Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 13; Romans 11; Jeremiah 50; Psalms 28 & 29
Romans 11:17-18 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
God’s grace in Jesus Christ has grafted Gentiles into the root of blessing of Abraham. The Gentiles were without the word of God and his prophets. However, when Jesus came, the majority of Israel rejected him as their Messiah. Many Gentiles believed on him and were saved. So the Bible tells us that national Israel being the branches was broken off and a wild olive tree was grafted into the root. Can you see the illustration? God has taken something wild and not cultivated and grafted it into the root of his domesticated plant. Now, in Christ Gentile believers can partake of the fatness of the olive tree.
As a believer, you are a partaker of the goodness of God shown to his covenant people since the early days of Genesis. You can trace your lineage back to David, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, you were not naturally a part of this glorious heritage. You were grafted into this olive tree. You were adopted into God’s family. The Bible is warning us not to be boastful in that we are grafted in and part of Israel is broken off. Gentile believers have nothing to boast about. We are the recipients of the amazing grace and goodness of God shown to us in Christ. We certainly do not bear the root, but the root bears us.
When you think of the Israelite people you should pray for them. They have been broken off, but God is not through with them.
Romans 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
We are grafted in by faith. An Israelite can be grafted in by faith. It is faith in Jesus Christ that makes one grafted into the root of God’s covenant promises. Are you drawing from the life giving sap of the Spirit of God? Since you are grafted in are you bearing fruit for the glory of God? God in his Word is warning us of an air of superiority toward those who do not believe. We should have a heart of humility and gratitude for what God has done. We do not deserve the grace that we have, but thank God that he has given it to us! Pray for Israel. God is not through with them yet. They need the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
In Christ,
Rody
