In our modern minds, chapters 9-11 may seem like a sudden history lesson, interesting to some but irrelevant to the discussion. Understanding the great and glorious themes of salvation and appreciating more than ever the mercies extended to us through grace (chapters 1-8), we could quickly move straight to the practical application of those themes to our lives in chapters 12-16.

Not Paul. Guided by the Holy Spirit Himself, the apostle to the Gentiles digresses into a discussion of his people, the Jews, who had, for the most part, failed to accept the salvation offered in the Gospel, even though they were God’s chosen race and it was presented to the Jew first (1:16-17).

When we ask these questions we need a history lesson on the mercies of God. The Greek word for mercy occurs seven times in these three chapters but only twice in the rest of the letter! To assure us that God is faithful to His promises while remaining righteous, Paul begins with the particular problem of the Jewish resistance to the Gospel and ends with an unfolding of the divine purpose in history, which, in some ways, goes beyond any comparable passage in the whole Bible. The lesson is profoundly simple:

Israel’s past, present, and future prove that God is a Faithful Promisekeeper!

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