Chapter 11 Part 2
The fig tree, for which turn to Hosea 9:10; Matthew 21:19, 20; Mark 11:13, 14, 20, 21; Luke 13:6-9, represents the people of Israel as a nation, cultivated by God, but in vain as far as any fruit for Him was concerned. The fig tree’s fruit appears before its leaves come out; Christ, in the Scriptures referred to, came to the fig tree, which under its foliage should have had a full yield of fruit developing for the coming harvest, but not a fig was there. Abounding in the appearance of life before men, (but it was only outward profession), Israel had no fruit for God, and was now rejected.
The olive tree, for which see Psalms 52:8; Jeremiah 11:16; Hosea 14 (particularly verse 6) and our chapter in Romans, refers to the promises made by God to Abraham (Gen. 12:2, 3; 13:14-17; 15:5, 18-21; 17:1-7), and treasured by his descendants, the natural trunk or branches of which Abraham was the root. But the Jews rejected Christ, and were in consequence set aside; the Gentiles on the principle of faith were grafted into the tree of promise in the place of the broken off natural branches. And how have the Gentiles treated the singular blessing of God which has accompanied the spreading of the gospel? Has their course been better than that of Israel, when they enjoyed God’s favor? Surely not; and the end of it will be reached when the natural or Jewish branches are restored to their own olive tree of promise, and the Gentile or wild olive branches are cut off under the government of God. Christendom is on trial now, as Israel was of old, and it will issue in the apostasy, foretold in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. This event will be shortly followed by the reception of the Jews, and the lost ten tribes—the new Israel, born again.
Now in all this that we have been considering, the subject of the believer’s eternal security has not once been touched upon. The theme all the way through is the responsibility of man to God. Thinking little, if at all, of that responsibility, the Gentiles in large numbers look down upon the Jews, and they are hated and persecuted, but the day is coming when the tables will be turned, and the Jews will have the first place in the world, as of old. Blindness, or hardness, in part, is happened to Israel, until the fullness, or full complement, of the Gentiles—all the Gentiles whom God purposed to have part in the blessing—will have come in (verse 25); and so all Israel shall be saved. This is part of the determined purpose of God which the will, and the works of man cannot alter.
You will notice that the expression, “all Israel” in the 26th verse is in contrast with God’s present saving of a few Jews among many Gentiles who are saved. In the coming day, Israel as a nation will turn to God and be saved. This has never been the case heretofore, but when His judgments have been executed in the earth at the beginning of Christ’s Millennial kingdom, there will be no unsaved ones left among the children of Israel. Among many passages which tell of God’s dealings with Israel in a day now surely very near, we need name only two, Zechariah 13:8, 9, relating to the two tribes known as the Jews, and Ezekiel 20:33-44, which speaks of the now lost ten tribes. When the unrepentant have been purged out of the two tribes, and out of the ten tribes, all Israel, reunited in the land of their forefathers, will be saved.
In verses 26, 27 the quotation is purposely not an exact one; chiefly taken from Isaiah 59:20; it expresses the substance of what several Old Testament passages tell, of a deliverance, or rather a Deliverer, to come for Israel. This is the third ground of assurance that Israel has not been finally rejected. Bitterly opposed to the gospel, as we may readily see in the Acts, they became open enemies of the believers, but, because of God’s purpose to bless a chosen (elect) remnant of them, the Jews are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. The gifts and the calling of God are not subject to repentance; that is, He does not repent of His purposes. On this faith rests.
A rather more exact, and more readily understood translation of verses 30, 31 and 32 follows:
“For as indeed ye also once have not believed in God, but now have been objects of mercy through the unbelief of these; so these also have now not believed in your mercy, in order that they also may be objects of mercy. For God hath shut up together all in unbelief, in order that He might show mercy to all” (N.T.)
God had acted in grace toward the unbelieving Gentiles; the Jews had no taste for this, and the consequence was that they lost all right to the promises made to Abraham. For them, therefore, the effect of the promise could only be known through God’s mercy, the same for them as for the Gentiles.
Now the consideration of all these marvelous ways of God leads out the apostle’s heart (verses 33-36),
“O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
You and I, dear young Christian, do we not enter in heart into this outburst of praise?
“For of Him and through Him, and for Him, are all things; to Him be glory forever. Amen.”
(To be continued, D.V.)