For this evening, I’ve decided to look at a larger chunk of this chapter than has been our general practice. I may return next week to look at a specific point or two, but then again I may not. I’m calling this message – “The Fall of Israel.”
After I made that choice for my title, I began thinking about those words alone. Here is the Fall of Israel and there is the Fall of Man. The doctrine of the Fall of Man is an extremely important point of theology, which we need to get correct. When that doctrine is understood properly, the Biblical teaching of salvation becomes much clearer. If in the Fall of Man, the spiritual nature of man died, then it requires the regeneration of man before he can repent and put his faith in Christ. That is what I believe the Bible to teach. The doctrine of the Fall is important.
Again, as I thought about the title to tonight’s message, I realized that there is some parallel between the Fall of Man and the Fall of Israel. Obviously, sin was the cause of both. The immediate results were catastrophic to the sinners involved. But eventually, through the grace of God, the blessings far outweigh the catastrophe, at least in the case of the Lord’s chosen people. But that is for another message, I suppose, and it will require quite a bit more thought and development.
Tonight, I plan to use some alliteration and my rhyming dictionary to make a quick summary of this scripture.
But just because Israel was chosen to be God’s special nation, that didn’t mean that every Israelite was chosen and reserved become one of God’s saints. At times in her history, there were more true servants of the Lord than at other times. I believe that throughout her history, there was always at least a small remnant of saints, but during some periods there were only a few thousand out of several million population. While only a handful faithfully worshiped the Lord according to the pattern of His Word, the rest of the people worshiped in groves at the tops of the hills or bowed before blatant idols. Finally, the Lord had enough and completely withdrew His hand of blessing from Israel. While still saving a few individuals like Paul and Silas, Barnabas and Peter, the nation was cast aside.
But Paul wants us all, both Jews and Greeks, to remember that God’s covenant is eternal. Although Israel has stumbled she has not fallen entirely. As verse 15 says, although she has been cast away, she shall be received once again, as if she was resurrected from the grave. The branches of Israel today have been torn from the olive tree, but one day soon, those branches will be grafted back in again. Verse 23 – “And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.” In fact, says the next verse, natural branches are more quickly re-grafted than foreign branches like us. Verse 26 – “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Verse 29 – “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” God has not and cannot withdraw His eternal promises. Verse 25 – “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
The fall of Israel is temporary.
Verse 15 says that the casting away of them has meant the reconciling of the world. Once again, let me point out how this thought relates to John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God’s love for the world doesn’t mean that everyone in the world shall be saved, any more than Romans 11:15 says that the Lord has reconciled the whole world unto Himself. Both verses mean that people from throughout the world are being saved and blessed.
Several scriptures teach that God has never left Himself without a witness in this world. But now that God has temporarily cast aside Israel, that witness has been made to the Gentiles. I can’t explain God’s logic, and I’m not going to try. The Lord didn’t need to ignore Israel before sharing the gospel with the rest of us, but generally speaking that is what He has chosen to do. And our response should simply be: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
I can’t tell you why the Lord chose to use you and me to provoke Israel to jealousy. But that is what Paul says the Lord has done and is still doing today. “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.” Paul has earlier made reference to Moses as teaching this same thing: “But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.” Israel should have known that God was going to do this sort of thing, because it had been prophesied. God told Israel that he would use the Gentiles to light a fire under them – an incendiary move.
But also, the temporary casting aside of Israel, shall contribute to her greater joy, when that nation shall be saved in the Day of the Lord. The receiving of them shall, be like the dead returning to life. In watching a few basketball games, it seems to me that one of the keys upon which some games turn might be called “second chance points.” Not every shot is going to go in, whether made from the outside, from the inside, or even from the free-throw line. But the team that can grab the rebound and has a second or third chance to put the ball through the hoop, will often be crowned with the glory of the win. When the Lord Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation, and Israel recognizes her Messiah and her 2,000 year period of foolishness, she shall repent and be saved. And in some ways, the glory of that moment will be greater than if she had faithfully served the Lord since the days or Moses or David. The casting aside of Israel and the saving of the Gentiles will contribute to the glory of the Lord and to the eventual joy of Israel.
The hatred of Israel, the Jew generally, or certain specific Jews, simply because they are Hebrews, is a unjust, illogical and self-condemning act. If it be argued that Jews as a race are greedy, Christ-hating, trouble-causing people, they can justly retaliate by pointing to people of our race and our country and say the same thing. If it be argued that they should be hated for killing our Saviour, I remind you that the Romans were just as guilty as they were. Besides that He was their Saviour too, and that without His death there would be no salvation for either of us.
And now, here we are – you and me – children of God, while that family of Jews, living down the street are not. Are you going to tell me that the reason that you are a Christian, is because you are a better, smarter person than Mr. Cohen, or Mrs. Rubinstein? If you are child of God, it is because God has graciously grafted you into the tree of Abraham. Period! You have nothing to boast in, especially before any other man who is has not been saved by grace. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Verse 22 – “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Think about this question for a while in your spare time: During the Great Tribulation, after the departure of the saints of God at the Translation, there will be thousands of people saved. Of what race will the two primary witnesses be? Of Israel – ancient Israel. And of what race will the 144,000 witnesses be? 12,000 of each of the twelve tribes of Israel. And the question for the night: Who will make up the greater number of other believers when the Lord returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom. I am not aware whether or not the Bible clearly says, but if I had to guess, I’d say that the majority of the Tribulation saints will be of Israel – not from among us Gentiles.
In other words, Israel will once again be grafted into the tree, and as a body of people, and barring a few individuals, the Gentiles will once again, be cut off.