Romans 11:1-10 Lesson 304

Romans 11:1-10
Lesson 304

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

God has mercy on Israel.

A remnant of Jews accepts God's grace (11:5).

Grace or works (11:6).

The prophet Elijah by Otto Semler.

Who was -

Elias -
Elias (Greek for Elijah) is perhaps the most famous of Israel's prophets, for no other is mentioned as often in the New Testament. Elias came from Tishbeh in Gilead, was devoutly religious, and prepared Israel to accept God. After the breakup of Israel in 931 BC, Elias (Elijah) preached against the growing paganism and idol worship under King Ahab and his gentile wife, Jezebel. God gave Elias the power to perform miracles (2 Kings 1:9-14; 2:8), and he caused the rain to stop for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17). Elias ascended into heaven without dying in "a chariot of fire" (2 Kings 2:11). He had the high honor of standing with Moses at Jesus' side during the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-8). Over four hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Old Testament promised that Elias would return just before "the day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5-6). To learn more, see 1 Kings 17:1-20, 1 Kings 18:1-46, and 2 Kings 1-2.

Baal - The foremost pagan god of the Phoenicians. Baal's followers sacrificed infants to him and placed the remains in jars. Elias called for Israel to repent and brought these murderers to justice (I Kings 18:40).

Study Tip:

Whenever you encounter a difficult passage, scroll back and forth between the "King James Version" and the "New Living Translation" below.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Romans

The King James Bible

Romans 11:1-10
Some Jews saved

1 I 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.

2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,

3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

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.

Margin notes:

"Hath God cast away his people?" (11:1) - "Has God deserted Israel?" A rhetorical question answered in the Old Testament, "the Lord will not cast off his people" (Psalm 94:14), "forsake" them (1 Samuel 12:22; 1 Kings 6:13) or "forget" them (Isaiah 49:15).

"Wot ye not." (11:2) - "Do you remember."

"Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine alters." (11:3) - "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars." From 1 Kings 19:10. Wayward Jews killed the prophets God sent to warn and guide them.

"I have reserved to myself seven thousand men." (11:4) - God had seven thousand Jews who rejected the pagan god Baal (1 Kings 19:18).

"There is a remnant." (11:5) - A remnant is a small number of Jewish followers who will believe (Romans 9:27).

"If by grace, then is it no more of works." (11:6) - If our salvation comes from the grace of God, then our works and good deeds can not save us (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).

"What then?" (11:7) - If God did not "cast away" Israel (11:1), then what happened? Read on or refer back to 9:30-33 (lesson 302) for the answer.

"It is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear." (11:8) - Written in Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. God blinded the wicked to the truth as a punishment for their disbelief and hypocrisy.

"Let their table be made a snare..." (11:9-10) - This is from Psalm 69:22-23, meaning let their blessings (easy life) convince them that they are right with the Lord, or don't even need Him.

New Living Translation

Romans 11:1-10
God's Mercy on Israel

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said,

3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."

4 And do you remember God's reply? He said, "No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!"

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God's grace-his undeserved kindness in choosing them.

6 And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what it really is-free and undeserved.

7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have-the ones God has chosen-but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

8 As the Scriptures say,

  "God has put them into a deep sleep.
   To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see,
      and closed their ears so they do not hear."

9 Likewise, David said,

  "Let their bountiful table become a snare,
      a trap that makes them think all is well.
   Let their blessings cause them to stumble,
      and let them get what they deserve.

10 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
      and let their backs be bent forever."

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Questions:

1. What do verses 11:1-6 teach us?

2. Does God close our eyes and ears and set stumbling blocks in our way? (11:8-10)

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Verses 11:1-6 tell us that Israel was not cut off forever.

2. No, verses 10:8-10 depict the fate of non-believers. Those who reject God will lose the ability to understand His holy word (Isaiah 29:10). Jesus Himself spoke of this in Matthew 13:14-15. See also John 12:40 and Acts 28:26-27.



Application thought for the day:

If salvation came from our good deeds or by following the Mosaic Law then it would be earned and not a gift (11:6).
Thanks to God's never-ending mercy, our salvation is not earned but is a gift to those who have faith in Jesus Christ.
It is the believer's trust in the Messiah that makes them right with God.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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