A PLACE FOR THE GENTILES

“For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. As it is written:

‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.’

And again it says,

‘Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.’

And again,

‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the people extol Him.’

And again, Isaiah says,

‘The root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope.’

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:8-13.

It’s all very well, Paul, for you to explain the intricacies of God’s righteousness but on what grounds do we Gentiles have the right to think that we also have a share in the mercy of God? After all, God is the God of the Jews. He chose them to be His people and we were not included in His covenant with Abraham.

Oh, really! Was that God’s intention? To have a little group of people whom He could mollycoddle and leave the rest to rot in hell? Never! The whole purpose of His choice of Israel was for them to be a model for the Gentiles, so that they would see, mirrored in His people, the nature of God and believe in Him as well. Once He had sent His Messiah to earth through His people, He would throw the door open for the whole world to believe in Him.

Paul’s triumphant declaration of hope for the Gentiles was based squarely on God’s eternal plan, begun with Abraham and fulfilled in Christ, so that the people of the world, not only the Jews, would be members of His family and citizens in His kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy.

Embedded in His covenant with Abraham was the promise that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. The promises of God extended far beyond him and his descendants.

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3.

Has God ever withdrawn His promise? On the contrary, Paul reassured his Romans readers:

“…For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29.

There is a warning for the nations today in God’s irrevocable promise to Abraham. The world is being polarised over the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians in Israel. Most of the nations side with the Palestinians because they regard Israel as intruders with no right to be in the land of Israel. On the surface, without taking into consideration the promise of God, it may seem so, but from God’s perspective the land of Israel belongs to the Jews because He gave it to them forever.

“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:7, 8.

There is an extended prophecy in Zechariah 12:1-14; 13:1 that is yet to be fulfilled and seems on the brink of fulfilment even as I write. As the nations gather against Jerusalem, God will intervene to protect His people and destroy those who are trying to destroy them. The wars of the 1960’s bear witness to God’s protection and victory in the face of overwhelming odds.

Just as God promised His protection of His people, so He promised that the Gentiles would also have a place in His kingdom. And so, Paul could reassure all his Gentile readers, not only the Roman church then, but also every Gentile down the centuries, that our hope is based on the solid truth of God’s promise and Paul’s prayer:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.