Romans Series 2
5 - His Ways Are Past Finding Out!
In the Old Testament the Lord referred to Israel as an olive tree. “The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form.” (Jeremiah chapter 11 verse 16) In the New Testament it’s as if the Master of the olive tree arrives on the scene to prune and to graft His olive tree.
The good olive tree with the natural branches broken off and branches of the wild olive tree grafted in bears eloquent testimony to the goodness and severity of God The New International Version puts it this way from verse 22: “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” Any adequate doctrine of God, says the N.I.V. Study Bible, must include these two elements. When we ignore His kindness, God seems a ruthless tyrant; when we ignore his sternness, He seems a doting Father.
The Living Bible continues from verse 23: “On the other hand, if the Jews leave their unbelief behind them and come back to God, God will graft them back into the tree again. He has power to do it.” And Moffatt translates verse 24 thus: “If you have been cut from an olive which is naturally wild, and grafted, contrary to nature, upon a garden olive, how much more will the natural branches be grafted into their proper olive?” The re-ingrafting of a Hebrew branch, repenting, is still more ‘natural’ then the first ingrafting of a Gentile branch. The ‘wild’ branch (the Gentiles) is inserted into the ‘good’ stock.
Paul now shares an important ‘mystery’, that is, something formerly hidden or obscure but now revealed by God for all to know and understand. The restoration of Israel is foretold. ‘Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in’. (verse 25)
There is coming a day when the Jews, in their multitudes, will return to embrace their rejected Christ. “All Israel will be saved” (verse 26). That means Israel at the particular time of their receiving again by God, when the full number of the Gentiles has come in, ‘if they abide not still in unbelief,’
There lies, hidden in the future, a critical period of overwhelming blessing for Israel. An awakening of Israel and salvation on a national scale, a spiritual miracle of unprecedented proportions.
Paraphrased verse 28 runs like this: “From your point of view as you hear and embrace the good news of the Message, it looks like the Jews are God’s enemies. But looked at from the long-range perspective of God’s overall purpose, they remain God’s oldest friends.”
Verse 29 states a great truth: “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” The called nation is forever the unalterable object of His eternal affection. Where the eternal love has, without merit, settled upon a person, there – by spiritual law – it abides forever. God is sovereign, in full control.
On a wild night, a little child looked up into her father’s face, as the rain lashed the windows and the tempest howled. She said, “God must have lost grip of His winds tonight.” Not so. God is still on the throne. Nothing moves with aimless feet, not even the most heart-breaking event is outside the purpose of God.
Romans chapter 11 verses 30 - 32 read this way in “The Living Bible”: ‘Once you were rebels against God, but when the Jews refused His gifts God was merciful to you instead. And now the Jews are the rebels, but some day they, too, will share in God’s mercy upon you. For God has given them all up to sin, so that He could have mercy upon all alike.”
Bishop Tom Wright explains it this way. “What has happened to ethnic Israel in the purposes of God is nothing short of an acting out of what happened to the Messiah. He was brought low so that the world might be lifted up. He was cast away for the reconciliation of the world, and brought back to life so that all might live through Him.”
At the end of chapter 11 Paul moves from theology to doxology. He realises he’s out of his depth as he is moved to adore such a mighty God. If you’ve ever said, ‘I don’t know what God’s doing in my life’ you’re in good company. “His ways are past finding out.” Paul stands in awe of God’s depths which can not be fathomed, judgements which can not be searched, ways which can not be found out, a mind which can not be known and counsel which can not be assisted. These are mysteries too bright for our vision. God’s decisions are beyond the mind of man to trace.
If a man can say that all things come from God, that all things have their being through Him, and that all things end in Him, what more is left to say? Only as we read the last two chapters of the Bible, do we see the beginning of the real plan. Up to then all has been preparation for the new earth, the new heaven and the new Jerusalem.
What a wonderful God we have! What deep, deep wisdom. It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. To Him be the glory for ever, amen!