Two Are Better Than One

(From: ROMANS #15 - 11:13-36)

E. 11:13-36 GOD’S FUTURE PLAN FOR ISRAEL: A WARNING TO GENTILES

1. 11:13-16 THE GREATER BLESSINGS OF ISRAEL’S ACCEPTANCE

a. 11:13a But I speak to you, the nations. HuMIN de LEgo, tois ETHne-sin.

b. 11:13b-14 PAUL: USES HIS POSITION TO PROVOKE ISRAEL

eph’ HOson men OUN ei-mi eGOethNON aPOSto-los, ten di-a-koNIan [1248] mou doXAzo[1392];

Inasmuch then as I am apostle of nations, I glorify my :ministry;

ei pos pa-ra-zeLOso[3863] mou ten SARka, kai SOso[4982] tiNAS ex auTON.

14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my :flesh, and save some of them.

c. 11:15 CONTRAST BETWEEN ISRAEL’S REJECTION AND COMING ACCEPTANCE

ei gar hea-po-boLE[580] auTON ka-tal-laGE[2643] KOSmou,

For if the casting away of them is a reconciling of a world,

tis hePROSlem-psis [4356] ei mezo-E[2222] ek nekRON?

What is theirreceiving but life from the dead?

d. 11:16 And if the firstfruit isholy, the lump is also; and if the root isholy, the branches arealso.

ei de hea-parCHE[536] haGIa [40], kai to PHUra-ma [5445]; kai ei he'RIza [4491] haGIa, kai hoi KLAdoi.

a. 11:17-18 GENTILES TO FACE REALITY

Ei DE ti-nes ton KLAdon ex-eKLASthe-san [1575], su de, ag-riElai-os on, e-ne-kenTRISthes [1461] en auTOIS,

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, was grafted in among them,

kai sun-koi-noNOS [4791]tes 'RIzes tes piOte-tos [4096] tes eLAIos [1636] eGEnou;

and did become partaker with themof the root of the fatness of the olive tree;

meka-ta-kauCHO[2620] ton KLAdon: ei de ka-ta-kauCHAsai,

18 glory not over the branches: but if you glory,

ou su ten 'RIzan basTAzeis [941],alLA he'RIza se.

not you bear the root, but the root you.

b. 11:19 You will say therefore, Branches were broken off, that I be grafted in.

eREIS oun, Ex-eKLASthe-san [1575] KLAdoi, HIna eGOen-ken-trisTHO[1461].

c. 11:20 Well; by their unbelief were they broken off, and you stand by the faith.

kaLOS; tea-piSTIa ex-eKLASthe-san, su de tePIstei ESte-kas [2476].

d. 11:21 GOD’S JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL: CAUSE FOR GENTILES TO WALK SOFTLY

mehu-pseLA PHROnei [5309], alLA phoBOU: ei gar ho TheOS

Be not high-minded, but fear: for if :God

ton kaTA PHUsin [5449] KLAdon ouk ePHEIsa-to [5339], ouDE sou PHEIse-tai.

spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

e. 11:22 GOD’S JUDGMENTS: DETERMINED BY OUR CHOICES

I-de oun chresTOte-ta [5544] kai a-po-toMIan [663] TheOU:

Behold then God’s goodness and severity:

ePI men tous peSONtas [4098], a-po-toMIa [663]; ePI de se,

toward them that fell, severity; but toward you,

chresTOtes TheOU, eAN e-piMEInes [1961] techresTOte-ti:ePEI kai su ek-koPEse[1581].

God’s goodness, if you continue in :goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off.

f. 11:23 ISRAEL: POTENTIAL FOR RESTORATION

ka’ KEInoi de, eAN mee-piMEIno-si tea-piSTIa,

And they also, if they continue not in theirunbelief,

en-ken-trisTHEson-tai [1461]: du-naTOS GAR es-tin ho TheOS PAlin en-kenTRIsai auTOUS.

shall be grafted in: for :God is able to graft them in again.

g. 11:24 GRAFTING BACK NATURAL BRANCHES: EASIER THAN THE WILD

ei gar su ek tes kaTA PHUsin [5449] ex-eKOpes ag-ri-eLAIou [65],

For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive :tree,

kai paRA PHUsin e-ne-kenTRISthes eis kal-liElai-on;

and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree;

POsoMALlon HOUtoi, hoi kaTA phuSIN, en-ken-trisTHEson-tai teiDIa eLAIa [1636]?

how much rather shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into theirown olive tree?

