We have, in Rom. 11:11I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1), this question put by the apostle as to Israel: " Hath God cast away his people?" As far as chapter 8., in the epistle to the Romans, he has been detailing the history of us all as men, whether Jews or Gentiles; he has fully stated the gospel of the grace of God, namely, the reconciliation of man by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After having established this point, he begins in chapter 9., the history of the dispensations: he makes known the manner in which God has acted towards the Jews and the Gentiles; and in this chapter xi., he starts the question, " Hath God cast away his people? "
We have seen, in studying the history of the four beasts, and also that of the church, that the Jews were put aside; and that the gospel has appeared in the world to save sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles, in order to reveal the hidden mystery of a heavenly people, and that "unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known, by the church, the manifold wisdom of God.'' A Jew, who is now converted, enters into the dispensation of grace; but upon this comes the immediate inquiry, " Hath God cast away his people? "
It is not concerning His spiritual people that the question is asked, but concerning His people according to the flesh His people, the Jews. The apostle says (ver. 28),
"As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes." In this chapter 11., the gospel is not in view-namely the calling of the Jews, as a people, into grace by the gospel-although, indeed, there is a gospel election from among this people; but the question treated is that of the Jews, as God's manifested people, of Jews according to the flesh, who are enemies as to the gospel, but beloved on the principle of a national election, on account of their fathers.
Because, then, the gospel has come in, has God rejected His people? Does He count them enemies? The answer of the apostle is, " God forbid."
We Christians boast of this, that " the gifts and calling of God are without repentance; " well we may-it is a Scriptural principle: but to whom does the apostle apply it? Not to us, but to the Jews. It is always important to consider the context of every passage of the word of God, and not to force it out of the situation where God has placed it.
The present is the dispensation of the calling of a heavenly people, and, in consequence, God puts aside His earthly people, the Jews. The Jewish nation is never to enter into the church; on the contrary, " blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in;' -until all the children of God, out of them composing the body of the church in this dispensation, are called.
Israel, as a nation, will be saved. " There shall come out of Zion the deliverer." He has not cast away His people. As touching the gospel they are enemies, and they will so remain until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in: but the Deliverer will come. This is a summary of the divine purpose as regards the Jews.
From the moment it can be affirmed of the dispensation of the Gentiles, that it has not "continued in the goodness of God," we can say that, sooner or later, it will be cut off. " Toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."
The root of the olive-tree is not alone Israel under the law; far from it. It is Abraham, to whom the call of God was addressed. It was the calling of a single man, separated, elect, the depositary of the promises. The choice fell upon Abraham, and upon the family of Abraham according to the flesh. Israel has served for an example, as depositary of the promises and of the manifestation of the election of God; now it is the church which so serves.
In order to make you understand the root of the promises, which is Abraham, I will touch upon the series of dispensations which preceded.
First, at the fall of man we see him left to himself. Although not without witness, he had neither law nor government; and, as a consequence, evil was carried to the highest pitch, so that the world was full of violence and corruption; and God purified it by the deluge.
Afterward came Noah. A change took place; it was this-that the right of life and death, the right of taking vengeance, was given into the hands of men: " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." To this is added a blessing to the earth, greater or less. " This same," said Lamech, in speaking of Noah, "shall comfort us,.... because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed; " and a covenant is made by God with Noah and with the creation; a covenant in witness of which God gives the rainbow. " The Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground." (Gen. 8:21;9. 6, 12, 13.) This was the covenant given to the earth immediately after the sacrifice of Noah, the type of the sacrifice of Christ.
It may be said, in passing, that Noah fail ed in this covenant, as man always has done. Instead of drawing blessings out of the earth by tillage, he begins to cultivate the vine, and gets intoxicated. By this forgetfulness and fault of his, the proper principle of government also lost its power in its first elements. Noah, who held its reins, became the subject of the derision of one of his sons.
We see in all dispensations the immediate failure of man; but that which is lost in all of them by human folly will find its recovery at the end in Christ; whether it be blessing to the earth, prosperity to the Jews, or the glory of the church. All that has appeared and has been spoiled, under the keeping of the first Adam, will blossom again under that of the Second Adam, Bridegroom of the Church, and King of the Jews and of the whole earth.
Another still more signal failure took place after Noah's. God had made His judgments terribly felt in the deluge, and His providence was thus revealed. What did Satan do? As long as he is unbound he takes possession of the state of things here below. No sooner did God manifest Himself in His providential judgments, than Satan presented himself also as God; he made himself, as it were, God. Is it not Written, " The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God? " (1 Cor. 10:2020But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (1 Corinthians 10:20), cited from Deut. 32:16,1716They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. 17They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. (Deuteronomy 32:16‑17).) Satan made himself the god of this earth. Josh. 24:22And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. (Joshua 24:2): "Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood (or rather, river ') in old time.... and they served other gods," said the Lord to the Israelites. It is the first time that we find God marking the existence of idolatry. When it made its appearance, God calls Abraham; and thus, for the first time, appears the call of God to an outward separation from the state of things here below; because Satan having introduced himself as influencing the thoughts of man, as the one whom man was to invoke, it was necessary that the true God should have a people separated from other people, where the truth might be preserved; and consequently all the ways of God towards men turn upon this point—that here below God called Abraham and his posterity to be the depositary of this great truth, "There are none other gods but one" (see Deut. 4:3535Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him. (Deuteronomy 4:35)). Consequently, all the doings of God upon the earth have reference entirely and directly to the J ewsos the center of His earthly counsels and of His government. This is shown us in Deut. 32:88When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. (Deuteronomy 32:8). It was according to the number of the children of Israel that the bounds of the nations were set. It was with reference to Israel that He gave,them their habitations.
(Continued from Vol. xv. 236.)
('To be continued, D. V.)