Coffee House Chapel #3

April 10

Romans 11:7b-10, "and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway."

Today we look at the truth about the revelation, which is the third proof that God's setting aside of Israel is only partial. Our text tells us that God has hardened the hearts of those Jews who refused to believe.

"Were blinded" in verse 7 is the AV translation of "poros (a kind of stone); to petrify, i.e. (figuratively) to indurate (render stupid or callous) and is also rendered 'hardened' in Mark 6:52; 8:17; and John 12:40." The tense is passive, which indicates that the blinding (hardening) was caused by an outside power. That outside power is God, whom Paul says "hath given them the spirit of slumber," etc, verse 8. That verse has reference to two Old Testament passages: Deut. 29:4 which represents the Law, "Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." and Isaiah 29:10 which represents the prophets, "For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered." "Both the law and the prophets testify to God's sovereign and predetermined hardening of hearts. But that hardening is neither capricious nor unjust. God hardens only those hearts who, in rejecting His gracious offer of righteousness, harden themselves to His grace." (MacArthur)

Check out God's dealings with Pharaoh in Exodus. In some of the passages it speaks of God hardening Pharaoh's heart (Ex. 4:21, "And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.") and in others it speaks of Pharaoh hardening his own heart (Ex 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.").

During the first Lord's Supper, Jesus said, "But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!" (Luke 22:21-22). "God's righteous predetermination of Judas's betrayal was inextricably connected to Judas's own unrighteous intentions, for which he was held eternally accountable. One of the great mysteries of Scripture is the coexistence of God's sovereign preordination and man's personal accountability. God's judicial hardening of a man's heart is never separate from that man's hardening of his own heart." (MacArthur)

Paul again quotes Old Testament Scripture, this time David, Psalm 69:22-23, "Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake." This messianic Psalm pronounces a curse on the enemies of God who would cause Messiah's suffering and grief. The "table" is generally a place of safety, feasting, and sustenance. But the "table" of the unrighteous will become a snare and a retribution.

It is ever so sad that people place their trust in the very thing that will damn them to eternal punishment. That is true of all false religions, whether they are pagan or a "Christian" cult. "The more their adherents feed on the falsehoods, the more immune they become to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the living bread of life." (MacArthur)

Israel's rejection of God led to progressively more spiritual blindness. That blindness became so bad, that when their Messiah arrived, she did not recognize Him. "Because Israel refused to see the things of God, God judicially ratified her willing blindness. 'Bow down their back alway' suggests the hunched over position in which blind people sometimes walk as they grope their way on a path they cannot see that leads to a destination they do not seek." (MacArthur)

Adapted from "Romans" by MacArthur.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

[ April 12, 2004, 07:05 AM: Message edited by: Dan Todd ]

 

David,

I have a video tape and an audio tape (two completely different messages - except the title and the ending) by Tony Compolo. He tells of a Good Friday Service at his church in Philadelphia - where his "black" pastor preached - "It's Friday - Sundays A Coming!"

Very powerful - would have loved to hear that sermon in person!

 

April 12

Romans 11:7-10, “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.”

Ray Stedman tells the following story in his book “From Guilt to Glory, vol. 2, Reveling in God’s Salvation.”

There is a story about a rabbi who was trying to explain a Jew’s way of thinking to a Gentile. “I’ll show you how a Jew thinks,” he said. “Give me the answer to these three questions. Here is the first. Two men fall down a chimney. One comes out clean and the other dirty. Which one washes?”

“That’s easy,” the Gentile said. “The dirty one, of course.”

“Wrong,” said the rabbi. “After they fall down the chimney they look at each other. The dirty one sees that his friend is clean and assumes he is clean, too. So he does nothing. The clean one washes because he looks at the other man, sees that he is dirty, and thinks that he is dirty, too.”

“Here’s the second question. Two men fall down a chimney. One comes out clean and the other dirty. Which one washes?”

“That’s the same question,” said the Gentile.

“No, it isn’t,” said the rabbi. “It’s quite different.”

“Well, the, I suppose it’s the one who is clean.”

“Wrong again,” the rabbi replied. “The dirty one washes because he looks at his hands and sees that they are dirty. He washes. What could be more obvious than that?”

“Here’s the third question. Two men fall down a chimney....”

“That’s the same question again,” said the Gentile.

“No,” said the rabbi. “It’s entirely different. What’s the answer?”

“I don’t know,” said the Gentile.

“Neither of them washes, because it’s a ridiculous story to begin with. How could two men fall down a chimney and one come out clean and the other dirty?”

It is because of this kind of thinking that Jews say that whenever two Jews are together you are always going to find at least three opinions. [Sounds like it could be a couple of Baptists as well - to me!] Perhaps this is one of the problems Paul faced when he was dealing with his countrymen about Jesus the Messiah. It is certain that this was not the way Paul thought or argued. Paul presents a reasoned, relentless, and irrefutable argument as he presents the gospel to the Romans - and ultimately to us.

Next time we will begin to take an in depth look at our text. I trust that we will see that Paul is giving us a summary of what he has taught us thus far in Romans 9-11.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

Thank you Blackbird!

 

April 14

Romans 11:7-10, “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.”

My fourteen year old nephew came up to me a couple of weeks ago and told me that he had started to take notes on the messages he hears. I told him that that was a good idea, taking notes would help him remember the sermon better. I also told him that there was one more thing he could do that would help him remember the sermon even better, type up his notes on the computer! Every time you go over the material - you will remember it longer.

Good teachers take a break during their lectures, to review or summarize the material just given. Paul does such a thing in our text. The subject material Paul has given us thus far in Romans 9-11 is summarized in Romans 11:7-10.

What has Paul been teaching in these chapters?

1. Election - a subject that is often shunned, because it runs counter to man’s thinking processes. A subject that is often shunned, because man doesn’t understand it. But a subject that’s in the Word of God, and a subject we need to make every effort to understand and believe. In Romans 9, Paul told us that the great majority of the Jewish people had (would) reject the gospel. The ones that God elected to salvation - would however - be saved. In Romans 11, Paul gives an example when he tells us that God “ha[d] reserved to [Him]self seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.” (verse 4).

In our text - Paul speaks of election in verse 7, where he says, “but the election hath obtained it.”

2. Reprobation - the doctrine that states that God passes over the many who are not saved, “sovereignly declining to elect them to salvation.” (MacArthur) Romans 9:13, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” In Romans 10, Paul goes to great lengths to show that reprobation does not eliminate the guilt of those who were passed by. We all willing chose to sin, making us guilty of rejecting God and His Word.

In our text - Paul speaks of reprobation in verse 7 and 8, when he writes, “and the rest were blinded” and “God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear.”

3. Paul tells us that there is a reason for man’s rejections of the gospel. In Romans 10, Paul discusses the fact that unregenerate man goes about trying to establish his own righteousness, and rejects God’s righteousness through Christ. The Jews were particularly prone to do this, by trying to keep the law in their own strength. But all of us are guilty of this to a great extent, before our salvation.

In our text - Paul alludes to this in verse 7, when he writes, “Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for.”

4. Finally Paul tells us that what has happened historically in the overall rejection of Christ by Israel had been foretold by God. God is sovereign, and nothing surprises Him. Furthermore, this unbelief was not a departure from His plan. In Romans 9, Paul quoted Old Testament Scripture four times. In our text, Paul quotes the Old Testament Scripture another three times. All of these quotes to show that God was not caught off guard by what man does.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd