Romans 9:4-5 - Overview- 8 blessings from Israel

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

March 5, 2012


 * ROMANS 9:4-5 - OVERVIEW - 8 BLESSINGS OF ISRAEL*


 *INTRODUCTION: *Because Gentiles have been grafted into the Jewish Roots,
we now share with them these 8 blessings. In Christ there is neither Jew
nor Greek. In Christ we are together “One New Man.” In Christ we are both
parts of His Spiritual Body. This is the Mystery of the Gospel which it was
given to Paul to share with the Church. As Apostle to the Gentiles, himself
a Jew from the Sanhedrin - he held a position altogether unique. 14 of the
epistles of the NT were authored by him, over ½ the books of the NT. Almost
all of these 14 letters were primarily addressed to Gentiles. Hebrews was
uniquely directed towards his fellow Jewish believers. It is important for
Gentiles to understand that Romans 11 lays out for us our Gospel debt to
Jews. Nations who understand and honor this are blessed. The opposite is
true. *This* is perhaps the chief of the Gospel *Mysteries* given to Paul,
and has yet to find full fulfillment. Note also how these 8 blessings tend
to overlap.


 *1. ADOPTION - huio-theSIa - Strong #5206 - 5x in NT appearance. It comes
from 2 Greek words: *huiOS - meaning son - 382x - and TIth*e*-mi meaning a
placing. By all means look up this Strong's reference, as it contains rich
material. It is *not* a Western concept. See “Our Father Abraham” by Dr.
Marvin R. Wilson under his chapter of “Block Thinking.” It is just the
opposite to Greek Hellenistic Lineal thinking. The Bible is an Eastern
book, and its teaching, especially the Parables, center on this concept.
Every Jewish boy had to be adopted by his own father when he came to
maturity, and then he became a partner with his father. It then would
become “Isaac and Son,” as it were. Our Western concept of “adoption” is
foreign to the Bible. Perhaps “Sanctification” as pertaining to full
discipleship, is parallel to Biblical Adoption for Gentiles. Suffice it to
say - This great blessing to Israel is now shared with us Gentiles in the
“One New Man”, the Church, the Body of Christ.


 *2. GLORY - DOxa - Strong #1391 - 168x.*

This is one of the most difficult concepts for Gentiles to grasp as it
relates to God. Howbeit - if one goes to the “net” on the “Shekinah glory”,
as called by the Jews - there are *innumerable* references, but hardly in
line with the original Hebrew meaning. Moses prayed to God, *“Show me Your
glory,” *

Exodus 33:18,* *which God did in a 13-fold manner, equating His Glory with
the revelation of His Name - Exodus 34:6-7 (34:1-9) *“And Jehovah passed by
before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth; **7** keeping
lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin;
and that will by no means clear **the guilty**, visiting the iniquity of
the father's upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth
generation.” *This is *the revelation of God's nature in the thirteen
attributes.*. “God's ways” are not proclaimed unto Moses in the thirteen
characteristic qualities of the Divine Nature. The Rabbis held that there
are thirteen distinct attributes in these two verses; though there are
differences as to their precise enumerations.

*1 & 2. the LORD, the LORD. *Heb. *Ye-h**o**VAH, Ye-h**o**VAH. *Ye-h*o*VAH
denotes God in His attributes of mercy: and the repetition is explained in
the Talmud as meaning, 'I am the merciful God before a man commits a sin,
and I am the same merciful and forgiving God after a man has sinned.
Whatever change has to be wrought, must be in the heart of the sinner; not
in the nature of the Deity. He is the same after a man has sinned, as He
was before a man has sinned.”

*3. God. *Heb. *el. *The all-mighty Lord of the Universe, Ruler of Nature
and mankind.

*4. merciful. *Heb. *raCHUM; *full of affectionate sympathy for the
sufferings and miseries of human frailty.

*5. and gracious. *Heb. *ve-chanNUN*; assisting and helping; consoling the
afflicted and raising up the oppressed. In man these two qualities manifest
themselves fitfully and temporarily; It is otherwise with God; in Him,
compassion and grace are permanent, inherent and necessary emanations of
His nature. Hence, He alone can be spoken of as *raCHUN ve-chanNUN *
(Mendelssohn).

*6. long-suffering. *Or, 'slow to anger.' Heb. *Erech apPAYim; *not
hastening to punish the sinner, but affording him opportunities to retrace
his evil courses.

*7. abundant in goodness. *Or, plenteous in mercy. Heb. *rav CHEsed; *granting
His gifts and blessings beyond the desserts of man. This is the “fulcrum”
or middle-point of these 13 attributes.

*8. and truth. *Heb. *ve-eMET*; eternally true to Himself, pursuing His
inscrutable plans for the salvation of mankind, and rewarding those who are
obedient to His will. Note that “CHEsed”, lovingkindness, precedes “eMET”
truth, both here and generally throughout Scripture; as if to say, “Speak
the truth by all means; but be quite sure that you speak the truth in love.”

