ICS Daily Devotions
Israel’s Rejection of Christ
Romans 9:1-5 (NKJV)I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
These words were taken from a man by the name of Paul who was trained and raised in the strictest sect of the Pharisees in Jerusalem. His zeal for his religion brought him to persecute Christians by pursuing them even to foreign cities, throwing them into prisons and stoning them to death. All of this changed when he encountered God on the road to Damascus and understood the way of salvation.
There were several reasons why Paul was feeling great sorrow and continual grief in his heart when he spoke in the passage.
Firstly, he was a man after God’s heart who knew the love, mercy and grace God has for the people.
Secondly, his heart cried out for his fellow countrymen who were living under deception, ignorance and blinded by the god of this age.
He identified with them, the people of Israel and expressed his profound concern for them, he prayed for their salvation and he knew that God had not rejected them. He loved them so much that he would rather that he be lost for eternity in exchange for them to be saved.
It was very frustrating for Paul because it was so clear that the Israelites had been told that the Messiah will come to save them. They were the chosen ones to have the lineage where Christ the Saviour would be brought into the world. At various points in time, they were given the law, the different covenants, to serve in the tabernacle and received all the promises that a greater being will come.
Yet when Christ, the Saviour came to their midst they rejected Him and chose to remain in their religious ways. The people were still embracing the legalistic aspect of religion, through works that attempted to earn the right standing before God, rituals and practices that will never cleanse a person of his sin.
Hebrews 10:11 (NKJV) And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
They were offering the sacrifices over and over again yearly because all these sacrifices were not able to take the sins away permanently. It would constantly remind the people of their sins and their inadequacy.
Sermon Series: Lengthen the Cords – Our Nation
