God's Righteousness Is Revealed in the Way He Treated Both Jew and Gentile (9:1-11:36)

The Concept of Remnant Introduced (1-6)

Despite Israel's national disobedience and rejection of the Messiah, Paul makes a clear point in this chapter: God has not rejected the Jewish people. Although most of national Israel was hard of heart, a remnant remained, chosen to enjoy God's grace and Kingdom life. Paul is an example of an Israelite who had not rejected God (1), and there were others like Paul who remained faithful to God. 

Paul uses the story of Elijah (1 Kings 19) as an illustration of how when it seemed a whole nation had rejected God, there remained a remnant faithful to Yahweh (2-4)—a remnant not by race or bloodline but by grace (5). Herein lay a difficult principle for most Jews of Paul's day to comprehend. Being “chosen,” the Jewish nation was a nation separated from the rest of the world. Within the nation, there was yet another separation, a separation of the believing from the unbelieving nation. Those who were the believing within the nation of Israel were called the remnant, those who were joined to God by faith and preserved by grace. Thus, the true remnant of Israel learned to not depend upon law-keeping nor their nationality, but were joined to God relationally by listening to His voice and seeking to fulfill His mission (6).

The Need for Remnant Explained (7-10)

Paul is beginning to navigate one of the most difficult concepts of Scripture, the election or choosing of God. Paul is going to make the point that God chose a nation and that nation was separated from all the other nations, but then Paul pursues a further point: the nation did not hold true to God, so only a portion or a remnant of the nation obtained the righteousness God had promised. 

Paul defines the nation of Israel as clearly hardened (7). It was the condition Moses and Isaiah (Deuteronomy 18:15; Isaiah 29:10) prophesied existed in their time. So Paul blends both of these passages into a fresh quote. Paul is making this point to his readers: the new generation of Israelites who were about to go into the promised land during Moses' day had not given themselves to personally knowing God. They attempted to learn His rules for how to live but there had been no burden in them to take the message and mission of God to the world. They had not had an “a-ha” encounter with Yahweh, so they were without God's burden of love and mercy for the world. As a nation, many were Israelites by blood but, in their hearts, unbelievers (8). 

Then Paul uses a quote from David (Psalm 62:22-23), in reference to comments David was making about enemies who seemed to have dealt treacherously with God and himself (9-10). David's entire point is the lack of help God gives those who are seeking benefits from Yahweh without a relationship with Yahweh. So, hardness of heart is what happens to those who want the benefits of Yahweh without any of the relationship with Yahweh, and further, without any of the responsibility to be a blessing to the world. 

The Benefit of Israel's Rejection of Yahweh (11-24)

Paul discusses a strange plan God deployed using Israel's national rejection as an even greater opportunity for Gentiles to respond to Christ. This rejection of national Israel meant reconciliation for the world. Paul then wants to pause and make it clear that this did not mean the Israelites could not return to God at any moment and come into a relationship with Him the way everyone else had, through faith in Jesus (11-14).  

Paul then uses a point of logic: if their rejection of Christ led to the salvation of the Gentiles, their faith in Christ would have unimaginable benefits (15).  

To punctuate his logic, he first uses the imagery of first fruits. The Israelites would offer first fruits and tithes and when they offered them, they would recognize it was a way of making the rest of the harvest holy. Paul next uses the imagery of an olive tree: if the root is holy (Yahweh), the branches grafted in will also be holy (16-17). To Paul, the root was everything; the branches were made holy by whom they had relationship with, so all should proceed with humility (18).

Paul reminds the Gentiles they were grafted in by faith and could easily come to want the benefits of being grafted into Yahweh more than they wanted Him. They could end up just like Israel and begin to neglect the relationship and responsibility of being a part of the Yahweh tree (19-20). Rather, they were to fear and remember those who did not long for relationship and were eventually cut off (21).  

Paul wanted them to know God was kind but was also severe. God is severe to those who have fallen from relationship and mission but kind to those who are kind (22).  

Paul tells everyone to be certain the Israelites can be grafted in at any time (23) for they naturally belong to the tree, being of the race given the original covenant (24).  

The Promise: All of True Israel Will Be Saved (25-36)

Finally, the point is clear: as the fullness of the Gentiles “comes in,” “all Israel” will be saved. This of course does not mean all national Israel will be saved, nor does it mean every Israelite will be saved. It means all the true Israelites of God, both Jew and Gentile, who have faith in Christ will be saved. God will use the entry of Gentiles to spark jealousy in remnant Israel, and they will want what was always promised them—a relationship with God and the fulfillment of His mission for the world, to take the Good News to the world (25-36).