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Timothy: 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, I offer my praise and thanksgiving to You for the new day You have given me, along with the Eternal Living Word of God. Each passing day is another opportunity for me to enjoy Your love and faithfulness in this life. I ask for strength from Christ and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, and I thank both Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, I would like to present my understanding of the stumbling of the people of Israel, as recorded in Romans 9:27-33.

Dear Father, I understand verse 27 to mean that, although You made Your promise to Abraham that his descendants, the people of Israel, would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore, only a few of the Israelites will be saved due to their disobedience. This speaks of Your righteousness: You are willing to forgive those who repent and come to You, but You will not count those who sin but do not repent as sinless. You will justly punish them.

Dear Father, I understand verse 28 to mean that the prophecy of the punishment of the people of Israel and the world will be swiftly executed when the time comes, which is the End Times. I also understand that the course of judgment is seven years, but each punishment that occurs during those seven years will be swift. As prophesied by Christ in the Book of Revelation, one punishment will end, and another will begin immediately.

Dear Father, I understand verse 29 to mean that the Bible records the history of the people of Israel from the time You rescued them from Egypt, brought them into the Promised Land of Canaan, until Christ preached the Gospel to them, a period of 1,470 years. However, they continually rebelled against You and eventually killed Christ, whom You had sent as their Savior. Nevertheless, due to Your faithfulness to Abraham and a few of his descendants who believed in You, and because of Your mercy, You will still restore the nation of Israel to them and save them from the hands of the Antichrist.

Dear Father, I understand verse 30 to mean that the Gentiles, who are not the people of Israel, do not have the Book of Law of God like the people of Israel, but through repentance of their sins and faith in the redemption of Christ’s death, they are forgiven by You and considered righteous. Therefore, the righteousness they have is through faith and not something they have to do to earn it.

Dear Father, I understand verse 31 to mean that the people of Israel tried to obey Your laws to be called righteous, but in reality, no one can keep all the commandments and thus no one can be called righteous. Even if some people do not break the commandments outwardly, they still sin in their hearts because they have thoughts and desires that go against Your commandments.

Dear Father, I understand from verse 32 that most of the people of Israel did not believe in the atonement of Christ for their sins, so they could not be forgiven and called righteous by You. They relied on obeying the commandments to be called righteous, but they could not achieve righteousness that way. Therefore, Your commandments and laws have become a stumbling block for them on their path to righteousness.

Based on my reference to I Peter 2:6-8, I understand verse 33 to mean that Christ came to be the foundation of faith for the people of Israel. However, instead of believing in His preaching to be called righteous by You, they stumbled over Christ: “Because of this, it is also contained in the Scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion an elect, precious Stone, a Corner-foundation; and the one believing in Him shall not be ashamed, never! Then to you who believe belongs the preciousness. But to disobeying ones, He is the Stone which those building rejected; this One became the Head of the Corner, and a Stone-of-stumbling, and a Rock-of-offense to the ones stumbling, being disobedient to the Word, to which they were also appointed.”

Dear Father, I understand that due to our sinful nature, no one can keep all of Your commandments and laws. Only those who accept the Gospel of salvation in Christ and are made new in Him can love Your laws and remain steadfast in keeping them. I thank You for revealing the Gospel to me and granting me the gift of faith. I thank You for deeming me righteous and granting me a share in the inheritance of Christ. May Your mercy and faithfulness always accompany me. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
03/30/2023