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Priscilla: Romans 9:27-33
Israel’s Unbelief

27 And Isaiah doth cry concerning Israel, `If the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved;

28 for a matter He is finishing, and is cutting short in righteousness, because a matter cut short will the Lord do upon the land.

29 and according as Isaiah saith before, `Except the Lord of Sabaoth did leave to us a seed, as Sodom we had become, and as Gomorrah we had been made like.’

30 What, then, shall we say? that nations who are not pursuing righteousness did attain to righteousness, and righteousness that is of faith,

31 and Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, at a law of righteousness did not arrive;

32 wherefore? because–not by faith, but as by works of law; for they did stumble at the stone of stumbling,

33 according as it hath been written, `Lo, I place in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; and every one who is believing thereon shall not be ashamed.’

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, today I present to You what I have understood while contemplating the Word of God in Romans 9:27-33 regarding the stumbling of Israel.

Dear God, I understand verse 27 to mean that, although You made a promise to Abraham to make the people of Israel as numerous as the sand of the sea, many of the Israelites have sinned, lived according to their own desires, rebelled against You, and will be punished forever. Besides a very small number of Israelites who believed in the Gospel, there will only be a small remnant of Israel, those who have faith in You, obey Your commandments, and will be saved and receive the knowledge of the Gospel when Christ returns.

Dear God, I understand verses 28 and 29 to mean that You will not delay in punishing the whole world, including the hard-hearted Israelites who disobey You and deserve to be destroyed like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. But because of Your great mercy on Israel, You have allowed them to continue to exist.

Dear God, I understand verses 30 and 31 to mean that even though the Gentiles live according to their conscience and do not know Your written law, when they hear the Gospel, they repent of their sins and accept the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, You forgive all their sins and declare them righteous. However, the Israelites, who boast of being Your chosen people and having the Scriptures, only keep the law in a superficial way, based on the letter of the law. Their hearts are far from You, so they cannot achieve righteousness by obeying Your commandments and laws.

Dear God, I understand verses 32 and 33 to mean that the stone, the cornerstone, refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, into the nation of Israel, to be the cornerstone, that is, the foundation of faith for the house of God. Those who do not accept the preaching of Christ will stumble on the stone and be offended. Instead of accepting Christ, the people of Israel mocked and persecuted Him, leading to His crucifixion. This was the stumbling of the people of Israel because of Christ. Whether you are an Israelite or from any other nation, anyone who does not accept Christ will be destroyed, lost forever. But for anyone who repents of their sins and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the stone that becomes the foundation of their faith to build the house of God, the Church.

I thank You, God, for Your mercy and patience in bringing the Gospel of Salvation to the Vietnamese people. Through this, I have had the opportunity to know the Gospel, repent of my sins, accept the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive eternal life. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
03/30/2023