Paul's sorrow for the Jews. All Abraham's seed were not the children of the promise. The calling of the Gentiles, and rejection of the Jews. The cause why so few Jews embraced the righteousness of faith.
Anno Domini 58.
THE Apostle having insinuated, chap. Romans 3:3 that God would cast off the Jews, because they refused to believe on Jesus, a Jew was there introduced replying, that their rejection would destroy the faithfulness of God. To this the Apostle answered, that the faithfulness of God would be established, rather than destroyed, by the rejection of the Jews for their unbelief; because God had expressly declared, Genesis 18:19 that Abraham's children were to keep the way of the Lord, in order to their obtaining the promised blessings; and thereby insinuated, that if they did not keep the way of the Lord, they would lose these blessings, of which their being made the visible church of God was one. This was all the answer the Apostle thought proper to make, in that part of his letter. But the objection being specious, and much insisted on by the unbelieving Jews, he introduced it a second time in this place, that he might reply to it more fully. His answer the Apostle introduced with a solemn asseveration, that he felt the bitterest grief when he considered the induration and rejection of the Jewish nation, and the many miseries that were coming on them, Romans 9:1-2.—Insomuch that he could have wished to be cut off from the visible church of Christ on earth, by excommunication and even by death, if it could have prevented these evils, Romans 9:3.—For he loved the Jews as his kinsmen, respected them as the ancient people of God, and thought highly of their privileges, which he enumerated on this occasion as just matter of glorying to them, Romans 9:4-5.—Having therefore such a love and respect for his brethren, they could not suspect that, in speaking of their rejection, he was moved either by ill-will or envy.
Having thus endeavoured to gain the good opinion of the Jews, the Apostle proceeded to give a full answer to the objection above mentioned. He told them, that the promises in the covenant would not fall to the ground, though the whole natural seed of Abraham should be cast off. For, said he, all who are descended of Israel according to the flesh, meaning the twelve tribes, these are not the whole Israel of God. There is a spiritual Israel, to whom likewise the promises belong, Romans 9:6.—To shew this, he observed, that because persons are the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, it does not follow that they are the children of Abraham, to whom the promises in their first and literal meaning were made. His children according to the flesh, who are heirs of the promises in their first meaning, were limited to Isaac, by the declaration, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, Romans 9:7.—That is, Abraham's children according to the flesh are not all of them heirs of Canaan; but only those who were given to him by promise, are counted to him for seed, Romans 9:8.—Now the promise by which they were given to Abraham for seed, was this, Lo, Sarah shall have a son, Romans 9:9.
The limitation of the natural seed to the children of promise the Apostle has mentioned, without applying it to the spiritual seed, as his argument seemed to require. The reason was, that his readers could easily make the application in the following manner: Since, in the covenant with Abraham, those only of his natural progeny are counted to him for seed, and made heirs of Canaan, who were given to him by promise, namely, Isaac and his descendants by Jacob, and since bythis limitation all his other children according to the flesh were excluded from being the children of God, and heirs of the promises in their first and literal meaning, it follows by parity of reason that none of the children of Abraham, not even his descendants by Isaac, are the children of God, and heirs of the promises, in their secondary, spiritual, and highest meaning, but those who were given to Abraham by the promise, A father of many nations I have constituted thee. These are believers of all nations and ages; as is plain from what the Apostle told the Galatians, Galatians 4:28. We, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. And because believers are counted to Abraham for seed, in respect of their faith, they are called his seed by faith, Romans 4:16. For by partaking of his dispositions, they are more really his children, than those whose only relation to him is by natural descent—Thus it appears, that Abraham's natural descendants by Isaac are not the whole of his seed, who are the heirs of the promises. He has a seed also by faith, who are far more numerous than his natural seed by Isaac. And, they being the seed principally spoken of in the covenant, if the promises are fulfilled to them, the faithfulness of God will not be destroyed, though the whole of the natural seed should be rejected for their unbelief.
These things the Jews might easily have understood. Nevertheless, privileges conferred on them by a covenant with their progenitor, and which were solemnly confirmed to them at Sinai, they persuadedthemselves could not be taken from them, and given to the Gentiles, without destroying God's veracity. But, to shew them their error, the Apostle put them in mind, that as Isaac was chosen to be the root of the people of God, in preference to Ishmael, by mere favour; so afterwards Jacob had that honour conferred on him, in preference to Esau, by a gratuitous election before Jacob and Esau were born. As therefore the Jews, Jacob's posterity, were the church of God by mere favour, God might, without any injustice to them, or violation of his covenant with Abraham, admit the Gentiles into his church at any time he pleased, Romans 9:10-13.
