Romans chapter 9

vs 1

For this sort of buildup, it's obvious that Paul is coming up to a new point that he's serious about.

vs 2

Considering the positive news that he's just written, this seems a little out of kilter. What could make him so upset?

vs 3

Crazy verse numbering in fine tradition here.

This is a big wish - Paul is prepared to go to hell for his people. But I guess, while this is a shocking thing to say, is it any more than what Christ was prepared to do for us - separate himself from God for our sakes?

vs 4

Perhaps when we read this, we think 'was' would be more appropriate. But I think that's the whole point that Paul is making - these promises were all made to Israel. Now, that doesn't mean for a second that I don't think they haven't come to fulfilment in Christ. I still firmly believe that Christ is the only way to God. Adoption? Christ. Law? Christ. Promises? Christ, Christ and Christ.

What upsets Paul, I think, is that the Jewish people overall seem to have not taken up the answer to the promises made to them by God, while gentiles seem to take their place in the Kingdom.

What is this in answer to? I don't know. It doesn't seem to flow naturally from the last point. Perhaps there were issues regarding Jews and gentiles in Rome.

vs 5

Overall they have been blessed a lot. This makes it all the more sad when they, who have been blessed, and have been the receivers of so much from God directly as his special people, have now turned their backs on him.

vs 6

This verse is the real clincher for me. Well, this one (written rather ambiguously) and the following verses. My reading of this verse, considering what follows, is this: "Israel is made up of more than just those who are born physically of the twelve tribes".

The reason Paul wants to make this clear is because the challenge could be made that God failed in his words and promises to Israel, because they have failed to take up his promises. Paul says, "No - this is only true if you don't understand what Israel is."

Of course, you could also read this more literally, and say "there are those who are born of Israel, but who then went off and married outside of Israel, and so they're not considered of Israel anymore". But I would struggle to see how that relates to Paul's greater point.

vs 7

Again, those Jews who call themselves children of Abraham are not alone the children of Abraham. Paul is not talking about Ishmael and his descendents either. Well, in a way he is, but typologically, not merely literally.

Of course, you can read it only literally, but I think you would then be missing the point again.

vs 8

So here's the fulcrum verse. It's not enough to be physical children in the human lines that have been used by God (Abraham, the Patriarchs etc). You also have to be born into the promise of God. God made this clear through Abraham - who had two children, but the promises to Abraham would only come through Isaac.

vs 9

Ie that it had to come out of Sarah, not Hagar.

vs 10

This is a really novel argument, which we won't get into today. But it starts by pointing out that, while Abraham's children were born years apart, Isaac's kids were conceived at the same time, and yet were able to be split into "of promise" and "not of promise".

An interesting thing to consider, perhaps, is how God is prepared to shut off so many people from his promises at the time of their making. Whole nations are symbolically cut off from God in these times of the Patriarchs, after all.