Rom 11 | TNotes

11:2 ^a chose from the very beginning: Before the people of Israel could do anything to earn their status, God selected them to be his people based on his grace alone.

• Elijah the prophet: In 1 Kgs 19:1-18 ^b, the apostate King Ahab had slaughtered many of the Lord’s prophets, and Ahab’s wife Jezebel threatened Elijah with the same fate. Elijah fled to the wilderness, where he bemoaned his fate. God responded with the assurance that many faithful people remained. Paul found the present situation to be somewhat parallel. While many Jews did not believe, and some were even hostile, God was (and is) still working to preserve a believing remnant.
11:5 ^c a few of the people of Israel (literally a remnant): Paul returns to the Old Testament concept of the remnant that he used in 9:27-29 ^d. This solid core of godly Israelites represents God’s pledge of his continuing faithfulness to his promises and to his people.
Summary for Rom 11:7-8: 11:7-8 ^e the hearts of the rest were hardened: This is God’s own work; God has put them into a deep sleep and shut their eyes. See Acts 13:46-48 ^f; 18:6 ^g.
11:11 ^h so God made salvation available to the Gentiles: The offer of salvation to the Gentiles is the purpose, not just the result, of Israel’s disobedience. Paul emphasizes that God had the salvation of Gentiles in view all along, and, ultimately, the salvation of many Jews as well.

• he wanted his own people to become jealous: The theme of jealousy comes from Deut 32:21 ⁱ, which Paul quoted in Rom 10:19 ^j. The sight of Gentiles enjoying the blessings of salvation that God had promised to Israel would spur Jews to desire salvation so they could participate in those blessings as well.
Summary for Rom 11:13-14: 11:13-14 ^k you Gentiles: Paul addresses the Gentile Christians in Rome with the practical goal of rebuking them for thinking too highly of themselves (11:20 ^l), especially in relation to their Jewish brothers and sisters. He shows that their enjoyment of salvation depends entirely on God’s kindness (11:22 ^m) and that God’s final goal is to stimulate repentance among the Jews (11:23 ⁿ).

• I stress this: Paul devoted himself to the conversion of Gentiles because he knew that their salvation would ultimately lead to salvation for Jews as well.
11:15 ^o The context emphasizes God’s role in hardening many Jews (11:7-10 ^p), so the phrase their rejection likely means God’s rejection of the unbelieving Jews.

• Their acceptance then refers to God’s acceptance of Jews into his Kingdom (see also 14:3 ^q and 15:7 ^r).

• While the phrase life for those who were dead could refer to the new spiritual life that comes to the Jews as a result of their conversion to Christ (see 6:13 ^s), the language more naturally suggests the physical resurrection from the dead that occurs when Christ returns in glory (see, e.g., 1 Thes 4:13-18 ^t).
11:16 ^u the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy: This imagery comes from Num 15:17-21 ^v, where God commanded the Israelites to take part of their first batch of dough and set it aside as a gift. God’s promises to and blessings on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were like a down payment, guaranteeing the completion of God’s work among his people.
Summary for Rom 11:17-24: 11:17-24 ^w In Paul’s extended metaphor, God’s special olive tree refers to the people of God. The image is a natural one, because the olive tree is the most widely cultivated fruit tree in the Mediterranean basin, and it was already used as a symbol of Israel in the Old Testament (Jer 11:16 ^x; Hos 14:5-6 ^y). Paul refers to the Gentile Christians as branches from a wild olive tree because they were not originally included among the people of God.
11:18 ^z You are just a branch, not the root: By the time Paul wrote to the church in Rome, it was composed mainly of Gentiles, a common situation in the early Christian communities. This dominant role led many Gentile Christians to brag about their status, while treating Jews and their religious heritage with disdain. Paul reminds the Gentile believers that they enjoy God’s blessings only because they have been included in the one people of God, who are rooted in God’s promises to Israel.
11:20 ^aa fear what could happen: In Scripture, fear often means a reverential awe of God that includes the recognition that we must one day stand before him in judgment (see 2 Cor 5:11 ^ab; 7:1 ^ac, 11 ^ad, 15 ^ae; Phil 2:12 ^af; Col 3:22 ^ag).
11:22 ^ah if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off: Scripture consistently emphasizes that only believers who persevere to the end will be saved. However, Paul’s warning leads to debate over the theological implications of his statement. Some think that it implies that genuine believers can stop believing and therefore not be saved in the end. Others argue that we should not press the metaphor so far and that Paul is referring to people who appear to be believers but whose lack of real faith ultimately reveals itself.
11:24 ^ai by nature ... contrary to nature: The usual method of enhancing the yield of olive trees involved grafting a shoot from a cultivated tree onto a wild olive tree to benefit from the wild tree’s vigor. By grafting wild olive branches (Gentiles) into the cultivated olive tree (the people of God), God has done what is contrary to nature.
11:25 ^aj Paul usually uses the word mystery to refer to an event of the last days that has already been determined by God. Such a mystery already exists in heaven and is revealed to God’s people in the Christian era (see 16:25 ^ak; 1 Cor 2:1 ^al, 7 ^am; 4:1 ^an; 15:51 ^ao; Eph 1:9 ^ap; 3:3 ^aq, 4 ^ar, 9 ^as; 6:19 ^at; Col 1:26 ^au, 27 ^av; 2:2 ^aw; 4:3 ^ax; 1 Tim 3:9 ^ay, 16 ^az). Here, the mystery is the relationship of Jews and Gentiles in the plan of salvation, which is at the heart of this entire passage (Rom 11:11-32 ^ba).
Summary for Rom 11:26-27: 11:26-27 ^bb The phrase all Israel could refer to the total of all believers, both Jewish and Gentile; with this meaning, and so would describe the way that God works to bring salvation to all his people. Alternatively, all Israel could refer to the total of all Jews destined to believe throughout the Christian era, or to a significant number of Jews who turn to Christ in the last days. With the last meaning, and so would have a sequential meaning—after the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ, then the full number of Jews will be saved. It does not mean all Jewish people (see 2:17-29 ^bc)

• In the Old Testament, The one who rescues is the Lord. Paul almost surely is referring to Jesus Christ (see 1 Thes 1:10 ^bd).

• from Jerusalem: The Hebrew text of Isa 59:20 ^be says that the redeemer will come to Jerusalem. Paul might have changed the wording to represent Jesus’ first coming from among the people of Israel or to speak of the second coming when Jesus will return from the heavenly Jerusalem (see Heb 12:22 ^bf).
11:32 ^bg have mercy on everyone: Everyone has the sense of “all kinds of people.” In the context of Romans, and especially this chapter, it refers to the inclusion of Gentiles alongside Jews.
11:36 ^bh everything comes from him and exists by his power: This statement is similar to statements found among Greek Stoic philosophers in their descriptions of God. Paul regularly draws on literature from the Greco-Roman world to present and clarify the truth about God and his purposes (cp. Acts 17:24-29 ^bi).