To enforce this argument, the Apostle observed, that in preferring Jacob the younger brother, to Esau the elder, God neither acted unjustly towards Esau, nor violated his promise to Abraham, because he might bestow his favours on whom he pleased, Romans 9:14.;—as appears from what he said to Moses, when he forgave the Israelites their sin respecting the golden calf: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, &c.: for this implies, that, as in pardoning national sins, so also in conferring national favours, God acts according to his own good pleasure, Romans 9:15.—So then, it did not depend on Isaac, who willed, to make Esau the heir of the promises, by giving him the blessing; nor onEsau, who ran to bring venison, that his father might eat and bless him; but on the good pleasure of God, who willed to confer that honour on Jacob, preferably to Esau, Romans 9:16.—He might therefore, without any injustice, admit the believing Gentiles to share with the Jews, in those privileges which he had gratuitously bestowed on the descendants of Jacob, in preference to those of E
But the Apostle, in his discourses to the Jews, had on different occasions carried this matter farther, and had declared to them that they were to be deprived of their privileges, and driven out of Canaan, for their sin in crucifying Jesus of Nazareth. To this it seems they replied, that the unbelief, and even the rebellion of their fathers, had not been so punished; and inferred that, although the present generation, in crucifying Jesus, had really disobeyed God, it was not to be thought that he would now cast off and destroy his people on that account. In answer, the Apostle told them that, in punishing nations, God exercises the same sovereignty as in conferring favours. Of the wicked nations which deserve to be punished, he chooses such as it pleases him to make examples of; and he defers punishing them, until the measure of their iniquity is full, that their punishment may be the more conspicuous. This appears from God's words to Pharaoh: I have upheld thee and thy people hitherto, that, the measure of your iniquity, as a nation, becoming full, I might shew my power and justice in punishing you the more severely, Romans 9:18.—If so, God's upholding the Jews so long was no proof that he would not at length cast them away, and drive them out of Canaan, for their sin in crucifying the Christ.—But thou wilt reply, since God hath determined to destroy the Jewish nation for its wickedness,why has he not done it ere now, and thereby put an end to his still finding fault with them, on account of their repeated rebellions, to which his sparing them so long has given occasion: for who hath resisted his will? Romans 9:19.—To this the Apostle answers, Who art thou that presumest to find fault with God's government of the world? Shall the thing formed say to him that formedit, Why hast thou made me thus? Romans 9:20.—Hath not the potter power over the clay? &c. Romans 9:21.—But, said he, not to rest my answer wholly on the sovereignty of God, what can be said against God's forbearing for so long a time to destroythe Jewish nation, if it was done to shew more fully his displeasure against the greatest national abuseof religious privileges long continued in it, and the more signally to punish the nation guilty of such an abuse, Romans 9:22.—Also, that he might take in their place believers of all nations, whom by his dispensations towards the Jews he had been preparing for that great honour? Romans 9:23-24.—Which calling of the believing Jews and Gentiles was long ago foretold by Hosea, Romans 9:25-26.—Besides, the destruction of the greatest part of the Jewish nation for crucifying the Christ is not more contrary to the covenant with Abraham, than their almost total subversion by the Assyrians and Babylonians for their repeated idolatries, Romans 9:27-29.—Thus it appears, that the believing Gentiles were called into the visible church of God, and received the great blessing of faith counted for righteousness, promised to Abraham's spiritual seed, agreeably to God's covenant with him, and to the predictions of the prophets, Romans 9:30.—But the unbelieving Jews who sought to become righteous by obeying the law of Moses, have not attained righteousness, Romans 9:31.—because they sought it not by faith, according to the tenor of the covenant with Abraham, but by works of law, and stumbled at the promised Seed as at a stumbling-stone, Romans 9:32.;—agreeably to what Isaiah had foretold concerning them, Romans 9:33.: so that they are now justly cast off.
I shall finish this illustration with two remarks. The first is, that indiscoursing of the election of the Jews to be the people of God, and of their degradation from that high honour, the Apostle has established such general principles, as afford a complete answer to all the objections which deists have raised against revelation, on account of its want of universality. They affirm, that if the ancient revelations, of whichthe Jews are said to have been the keepers, had been from God, the knowledge of them would not have been confined to an inconsiderable nation, pent up in a corner of the earth, but would have been universally spread. In like manner they assert, that if the Christian religion were from God, it would long ago have been bestowed on all mankind. To these, and every objection of the like nature, the Apostle has taught us to reply, that God has an indisputable right to bestow his favours on whom he pleases. And therefore, without unrighteousness, he maywithhold the benefit of revelation from whom he will, since he was under no obligation to bestow it on any; just as, in the distribution of his temporal favours, he bestows on some a more happy country and climate, or a better bodily constitution, or greater natural talents, or a better education, than on others. And if deists ask, Why God,in the distribution of his spiritual favours, has preferred one nation or person before another, the Apostle bids us answer, Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make out the same lump one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? The very same right which entitled God to make some of his creatures angels, and some of them men, entitled him to place men in the endlessly various situations in which we see them. Nor can those who seem to be most unkindly treated, complain of the want of revelation or of any other advantage, which God has thought fit to withhold from them; since at the last day none shall be condemned for the want of these things: and in judging men, due regard will be had to the circumstances of each; so that the sentences passed, will all be according to truth, as the Apostle has taught in the second chapter. Wherefore since men may be saved, who have not enjoyed revelation, the giving or the withholding of that benefit is to be considered, not as an appointing of men either to salvation or damnation, but merely as a placing them in more or less advantageous circumstances of trial.—To conclude, God has been pleased, in many instances, to make the reasons of his conduct incomprehensible to us, on purpose to teach us humility. At the same time, from what we know, we may believe, that however unsearchable God's judgments are, and his ways past finding out, they are full of wisdom and goodness. We ought therefore to change our doubts into adoration, and should join the Apostle in crying out, O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! chap. Romans 11:33.