Romans

The Letter from Yeshua's Emissary Sha’ul(Paul) to the Messianic Community in Rome

Chapter 9 - (CJB)*

A Study to Help New and Young Christians - Previous Study

Chapter 9:1-33 (CJB)

1. I am speaking the truth—as one who belongs to the Messiah, I do not lie; and also bearing witness is my conscience, governed by the Ruach HaKodesh:

2. my grief is so great, the pain in my heart so constant,

3. that I could wish myself actually under God’s curse and separated from the Messiah, if it would help my brothers, my own flesh and blood,

4. the people of Isra’el! They were made God’s children, the Sh’khinah has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah, the Temple service and the promises;

5. the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be ADONAI for ever! Amen.

6. But the present condition of Isra’el does not mean that the Word of God has failed. For not everyone from Isra’el is truly part of Isra’el;

7. indeed, not all the descendants are seed of Avraham; rather, “What is to be called your ‘seed’ will be in Yitz’chak.”

8. In other words, it is not the physical children who are children of God, but the children the promise refers to who are considered seed.

9. For this is what the promise said: “At the time set, I will come; and Sarah will have a son.”

10. And even more to the point is the case of Rivkah; for both her children were conceived in a single act with Yitz’chak, our father;

11. and before they were born, before they had done anything at all, either good or bad (so that God’s plan might remain a matter of his sovereign choice, not dependent on what they did, but on God, who does the calling),

12. it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”

13. This accords with where it is written, “Ya‘akov I loved, but Esav I hated.”

14. So are we to say, “It is unjust for God to do this”? Heaven forbid!

15. For to Moshe he says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will pity whom I pity.”

16. Thus it doesn’t depend on human desires or efforts, but on God, who has mercy.

17. For the Tanakh says to Pharaoh, “It is for this very reason that I raised you up, so that in connection with you I might demonstrate my power, so that my name might be known throughout the world.”

18. So then, he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants.

19. But you will say to me, “Then why does he still find fault with us? After all, who resists his will?”

20. Who are you, a mere human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me this way?”

21. Or has the potter no right to make from a given lump of clay this pot for honorable use and that one for dishonorable?

22. Now what if God, even though he was quite willing to demonstrate his anger and make known his power, patiently put up with people who deserved punishment and were ripe for destruction?

23. What if he did this in order to make known the riches of his glory to those who are the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—

24. that is, to us, whom he called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?

25. As indeed he says in Hoshea, “Those who were not my people I will call my people; her who was not loved I will call loved;

26. and in the very place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called sons of the living God!”

27. But Yesha‘yahu, referring to Isra’el, cries out, “Even if the number of people in Isra’el is as large as the number of grains of sand by the sea, only a remnant will be saved.

28. For ADONAI will fulfill his word on the earth with certainty and without delay.”

29. Also, as Yesha‘yahu said earlier, “If ADONAI-Tzva’ot had not left us a seed, we would have become like S’dom, we would have resembled ‘Amora.”

30. So, what are we to say? This: that Gentiles, even though they were not striving for righteousness, have obtained righteousness; but it is a righteousness grounded in trusting!

31. However, Isra’el, even though they kept pursuing a Torah that offers righteousness, did not reach what the Torah offers.

32. Why? Because they did not pursue righteousness as being grounded in trusting but as if it were grounded in doing legalistic works. They stumbled over the stone that makes people stumble.

33. As the Tanakh puts it, “Look, I am laying in Tziyon a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will trip them up. But he who rests his trust on it will not be humiliated.”

Study - Chapter 9

Ch 9: verses, 1-16,

[These next three chapters act like a parenthesis between capters 1 to 8 and 12 to 16. They set out the special relationship God Has with His People. These chapters aer instructive as we can see the purpose that Isreal had in bring Jesus in to this world and how he became the answer to the Sin Problem that Adam created back in the Garden of Eden.]

