Bibleinteract

In this session we will discover the meaning of being sent by exploring the ancient custom of agency. The agent was regarded as one with the sender, thus commanding the same power and authority to act on the sender’s behalf. This concept will become important when we consider, in a later session, how Yeshua is sending his disciples.

English translations use the term “cursed” to describe the Jews whom Paul was addressing in Romans 9-11. In English, the term “cursed” conveys a state of being doomed, condemned, and cut off from God. However, since Paul was conveying a Hebrew concept to Jews in Rome, we must consider the Hebrew word חרם (charam). Join me as we work to understand the Hebrew understanding, which will lead to a conclusion that challenges traditional Christian interpretations.

I would like to share with you some of my research from Scripture on the future role of the Remnant. Knowing the future helps us stand firm today and gives us an incentive to walk in harmony and righteousness with God. We will turn to the Book of Daniel for a prophetic narrative of a future battle that will ultimately defeat Satan and his forces of evil. The story occurs in Daniel 3:19-30 when Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego (who represent the Remnant) are thrown by Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers into a furnace of blazing fire. 

Paul presents evidence from Scripture to support his claim that “all Israel will be saved” by citing Isaiah 59:20-21. Traditionally the temptation has been to try and understand Paul’s message from these two verses. However, the people of ancient Israel lived in an oral society where they internalized blocks or portions of the Holy Writings by listening and memorizing. Therefore, we must turn to the quotation in Isaiah and begin by identifying its context, which will be its likely memorized block.

Paul’s metaphors of the “first piece of dough” and “the lump” have been woefully misunderstood by Christians because of their reference to Hebraic concepts. So too is the misunderstanding of the imagery of the olive tree. Then Paul’s repetition of “arrogant” rings in our ears. The sense of the original Greek means to exult or triumph over others, in this case the Jews. Paul is warning Gentile believers not to see themselves as superior over their Jewish brethren who have been seriously chastised by Paul with a warning that they may lose their special inheritance of the birthright that entitles them to participation in the Remnant. Gentiles also must listen to these words of caution.

Paul uses the narrative of Elijah in the Hebrew Scriptures to help us understand the role of the Remnant. God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9) a question that will be repeated in verse 13, but only after God put Elijah through several testing experiences. The repetition forms what I call “a sandwich.” In this case, the construction is not chiastic because there are no parallel lines. However, the ancient ear would have heard the repetition and been drawn to the passage that the repetition brackets.

Who will be saved, and who will not be saved? This is a critical question because Christian different Christian denominations offer several possible answers. As we proceed to examine the concept of salvation in Paul’s message to the Jewish believers in Rome, we will be exploring who will be saved, how they will be saved, and the consequences of salvation as Paul and his first century Jewish brethren would have perceived this concept of “who belongs to God.”

The tragedy of a traditional Christian perspective has resulted in exalting Christians over the Jews. This is due, in part, by thinking that the Jews in Rome were not confirmed believers in Christ, which is an incorrect interpretation. However, the more serious problem is the focus on God’s benefits to Gentile believers in Christ while condemning the Jews for their unbelief. Knowing how to understand Paul’s Hebraic presentation is essential for correcting these unfortunate beliefs.

Paul’s presentation in Romans 9:14-18 becomes essential for us to comprehend because it offers an understanding about what God is doing and why. Paul explains with another halachic midrash by beginning with a startling premise that needs to be proven. He insists that God sometimes acts in unrighteous ways. “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!” (Rom 9:14). In other words, there IS sometimes injustice with God. Why are we so startled? Because God is a Righteous God without sin or imperfection. What does it mean that God sometimes acts in unrighteous ways? Together we will explore the answer.

As we consider the future role of the Remnant, we find that the narrative portrays two mighty armies that are struggling for ultimate control and power. One represents the world, ruled by Satan, and the other is the army of God. Both are identified as a powerful remnant. We first meet the remnant of Satan before the flood when “the Nephilim were on the earth.”  These were giants of huge proportion with a name that signified them as belonging to Satan. 

When Paul cited from Malachi (“Jacob I loved but Esau I hated”) I have concluded that Paul was using the Hebrew sanae to mean “unloved.” God did not “hate” Esau in the sense of condemnation, but simply did not bestow His love upon Esau because of his unworthy behavior of selling his birthright. God does the same with us by bestowing love in the form of grace and withholding love as a form of testing and instruction. God does not hate His children, but He does withhold His love for unworthy behavior.

The word midrash comes from the Hebrew דרשׁ (darash), which means to search diligently for something that is not in plain sight. A verse in Deuteronomy captures the essence of the mysterious nature of God and His Word. “You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search [דרשׁ] for Him with all your heart and all your soul” (Dt 4:29). Halachic midrash uses methods to draw out this hidden meaning.

Paul presents the conclusion of his midrash as a premise that needs to be proven. “They are not all Israel who are from Israel” (Rom 9:6). Paul is continuing to address Jewish believers in Rome who are teaching their Christian brethren that circumcision and knowledge of the Law are required to participate in the household of God. The Gentile believers in Rome would have been listening, and so are we.

After chastising the Jewish believers for their self-righteous behavior in Romans 9:1-5, Paul presents the theme of his discourse, which is God’s selection of a Remnant. What Paul was going to present next would fly in the face of comfortable and well-established Jewish traditions of that time. Paul was going to use halachic midrash to uncover a mystery from the depth of Scripture that had not been fully known or appreciated before.

You must resist the temptation to conclude that the Jews, whom Paul was addressing in Romans 9-11, “will not be saved.” All Jews are God’s people who have been born to an inheritance called the birthright, which bestows a leadership role. However, Paul cautions these Jews that unless they overcome the sin of pride, they will be found unworthy of the special inheritance although they will still belong to God with a lesser inheritance.

We can see that Paul is speaking to Jews in Romans 9-11, ”my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” In all of chapters 9-11 there are only nine verses that deal with Gentiles (Rom 11:13-21). So, are these Jews believers in Christ? Many have concluded they are not Christians, so Paul must be reprimanding them for their unbelief. If this is true, it promotes an anti-Semitic interpretation of Paul’s words. I have come to a different conclusion.

For the past 2,000 years the writings of Paul have spawned conflicting theological interpretations. As for a reflection from the Jewish community, a rabbi recently shared with me this thought. “We never discuss Paul,” he explained. Why? Because Christians have tended to interpret Paul’s obscure words literally, which has led to anti-Semitic conclusions. I will offer my personal journey to find the true meaning of Paul’s words.

Dr. Anne Davis goes into detail on the importance of inheritance and the birthright in the Old Testament and that will show the deeper meaning in Paul's message in Galatians 3:29.

In Galatians 4:24, Paul uses startling makers to lead us to the Hebrew Scriptures, pointing to the story of Hagar and Sarah. What is Paul up to when he is leading us to the Old Testament in this way?

Dr. Anne Davis continues unraveling the chiasm in Galatians 3:25-29 where Paul uses the term "sons of God".