Chapter 9 Part 1

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The final restoration of Israel is the zenith of the theological sections of the letter.

A defense to assumptions the gentiles were making about Elohim, Israel and Israel’s future.

The gentiles in Rome were falling prey to Supersessionist theology – Elohim replacing his chosen people with another people. Later in Ch. 11 Paul’ll direct his audience to their indebtedness to the root of the tree.

Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Messiah, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit ;
Romans 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Romans 9:3 For if it were possible I myself would wish to be banished from Moshiach for my Yisraelite brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

Paul’s charge – the Jews aren’t the children of YHWH if they’ve rejected Yahusha.

V. 2 is reminiscent of Isaiah 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the יהוה shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

The stern reality of Jn. 1:11 has hit Paul: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But v. 12 of John 1 gives comfort: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

V.3 is very serious sounding: “For if it were possible I myself would wish to be banished from Moshiach for my Yisraelite brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

The debate abounds as to:

1. whether Paul did actually pray to יהוה this action; or…
2. It’s a hypothetical action meant to shepherd us to the textual witness.

# 2. It’s a hypothetical action meant to shepherd us to the textual witness of ‘anathema’ ‘that which has been cursed’, ‘accursed’, ‘anything devoted to evil’, ‘an accursed thing.’

And the linking text – Exodus 32:31 where we find Paul’s statement here hearkens back and links us to Moses statement after the sin of the Golden Calf: Exodus 32:31 “And returning to יהוה , he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass, Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.

Paul’s hypothetical links us back to Moses and of course brings us full circle into the arms of ‘the accursed’ Yahusha; who bore the sins of Israel and the world to the reconciliation of יהוה.

Yahusha was granted what Moshe was denied, the opportunity to become ‘accursed’ for the sake of Israel’s salvation. It’s an amazing literary example of how Gamaliel taught his student Paul to weave the tapestry of the Tanakh.

Galatians 3:13  Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Book of the Law), being made a curse for us (for it is written: Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree).

2 Corinthians 5:21  Him, who knew no sin, he hath made sin for us: that we might be made the justice of God in him. Sin for us… That is, to be a sin offering, a victim for sin.

So; Paul uses metaphor and hypothetical as a literary device to draw from the connecting passages in the Tanakh.

Romans 9:4 Who are Yisraelites; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of Elohim, and the promises;
Romans 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Messiah came, who is over all, Elohim blessed for ever. Amen.

It was to Israel that verse 4 was given….but it was Israel also who forsook the adoption of v.4 because they were not all Israel who where in the congregation of Israel, is Paul’s point!
(V. 4 & 5) – 7 blessings bestowed on believers – made possible by Yahusha’s redemptive work as the accursed one:

1. Join the Israel of Elohim (at the Mountain)
2. Adopted (Exodus 19)
3. Witness the glory (Exodus 20)
4. Given the BoC – the covenants of promise
5. Given the Torah (Exodus 19) in covenant
6. The (priestly) service of Elohim
7. The fulfilled promises given to Abraham.

Exodus 19:4 Israel is ‘adopted’, Exodus 20 Israel witnessed YHWH’s ‘kavod/glory’, Exodus 24 Israel was given the ‘covenants’ of ‘promise’, the ‘Torah’ Book of the Covenant, Exodus 24 Moshe, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; ‘worship’ afar off…….etc etc…..

We have a linguistic connection between 9:5 and Romans 1:25 that can’t be missed, ‘the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.’

In 1:25 the linguistic formulai is applied to The Creator יהוה, so here the ramifications are huge, a direct Pauline reference to Yahusha being יהוה.

Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of vuvh has failed in Yisrael. For they are not all still Yisrael, who are from Yisrael:

Israel in the first instance speaks of Jacob; whilst the second denotes the nation. Meaning Israelite or Jewish origin doesn’t qualify you as being the Israel of Elohim (Gal 6:16) the second brith does!

The biblical view of Israel: How can we know today who a true Israelite is? Anyone who accepts Yah’shua and who walks in His commandments (His New Covenant Torah) is a true Israelite – because covenant Torah – the BoC ratified by Yahusha’s blood bring you into Ex Israelite covenant status..
What, then, should do we do with Talmudic Judaism, the State of Israel and Zionism – they’re no more, no less than counterfeits of the true Messianic faith and the true Theocratic Israel of which Yahusha is King of.