Paul starts of by expressing his grief that his country men have not understood the full purpose of Jesus's life and death offers to any that will believe. His passion is so great that he wishes that he might "be acursed" if that would make them realise what has been offerd to them. Verse 3: ...

God had separated a people for Himself through whom He would show the world that He, God really wanted a close relationship. But 'The Sin Problem' had to be dealt with to bring about the True Righteousness could be offered as a free Gift.

The Torah, the Law that was given to the people of Isreal gave an access point that Jesus was able to fulfil in His Death and Resurection. Hereby making a way back into God's Presence. The Jews of the time of Jesus had gotten so far away from the main purpose of the Law that they missed seeing Jesus as thier Messiah.

Paul's lament over the Jewish people of his day does not cut them off from the purpose's of God but their actions will cause them to have suffering they might have avoided.

In Verses 6 to 16, Paul takes a deep dive into the main reason for the separating of Isreal from the rest of the nations. To put into simple speach God wanted to have a Family of people that He could come into a close relationship with and not have Sin in the way.

The Patriarchs of old were considered Righteous because of their hope and belief in God's Promise of a Home in Glory. The way had not been opened yet because Jesus had not died and made the Door to Heaven open.

Paul states that not all people that were born as an Isreali had acted in a way that allow God to call them Righteous. Because of God's ablity to foresee a persons life and decisions before they are born He is able to choose one over another to show His favor to. Take the situation of Jacob and Esau, "Ya‘akov I loved, but Esav I hated.”

This does not mean that God is unjust but He shows Mercy to those He knows will respond to His ultimate purpose and plan.

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Ch 9: verses, 17-29,

In Verse 17: "For the Tanakh says to Pharaoh, “It is for this very reason that I raised you up, so that in connection with you I might demonstrate my power, so that my name might be known throughout the world.”

Also in Verse 18: "he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants". We are not in a position to question how God decides to act because He is God. We need to trust in His judgement is true and His Mercy is unquestionable.

You may wonder Why God show His Mercy and not Judgement on these who are disobedient? His Patience is a sign of His Mercy. He is not willing any should perish, that He gives time that someone that is disobedent has time to change their way before the Judgement comes into action.

We see this act of Mercy not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles (all Non-jewish People). In truth we see God's Mercy being shown equally to all people, to the Jews because of the way they are obedient to the Torah, and to the Gentiles when they act or trust in the Torah, without knowing the Torah.

Verses 25 and 26: 'As indeed he says in Hoshea, “Those who were not my people I will call my people; her who was not loved I will call loved; and in the very place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called sons of the living God!” '

Verses 27 to 29: These verses show that if the Mercy of God did not exist then all men would have perished because mankind is enhertantly sinful. God over-looks our failures and sees our faithfulness to trust in His Promises.

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Ch 9: verses, 30-33,

Paul goes on to explain just how the gentiles can be considered to become Sons of God in the following verses.

The arguement is simply a matter of Trust or of Faith as it is used in other translations of the Bible.

The problem that the Jewish People had in not gaing access to "The Family of God", was not because they disobeyed the Torah, it was because of they trusted by their actions it was going to made so.

To put it another way they considered that by their own efforts in fulfilling the Torah, they were made Righteous. They missed the whole point of trusting that they in obedience to what the Torah, says they were made Righteous.

Instead their trust should have been that God would see in their trust and obedience as matter of depending on God alone. Not their efforts that made them Righteous.

Verse 33: Sums it all up, As the Tanakh puts it, “Look, I am laying in Tziyon a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will trip them up. But he who rests his trust on it will not be humiliated.”

The "stone that will make people stumble," was that Jesus was going to do what the Law, the Torah, could not do in that it required man's action to inact them.

The Righteousness that is of Faith or Trust, is one that sees that a person can not do what is needed because all our efforts are tained with Sin.

So all those before the Cross are trusting in the redemption that the Law would be fulfilled in the Death of Jesus and His Resurection. All we who are after are placing our trust in the redemption that came through the Death of Jesus and His Resurection.

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(CJB)* The Complete Jewish Bible" used with permission.