Thrive Creative Journaling Devotional Bible - Flipbook - Page 29
page 1411 . . . ROMANS
“I was found by people who were not
looking for me.
I showed myself to those who were
not asking for me.”*
21But regarding Israel, God said,
“All day long I opened my arms to them,
but they were disobedient and
rebellious.”*
God’s Mercy on Israel
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.
2No, 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,
11
“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.”*
9Likewise, 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
11
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot
see,
and let their backs be bent forever.”*
11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were
disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own
people to become jealous and claim it for
themselves. 12Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned
down God’s offer of salvation, think how
much greater a blessing the world will share
when they finally accept it.
13 I am saying all this especially for you
Gentiles. God has appointed me as the
apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14for I
want somehow to make the people of Israel
jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might
save some of them. 15For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the
rest of the world, their acceptance will be
even more wonderful. It will be life for those
who were dead! 16And since Abraham and
the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire
batch of dough is holy because the portion
given as an offering is holy. For if the roots
of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.
17But some of these branches from Abra
ham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—
have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who
were branches from a wild olive tree, have
been grafted in. So now you also receive the
blessing God has promised Abraham and his
children, sharing in the rich nourishment
from the root of God’s special olive tree.
18But you must not brag about being grafted
in to replace the branches that were broken
off. You are just a branch, not the root.
19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches
were broken off to make room for me.”
20Yes, but remember—those branches were
broken off because they didn’t believe in
Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but
fear what could happen. 21For if God did not
spare the original branches, he won’t* spare
you either.
22Notice how God is both kind and severe.
He is severe toward those who disobeyed,
but kind to you if you continue to trust in
his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you
also will be cut off. 23And if the people of
10:20 Isa 65:1 (Greek version). 10:21 Isa 65:2 (Greek version). 11:3 1 Kgs 19:10, 14. 11:4 1 Kgs 19:18. 11:5 Greek for a remnant.
11:8 Isa 29:10; Deut 29:4. 11:910 Ps 69:2223 (Greek version). 11:21 Some manuscripts read perhaps he won’t.
