Chapter # 11 Paragraph # 1 Study # 5
November 25, 2018
Humble, Texas
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1769 Translation:
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
1901 ASV Translation:
7 What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:
8 according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, And bow thou down their back always.
- I. What then?
- A. This is a "regular" with Paul in Romans (being used in one form or another in 12 texts in Romans).
- B. At issue: what conclusion should we draw from this reality?
- 1. The "reality": grace excludes "works". "Works" forces the application of "Justice". "Justice" is "Death-on-wheels" to anyone and everyone who has ever done anything that was less than morally approvable. The "nobody is perfect" mantra of those seeking to gain a "less than what is actually due" result is proof beyond measure that, if "Justice" is applied to anyone, it will bring unmitigated disaster upon the person to whom it is applied.
- 2. The "conclusion" is called for in light of the entire context of "God being God with a Plan". But, this "God" is far more interested in applying "mercy" than exacting "justice".
- II. Regarding "Israel".
- A. Israel's status: "hyper-seeking".
- 1. The verb is an intensified form of a word that signals a certain level of effort in "seeking to obtain/attain". As an intensified form, it signals an elevated level of effort.
- a. As "hyper-seeking", the underlying, intentional goal is elevated to a kind of "absolute", non-negotiable.
- b. If selfish "self-exaltation" is "non-negotiable", the line of demarcation between depravity that can be reversed and depravity that has settled into implacable rebellion has been crossed and there is nothing that can/will reverse it.
- 2. The verb indicates that "Israel" is in "effort mode", i.e., "works".
- a. Paul specifically charged "Israel" with this grave fault in 9:32 by saying their methodology was "by the works of Law".
- b. The primary "thought" that needs to be kept in mind at all times is this: men are so defiantly committed to "being given credit for the 'good' that comes to them" that they adamantly reject God's "by faith" methodology. Paul pointedly declared in this larger context that there was a nefarious motive behind this defiance and rejection.
- 3. This underlying objective of Israel's extreme effort is identified already in Romans 10:3. The verb in this text, where "what is Israel seeking?" is answered with "to establish his own righteousness" (which is an intermediate goal, the bottom line of which is narcissistic self-exaltation) is the less intensive form of the same verb in our current text.
- B. Israel's frustration: "he did not obtain".
- 1. Not only did he "not obtain" his goal in the eyes of the "Just" God, he set himself up for one of the worst events in Jewish history: the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem by a Rome which was not "impressed" with the "self-righteousness" of "Israel".
- 2. But, the larger goal of being "accepted by God" on the basis of "works" was not only frustrated, it was squashed like a worm caught between an asphalt roller and a concrete underlayer. Mankind has never seen even a hint of the reality of the magnitude of Yahweh's infinite hostility to self-righteous sinners who go around saying "nobody is perfect" and then immediately prove their thesis by their sins.
- 3. The Israel of the first century is the "poster child" of the "I am the greatest example of human morality ever seen" club, and his abject failure stands as a profound warning against all who would join that club.
- C. Point: "works" have been "dismissed" by "grace" so that "works" carry no weight in the quest for favor from God.
- III. Regarding "The Elect".
- A. These are they who, according to a prior "What then?" found in 9:30, were not "following after" (the word is "pursuing"), but "eagerly possessed", "righteousness. The point is that they were not involved at all in any effort (works) whatsoever, but obtained the prize nonetheless.
- B. This "group", who individually share one characteristic (they are chosen by God), "obtained" an incalculably valuable prize (the status of being "acceptable" to God).
- IV. Regarding "The Rest".
- A. They, not being "The Elect", are all who are outside of "Grace", whether Jew or Gentile. By being "outside" of Grace, they are inescapably "inside" of the wrath-producing Justice of God as it relates to the "nobody is perfect" crowd.
- B. They "were hardened" (Aorist Passive Indicative), not "blinded".
- 1. At issue: the impenetrability of an entity by reason of a "hardened shell".
- 2. As a "passive" verb, it indicates that action was taken against them by another. That this "action" that was taken led them another step closer to condemnation means that, in the case of these "rest", God is dealing with them "according to works" and not "grace". In other words, He is responding to them "as they insist and deserve" by reason of their attitudes and actions.
- V. Regarding the "Just as it stands written..." of 11:8.
- A. This is not a "hidden" thing (it stands written).
- B. This is not a "new" thing (that writing was contained in the Old Testament).
- C. This is not an "unjust" thing (note carefully Romans 3:5-6 and 9:14).
- D. This is a thing that "stands written" and "will be enforced".