Feb 16, 2020
Originally presented: April 27th, 2008
Scripture Reading: Romans 11:7-10
This passage is another reminder to us that God's ways are both sovereign and often surprising. In this paragraph Paul continues his discussion of the spiritual status of the Jewish people and their future position as God's chosen nation.
For the present, God has saved only a remnant of Jewish people (Rom 11:5). Israel, in general, has not sought God by faith in Christ (Rom 9:31-33) and so they have not been saved. But in addition to the unbelief of Israel something else, something glorious and mysterious, is going on.
Some Jews were being saved during Paul's day (and ours as well), namely "those who were chosen . . . the rest were hardened" (Rom 11:7). This verse, like so many verses in Romans 9-11, exalts the sovereignty and freedom of God to deal with His creation as He pleases. The hardening in view here is an insensitivity to spiritual truth. The eyes of a hardened person do not see the beauty and value of Christ and the ears of such a person do not hear the truth so it penetrates the heart.
But what is the basis for this hardening? Here we are met with a great mystery. On the one hand, without being the cause for sin, "God gave them . . . eyes to see not and ears to hear not" (Rom 11:8). "He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires" (Rom 9:18). On the other hand, this hardening is a "retribution" (Rom 11:9), which means it is deserved, brought on by sin. Here we have the twofold truths of God's glorious and free sovereignty in election, on the one hand and the responsibility and accountability of man, on the other hand. Paul neither softens the strength of these two doctrines, nor does he resolve the tension that rises when you look at them together. We simply bow our heads and bend our knees before divine majesty.