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴜs sᴇᴇᴅ [future generations from which a believing remnant of Israelites came],
Wᴇ woᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀvᴇ ʙᴇcoᴍᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ Soᴅoᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ woᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀvᴇ ʀᴇsᴇᴍʙʟᴇᴅ Goᴍoʀʀᴀʜ [totally rejected and destroyed]!” [Is 1:9]
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness [who did not seek salvation and a right relationship with God, nevertheless] obtained righteousness, that is, the righteousness which is produced by faith;
31 whereas Israel, [though always] pursuing the law of righteousness, did not succeed in fulfilling the law. [Is 51:1]
32 And why not? Because it was not by faith [that they pursued it], but as though it were by works [relying on the merit of their works instead of their faith]. They stumbled over the stumbling Stone [Jesus Christ]. [Is 8:14; 28:16]
33 As it is written and forever remains written,
“Bᴇʜoʟᴅ I ᴀᴍ ʟᴀʏɪɴɢ ɪɴ Zɪoɴ ᴀ Sᴛoɴᴇ oꜰ sᴛᴜᴍʙʟɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ Rocᴋ oꜰ oꜰꜰᴇɴsᴇ;
Aɴᴅ ʜᴇ wʜo ʙᴇʟɪᴇvᴇs ɪɴ Hɪᴍ [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] wɪʟʟ ɴoᴛ ʙᴇ ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘoɪɴᴛᴇᴅ [in his expectations].” [Is 28:16]