Memorize: Love shown for Israel
Key Verses: 3, 13, 18, 30-31
Paul has great anguish as he thinks about his earthly relatives, the Jews. So many of them have not responded to the Gospel in faith. They have instead chosen to stay in the bondage of the Law. Paul would give anything, even his own eternal soul, if they would respond in faith. They have all the spiritual advantages anyone could desire. So some might say that God failed in reaching His own people, but that would not be true. Not everyone had the same relationship with God in the Old Testament. Not everyone was chosen to be part of the lineage of Jesus. Not everyone played a central role in God’s work in history.
Sometimes as well look from the outside at what happens to people we might think that God is unjust. Like Pharaoh. Paul says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. But as you read the account in Exodus you will find that the hardening happens in response to Pharaoh’s rejection of God’s offer of grace. Pharaoh rejects God’s message and then God hardens his heart. Remember, we were all condemned to death. God chose to show mercy. He can’t be faulted because some rejected his mercy.
So we have the opportunity to be part of this group of people who live in God’s mercy. We do this by living a life of faith. This kind of trust will cause us to choose to live a different kind of life, a life that pleases God, a life led by the Spirit. We will respond to God’s Word, instead of rejecting it. When the Spirit whispers, we will listen and respond. We won’t need plagues to get our attention, as Pharaoh did. We will respond. That is the life of faith, one of responding to God’s Word in obedience.
The Arnold Journey 