3. 11:25-36 RESTORATION FOR ISRAEL: WHEN CHURCH COMPLETED

a. 11:25-27 ISRAEL HARDENED: UNTIL THE TIMES OF NATIONS FULFILLED

Ou gar THElohuMAS ag-noEIN, a-delPHOI, to musTEri-on [3466] TOUto,

For I would not, brothers, have you ignorant of this :mystery,

HIna meEte en he-auTOIS PHROni-moi [5429], HOti POro-sis [4457] aPO MErous toIs-raEL GEgo-nen,

lest you be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part has befallen :Israel,

ACHri hou to PLEro-ma [4138] ton ethNON eiSELthe;

till what timethe fulness of the nations be come in;

kai HOUtos pas Is-raEL soTHEse-tai: kaTHOS GEgrap-tai,

26 and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written,

HExei ek Si-ON ho 'ruOme-nos; a-poSTREpsei [654] a-seBEIas [763] aPO IaKOB:

The Deliverer shall come out of Zion; He shall turn away ungodlinesses from Jacob:

kai HAUteauTOIS hepar’ eMOU di-aTHEke[1242], HOtan aPHElo-mai [851] tas ha-marTIas [266] auTON.

27 And this is the covenant unto them from me, When I shall take away their :sins.

b. 11:28 ISRAEL: A BELOVED ENEMY

kaTA men to eu-agGEli-on [2098], echTHROI [2190] di’ huMAS:

As to the gospel, they are enemies for yoursake:

kaTA de ten ek-loGEN [1589], a-ga-peTOI diA tous paTEras.

but as to the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.

c. 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of :God are not repented of.

a-me-taMEle-ta [278] gar ta chaRISma-ta kai heKLEsis [2921] tou TheOU.

d. 11:30-31 GOD’S DECREE: TO WORK MERCY TO ISRAEL THROUGH THE CHURCH

HOSper gar huMEIS poTE e-peiTHEsa-te [544] toTheO,

Just as YOU in thepast were disobedient to :God,

nun de e-leEthe-te [1653] teTOUton a-peiTHIa [543],

but now have obtained mercy by the disobedience of these,

HOUtos kai HOUtoi nun ePEIthe-san [544],

31 thus have these also now been disobedient,

tohu-meTEroeLEei HIna kai auTOI nun e-le-eTHOsin.

that by the mercy shownto you they also may now obtain mercy.

e. 11:32 For :God has shut up :all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon :all.

suNEklei-sen [4788] gar ho TheOS tous PANtas eis aPEIthi-an [543], HIna tous PANtas e-leEse[1653].

f. 11:33 THE WISDOM OF GOD: DESIGNED THE WAY OF GRACE

OBAthos [899] PLOUtou [4149] kai soPHIas [4678] kai GNOse-os [1108] TheOU!

O thedepth of riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

Hos a-ne-xeRAUneta [419] ta KRIma-ta auTOU, kai a-ne-xichNIas-toi [421] hai hoDOI auTOU!

How unsearchable his :judgments, and untraceable his :ways!

g. 11:34-35 GOD’S WISDOM: EXCEEDS THE COUNSEL OF MEN

Tis gar EGnonoun [3563] KuRIou? etis SUMbou-los [4825] auTOU eGEne-to?

For who has known theLord’s mind? or who has been his counsellor?

etis proEdo-ken [4272] auTO, kai an-ta-po-doTHEse-tai [467] auTO?

35Or who has first given tohim, and it shall be recompensed him again?

h. 11:36a For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all the things.

HOti ex auTOU, kai di’ auTOU, kai eis auTON, ta PANta.

i. 11:36b/c To him the glory unto the ages. Amen.

auTOheDOxa [1391] eis tous aiOnas [164]. aMEN.

NOTE: No other portion of Scripture so clearly lays out the relationship between Israel and the church. No where else in the Bible does the Holy Spirit guide a writer to lay out God’s mind on His elective purposes for bringing salvation to the world.

Is Israel better than other nations? No. God told Moses that His people were perhaps more stubborn and stiff-necked than other nations. But His purposes demanded a nation to work out salvation strategy for the world – and He loved Israel, and chose Abraham as the father of this nation, along with Isaac and Jacob.

Is there a danger for non-Jewish nations to misunderstand this whole strategy of God, and falsely arrogate to themselves a wrong conclusion? Absolutely!

This whole picture of grafting with true and wild olive branches into a good tree bears careful scrutiny and meditation. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, while himself a Jew. Jesus is a Jew after His human descent – yet at the same time is the only-begotten Son of God.

God is granting Him a bride – a One New Man – made up of Jew and Gentile. We will look back in the Millennium in our glorified bodies, and fully understand the marvelous wisdom of God set forth in these three chapters. Perhaps for neither Jew nor Gentile will we fully understand this wisdom ahead of time.

The Deliverer – Jesus – Yeshua – shall come forth from Zion. All of this is “heady” revelation, and will require much breaking of human tradition for allsides to understand.

Look on our Website www.2rbetter.orgunder “Embryonics” and click on “Reuben.” Here is a little insight why the Church needs to understand her Jewish Roots, and the Judeo-Christian Ethic! Daniel Juster points out why the Messianic Jewish Movement needs to be grafted into the roots of her spiritual daughter the Church!

Answers are not easy to come by in all of this. But – let us persevere – hunger and thirst after God and His Truth, and the Holy Spirit will graciously open up to us the depths and riches of His wisdom, grace and love. J.A.W.