Romans 9.27-Paul Cites Isaiah 10.22 To Teach That Only A Remnant Of Jews Will Be Saved
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday April 16, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:27-Paul Cites Isaiah 10:22 To Teach That Only A Remnant Of Jews Will Be Saved
Lesson # 320
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:1.
This evening we will study Romans 9:27 in which Paul cites Isaiah 10:22 to teach that only a remnant of Jews throughout history will be saved, which supports his premise in Romans 9:6 that not all racial Israel is considered by God to be spiritual Israel, children of the promise and spiritual descendants of Abraham.
Let’s read Romans 9:1-29 and then concentrate on verse 27 for the rest of the evening.
Romans 9:1-29, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.’ And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.’ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.’ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’ On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea, ‘I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’ AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.’ Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.’ And just as Isaiah foretold, ‘UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.’”
In Romans 9:27, Paul is quoting from Isaiah 10:22.
Isaiah 10:20-23, “Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.”
Romans 9:27, “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED.’”
Not translated in the New American Standard Updated Version is the “adversative” use of the post-positive conjunction de (deV), which introduces a quotation from Isaiah 10:22-23 that stands in contrast with Paul’s statements in Romans 9:24b-26 that quote Hosea 2:23 and 1:10.
In Romans 9:25-26, Paul quotes Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 to support his statement in Romans 9:24b that God would not only effectually call Jews but also Gentiles.
But in Romans 9:27-29, Paul will quote Isaiah 10:22-23 and 1:9 to teach that with the exception of a remnant the majority of Jews would reject Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah.
The names of both Hosea who Paul quotes in Romans 9:25-26 and Isaiah who he quotes in Romans 9:27-29 speak of salvation in that Hosea’s name in the Hebrew means “May Yahweh save,” whereas Isaiah’s means, “Yahweh’s saves.”
This is appropriate since Paul is discussing the eternal salvation of the nation of Israel.
“Cries” is the third person singular present active indicative form of the verb krazo (kravzw) (krad-zo), which means, “to cry out aloud with emotion and with urgency and with great intensity” to the nation of Israel.
“THOUGH” is the conditional particle ean (e)avn) (eh-an), which introduces the protasis of a third class condition.
The third class condition in Romans 9:27 indicates the “certain fulfillment in the future” that only a remnant will be saved in Israel despite the fact the number of Jews in history is as the sand on the seashore.
In Romans 9:27, we have a third class condition, which offers a condition that is certain to be fulfilled in the future since it is used to convey a prophecy and spiritual principle regarding the nation of Israel in the future.
Romans 9:27, “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED.’”
“THE NUMBER” is used in a literal sense for a non-specific number of individuals who are identified as “THE SONS OF ISRAEL.”
“OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL” is composed of the articular genitive masculine plural form of the noun huios (ui(ov$) (hwee-os), “OF THE SONS” and the genitive masculine singular form of the proper name Israel ( )Israh/l) (Is-rah-ale), “ISRAEL.”
The noun huios refers to the succeeding or future generations collectively of the patriarch Israel.
The word is used in a general sense of those individuals who descended in a racial sense from the patriarch Israel whose name formally was Jacob.
The proper name Israel refers to the patriarch Jacob and functions as a “genitive of source” indicating that these descendants in question “originated from” or “descended from” the patriarch Israel.
“BE” is the third person singular present active subjunctive form of the verb eimi (ei)miv) (i-mee), which means, “to be identical with” indicating that the number of Israel’s racial descendants are “equivalent” to the sand on the seashore.
“LIKE” is the relative adverb of manner hos (w($) (hoce), which functions as a comparative particle introducing a comparison between the number of racial descendants of the patriarch Israel and the sand on the seashore.
“THE SAND OF THE SEA” is composed of the articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun ammos (a&mmo$) (am-mos), “THE SAND” and articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun thalassa (qavlassa) (thal-as-sah), “OF THE SEA.”
The noun ammos is used in a comparison with the descendants of the patriarch Israel emphasizing that these descendants cannot be counted or in other words are innumerable.
The noun thalassa is used in a generic sense for any extensive body of water.
Romans 9:27, “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED.’”
“THE REMNANT” is the articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun hupoleimma (u(povleimma) (hoop-ol-im-mah), which speaks of those Jews in Paul’s day who had trusted in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah in contrast to the majority of Jews who did not.
This word speaks of salvation for those who trust in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah and judgment for those who don’t.
“WILL BE SAVED” is a reference to those Jews in Paul’s day who trusted in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah and were thus delivered from eternal condemnation as well as sin, Satan and his cosmic system.
This is indicated by the fact that Paul is supporting his point in Romans 9:24 that the Old Testament not only predicted that the Jews would be effectually called by God but also Gentiles.
The effectual call of God refers to responding to the gospel by exercising faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Further indicating Paul is speaking of born-again Jews being delivered from eternal condemnation is that in Romans 9:7-27, he has been supporting his premise in Romans 9:6 that not all racial Israel is considered by God as being spiritual Israel.
Therefore, in Romans 9:27, Paul cites Isaiah 10:22 to teach that only a remnant of Jews throughout history will be saved, which supports his premise in Romans 9:6 that not all racial Israel is considered by God to be spiritual Israel, children of the promise and spiritual descendants of Abraham.