Only the Tribes of Joseph (Genesis 48) had the right to the name of Israel forever, not Judah! When the tribes of Joseph return to the land, then biblical prophecy regarding Israel begins to unfold.

Two Israel’s:

1. an awakened Israel
2. a fleshly/carnal Israel.

Paul puts two distinct Israel’s forth in his letters to the Romans and Galatians – but NOT two physical Israel’s or a replacement of Israel.

The key to what Paul’s communicating to the Romans is understanding that the Northern Kingdom – the 10 Tribes, is called Israel in Scripture and never the Southern Kingdom, which is always called Judah.

The 1st Israel is limited to the physical, with the 2nd glorified Eternal Israel which is a spiritually awakened people, coming later by faith.

Romans 9:6-8; —2:28,29—John 1:13 For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.  Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children… it is not the natural children who are Elohim’s children but it is the children of promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. —A man is not a Jew if he is one outwardly … No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Ruach—children born not of natural descent, … but born of Elohim.

• Fleshly/Natural Israel is born of human descent; but Eternal/awakened Israel is born of Elohim, exclusively apart from human descent and without reference to the human descent of those it inhabits.
• Fleshly/Natural Israel’s identity is rooted in the flesh; but awakened/Eternal Israel’s identity is rooted in the inner man or Ruach.
• The State of Israel is national (racial) and compared internationally; awakened/Eternal Israel is without nationality but is transnational and without national (racial) comparison.
• Awakened/Eternal Israel is trans tribal and that can only happen through Yahusha’s priesthood – tans tribal equality!

Abraham never inherited the Land in his original lifetime. This means the promise of the Land has an application to the Eternal Israel seed of Abraham, or the Israel born from above, Joseph!

Yeshayahu 10:20″And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob. The remnant isn’t Judah.

” Isaiah 6: 13 “the remnant tithe” is to be harvested to from the priesthood of the end-time Messianic Community under the overall leadership of Ephraim – hidden in the nations.

Judah can only be called Israel when the tribes are united as one/echad under Joseph’s headship. When the Kingdom split, Judah, Benjamin and Levi made NO attempt to call themselves ‘Israel’ because they knew they couldn’t. So they picked ‘Judah’ after the most powerful of the three southern tribes.

Joseph, which is Ephraim and Manasseh, is to be restored to rulership once he’s purged of his gentile and pagan tendencies, to be the priestly theocratic governing tribe during the Millennium.

Romans 9:7 Neither, because they are the zera of Avraham, are they all b’nai Yisrael: but, In Yitzchak shall your zera be called.

To become the Israel of Elohim the Jews would need to become like Isaac, regenerated and in covenant relationship with יהוה – children of promise, not after the flesh.

This verse invalidates ‘spiritual Israel’ replacement theology. There is no spiritual Israel and no physical Israel.

To be true Israel one has to be both a descendant (physical/by grafting) of Jacob and regenerated (spiritual) like Isaac – physical and spiritual.

A unregenerate Jew is no more Israel than a regenerated Aborigine, once regenerated both have the opportunity to graft into Israel, and that happens through Yahusha and a return to Mountain status of the seven (v.4/5):

1. Israel of Elohim (at the Mountain)
2. Adopted (Exodus 19)
3. Witness the glory (Exodus 20)
4. Given the BoC – the covenants of promise
5. Given the Torah (Exodus 19) in covenant
6. The (priestly) service of Elohim
7. The fulfilled promises given to Abraham.

Romans 9:8 That is, those who are children of the flesh, these are not the b’nai vuvh: but the b’nai-brit are counted as the zera.

The children who’ve been regenerated like Isaac and come into the covenant are the children of יהוה. If you’re

1. lawless; or
2. following after the Book of the Law

you’re still on on of two broad roads straddling the covenant – Book of the Covenant!

Often times v.s 6-29 are used in Calvinistic circles to determine people being either predestined to salvation or damnation. But this letter addresses a first century framework, not a 15th & 16th century false construct (like you have to pick either Calvinism or Arminianism – you don’t – no more than you have to pick lawlessness or Jewish Torah – we’re called to be the narrow road people – somewhere in between the lies and deception – is the way, the light and the truth!