*9. keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation. *Heb. *n**o**TZER CHEsed
LAe-la-fim;* Remembering the good deeds of the ancestors to the thousandth
generation, and reserving reward and recompense to the remotest descendants.

*10. forgiving iniquity. *Heb. *n**o**SEH aV**O*N; bearing with indulgence
the failings of man, and by forgiveness restoring him to the original
purity of his soul. The Heb. for “iniquity” is aV*O*N; sins committed from
evil disposition. *YEtzer haRAH - *is a Hebrew term of this difficult human
disposition.

*11. transgression. *Heb. *PEsha; *evil deeds springing from malice and
rebellion against the Divine.

*12. sin. *Heb. *chat-taAH;* shortcomings due to heedlessness and error.

*13. will by no means clear the guilty. *i.e. He will not allow the guilty
to pass unpunished. Heb. *ve-nakKEY lo ye-nakKEY. *The Rabbis explain:
*ve-nakKEY
*acquitting - the penitent; *lo ye-nakKEY*, but not acquitting - the
impenitent. He is merciful and gracious and forgiving; but He will never
obliterate the eternal and unbridgeable distinction between light and
darkness, between good and evil. God cannot leave repeated wickedness and
obstinate persistence in evil entirely unpunished. His goodness cannot
destroy His justice. The sinner must suffer the consequences of his
misdeeds. The unfailing and impartial consequences of sin help man to
perceive that there is no 'chance' in morals. The punishments of sin are
thus not vindictive, but remedial.

 *visiting ... upon the children.* See Ex. 20:5. This law relates only to
the consequences of sin. Pardon is not the remission of the *penalty*, but
the forgiveness of the guilt and the removal of the sinfulness. The
misdeeds of those who are God's enemies are visited only to the third and
fourth generation, whereas His mercy to those who love Him is unto a
thousand generations.

 (The above notes are largely taken from “The Pentateuch and Haftorahs”
edited by J. H. Hertz, Second Edition, 1971.)


 *3. COVENANTS - di-aTHEke - Strong's #1242, 33x.*

See Genesis 12, 15, 17. Here we see the progression for the key Old
Testament Covenant that God made with Abraham. In chapter 12 He issues His
call, and the three-fold separation He required of Abraham. In Chapter 15
by laying out the unusual sacrifice, and at sundown having a furnace and a
torch pass between the divided pieces, He here assures Abram (whose name is
not changed until the true covenant in chapter 17) that his servant Eliezer
will not be his heir, but that from Sarai he will have a true heir. Also,
Abram was almost asleep when God in Icon form as Father and Son walked
through the pieces, not Abram, signifying that this was an unconditional
promise that did not depend upon Abram at all. It isn't till we reach
Genesis 17 that the Real Covenant is reached - all up to this point is
preliminary. The circumcision of Abram and all the males of his family is
key that validated the covenant. The change of name from Abram to Abraham
and Sarai to Sarah, is most significant. Here God added to their names the
letter “cheth”, which is associated with “life.” When we say Yeshua Chai -
Jesus Lives - we are emphasizing this point. It was following the change of
names by “Life” being inserted, that the bodies of now Abraham and Sarah,
became rejuvenated, and in 9 months Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 and
Sarah 91. Not only was this a double miracle, but a triple one, for God
revealed the sex of Isaac prior to his birth, and he was one of eight named
before his birth.

The New Covenant of New Testament, is the Old fulfilled through the birth
of Jesus. This Covenant is vastly superior to the Abrahamic, for Jesus
inaugurates the Church, the One New Man, His Spiritual Body - and through
the now Indwelling Holy Spirit, all promises of the Old Covenant are not
viable, and open to Gentiles as well as Jews. Vastly different!


 *4. GIVING OF THE LAW - no-mo-theSIa - Strong #3548, 1x. The Torah here
really means “Teaching.”*

*This* is a temporary tiding over through types and shadows - until “Grace
and Truth” came through the New Covenant in Jesus Christ - to replace the
Law of Moses. And yet - all of the moral law under Old Testament Torah is
now viable through the Holy Spirit. See Jeremiah 31:31-33 (31:31-34) -
*“Behold,
the days come, says Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although
I was a husband unto them, says Jehovah. 33 But this is the covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Jehovah: I will
put my law (TOrah, Teaching) in their inward parts, and in their heart will
I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” *What
Israel could *not* do in keeping the Old Covenant T*O*rah, Teaching,
because the Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father was not given until
Jesus provided the “Finished Work” of His Atonement - now under the New
Covenant, Jew *and Gentile* can keep the Torah because of the indwelling
Spirit. At this point, it is most important to note Hebrews 8:6 - *“But now
has he (Jesus) obtained a ministry the more superior; by so much as he is
also mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted (ne-no-moTHEte-tai)
upon better promises.” *Dr. David Stern in his “Complete Jewish Bible”
translates this word “enacted” this way - “God has *constituted as
Torahthe New Covenant based upon these better
promises.” *This means that in God's sight, “The New Covenant” is on the
same level as the entire Old Testament or Covenant. Messianic Jews accept
this. One day Orthodox Jews will also! The word “ne-no-moTHEt*e*-tai”
appears only this once in the NT. We should unite in prayer that all
believers and all Jews will have their eyes opened to see and discern the
importance of this concept from God's viewpoint.


