Has God Cast Away His Chosen? 

Scripture Reading: Romans 11:1-12.

Memory Verse: "And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase (Jeremiah 23:3).

Introduction: The story has been told of the King of Prussia who "was having a discussion with his chaplain on the veracity of the Bible. The king said to the chaplain, 'Give me in a word proof that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.' The chaplain replied, 'Your Majesty, it is possible for me to answer your request with great literality. I can give you proof in one single word that the Bible is the Word of God.'
  The king looked at him in amazement and said, 'What is this magic word which carries such a weight of proof with it?' The chaplain replied, 'Your Majesty, that word is Israel.'"
  Donald Barnhouse, after relating the story in his Romans commentary, continues on to explain it in this way, "[The chaplain] was right, of course. There are other single words which also prove the Bible--sin, salvation, Christ--but the history of the people of Israel is sufficient to show that a divine breath came upon the men who held the pens that wrote down the Word of God.
  "It must be specifically noted that in the thirteenth verse of this chapter Paul states that he is addressing this portion of his argument to the Gentiles. In the city of Rome, there were many Christians. Many of them, like the disciples themselves, had been Jews. The church at Rome had been founded by merchant Jews who happened to be on a visit to Palestine at the time of Christ's death and events of Pentecost. The book of Acts records their presence in Jerusalem (2:10). These Jews had returned to their homes in Rome, and had met together for the breaking of bread and fellowship of the new faith. Paul was very conscious of the fact that the assembly of believers in Rome was made up of two groups with different backgrounds--of Jews who knew paganism, knowing nothing whatsoever of Moses and the religion that had been twisted out of his teachings by the Pharisees. Paul had spoken in earlier portions of the epistle to first one of these groups, then the other, and then to both together. Now, he directly addresses himself to the Gentiles."--Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, pp. 159,160.

Lesson Questions:

1. Since the majority of Israel rejected God, were they utterly cast away? Romans 11:1; Psalm 94:14; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Samuel 12:22;
Jeremiah 31:37.

2. What witness amidst gross spiritual corruption did Elijah receive concerning a dedicated remnant? Romans 11:2-4; 1 Kings 19:10.

3. What was Paul's witness concerning a remnant of Israel in the present time? Romans 11:5a; Titus 2:11-14; Romans 9:27.

4. What is the sole reason for the existence of a remnant? Romans 11:5b,6; Ephesians 2:4,5; Galatians 2:16,21.

5. How did God respond to faithless and rebellious Israel? Romans 11:7,8; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; Psalm 81:11,12; Matthew 13:10-16.
"Pöróö; from poros, a small piece of stone broken off from a larger one. The verb means to harden . . ."--Spiro Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, p. 1755, #4456. This is the word translated "were blinded" in Romans 11:7, and actually means they were hardened against the truth.

6. Compare David's plea with Israel's rejection of Christ. Romans 11:9,10; Psalm 69:20-28; 109:1-20.

7. Discuss how the Lord used Israel's stumbling for good to the world, and how their restoration will be even greater. Romans 11:11,12; Acts 13:46; 28:27,28; Luke 14:21-24; Jeremiah 24:7; Ezekiel 33:11; Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 2:10-12.

8. Did Paul have an ulterior motive in writing to and working among the Gentiles? Romans 11:13,14.
The Jews rejected Paul, but to the Gentiles Paul magnifies his office. He magnifies his office by boasting that he is preaching the riches of Christ to the Gentiles so that the Gentiles might receive the same glorious gifts that were taken from the Jews. And in so doing, Paul hopes to provoke the Jews to have the same zeal as the Gentiles concerning the riches of Christ.--Donald Grey Barnhouse, God's Covenants, pp. 137,138.