September 30

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD / PART 7

THE SOVEREIGN BLINDING OF ISRAEL

-Romans 11:25-32 ( Today’s English Version ) states, … There is a secret truth, my friends, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God. And this is how all Israel will be saved. As the scripture says, "The Savior will come from Zion and remove all wickedness from the descendants of Jacob. I will make this covenant with them when I take away their sins." Because they reject the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies for the sake of you Gentiles. But because of God's choice, they are His friends because of their ancestors. For God does not change His mind about whom He chooses and blesses. As for you Gentiles, you disobeyed God in the past; but now you have received God's mercy because the Jews were disobedient. In the same way, because of the mercy that you have received, the Jews now disobey God, in order that they also may now receive God's mercy. For God has made all people prisoners of disobedience, so that He might show mercy to them ALL …

-If we are not able to get excited about a passage of scripture such as this, then there is not much that will excite us. This passage is referring to the sovereign act of God, in which He initially blinded the Gentiles and showed mercy to the Jews, and then blinded the Jews to show mercy to the Gentiles. It states that, … GOD MADE ALL PEOPLE PRISONERS OF DISOBEDIENCE, SO THAT HE MIGHT SHOW MERCY TO THEM ALL. This sovereign act is to be seen as the wisdom and knowledge of God. It will result in the RECONCILING OF THE WORLD!

-Romans 11:11,12 states, … 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 fullness? … ( Read also Romans 11:15. )

-We must see that God is responsible for this sovereign act. It is God that gives the spirit of slumber, eyes that can not see, and ears that they should not hear ( Romans 11:8 ) … God is using this sovereign act to reconcile ALL THINGS AND ALL PEOPLE UNTO HIMSELF.

-HE WILL SHOW MERCY TO ALL!-