 *5. WORSHIP - laTREIa - Strong #2999, 5x.*

The tribe of Levi led in this, and is largely laid out in the book of
Leviticus, and the Tabernacle Worship as set forth by Moses. Under David
and Samuel, Levi again in the Temple built by Solomon, led in this. The
book of Psalms, mostly by David, but half by Asaph and other Levites,
provided the basis for this wonderful worship. But after Pentecost, an
entirely new type of worship arose. We now offer sacrifices to God by the
fruit of our lips offering vocal praise and worship, and presenting our
bodies as living sacrifices, whether Jew or Gentile. See Romans 12:1-2 for
this picture. *“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of :God, *
*to present your :bodies a living sacrifice;** (a whole burnt offering or
holocaust) holy, well-pleasing to God, your **spiritual service**.
**2**And be not fashioned according to this age: but be transformed by
the
renewing of the mind, that you may prove what **is** the good and
well-pleasing and perfect will of :God.” *“Rees Howells, Intercessor” by
Norman P. Grubb, shows what it is like to be *possessed* by the Holy
Spirit, and prepared by God for true laTREIa or worship. Again, Gentiles
now are grafted into their Jewish Roots, and can equally share with them in
this high privilege.


 *6. PROMISES - e-pag-geLIa - Strong #1860, 53x.*

This is closely connected with Covenant, which is the basis. The
*great*Promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit, all based on
Messiah's Atonement.
See Acts 1:4 (1:1-5), *“And, being assembled with **them**, he charged them
not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait **for the promise of the Father**,
which you have heard from me.”*

Yet - take *all* the Promises of the New Testament, and apply them. Don't
settle for a “break-through” - go on to *possess* the land! *Now!*


 *7. THE FATHERS - paTEres - Strong #3962, 419x*

Gentiles can now do research on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and even Joseph.
We are now grafted in with Jews into the blessing that is inherent here.
Look at the 12 tribes of Israel that come from Jacob. Here too Gentiles can
glean areas of their inheritance. So though the patriarchs at the time were
*special* for Israel, all that is involved here, is under the New Covenant,
for the One New Man. Look up Embryonic Truths on our Website, and find 12
Restored Truths linked with the 12 Tribes of Israel, rich with insight and
blessing for you and me.


 *8. CHRIST - MESSIAH - ChrisTOS - Strong #5547, 569x.*

According to the flesh (SARka), Jesus as the Son of Man is our Messiah. He
was born *to die* - for both Jew and Gentile. *This** *is the *Mystery* of
the Gospel that God reserved for the Apostle Paul to reveal to the Church
through his many epistles. As a Jew with rabbinical background, yet he was
the *Apostle to the Gentiles* by the will of God. Jesus as God in the flesh
is a hateful concept to Satan, for it spells his eventual and certain doom
Christ comes from CHRI*o*, Anointed, Strong #5548, 5x. MaSHIach - Anointed
One - *Above* His fellows, is the Hebrew word. The *Fullness* of the
Godhead bodily indwelt Jesus. His earthly life as Son of Man started in
Nazareth and Bethlehem, but His eternal life was evermore with the Father -
Before Abraham was, Jesus said, *“I AM”*. Jesus left His eternal
relationship to take on identification with us, and as Son of Man,
fulfilled Old Testament Scriptures and brought Redemption to the human
race, and reconciliation for us with God. In Gethsemane as Son of Man - He
questioned the cup of Calvary passing from Him - but immediately repudiated
the thought as impossible, for for that very reason He became man and
entered into this world.


 *CONCLUSION: Romans 9-11 should be mastered by every Gentile. Chapter 11
is often a portion of ignorance for much of the church, but ought not to
be. These 8 words of Romans 9 above are so rich for Jews, but equally rich
for us Gentiles. Let us master and walk in these truths with increasing
understanding and application. I have been working on this, plus 13 other
natural NT outlines since 1967. I keep updating them from time to time. Now
I want to personally meditate over these 8 points for both Jews and
Gentiles in the “One New Man”. Join with me if this appeals to you. Today,
March 5, 2012, makes me 88 years and 8 months. It is time I get back into
this. I see the Tribe of Reuben as a link with our Jewish Roots, and a link
with Romans 9-11, and these 8 points. J.A.Watt *



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