ADDRESSES ON ROMANS
"Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to Thy cross I cling." You will immediately find yourself in contact with God, who loved you enough to give His Son to die for you. We se~ in verse 24 that God wanted some of these vessels of mercy to be Gentiles, as well as Jews. Let us remember that Paul is still answering the question as to why God set aside Israel. It was prophesied again and again in the Old Testament that the Gentiles would be vessels of mercy. And this thought introduces the closing verses of the chapter, which set forth two important facts: ( 1) That Israel's rejec~ tion and the Gentiles' acceptance of God's righteousness was foretold by Israel's own prophets; and (2 ) that the Gentiles' acceptance of God's righteousness was by faith in Him whose right it is to have compassion on whom He will. Let us con~ sider these two points briefly. ISRAEL'S REJECTION AND THE GENTILES' ACCEPTANCE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS FORETOLD BY ISRAEL'S OWN PROPHETS 9:25~29 Paul quotes four passages from the Jews' own Scriptures to prove that their prophets foresaw the very thing about which he has been arguing: That because of Israel's rejection of the gift of God's righteousness, their nation would be tem~ porarily set aside, and that the Gentiles would be brought into the place of blessing. Let us look at these four passages, noting the Old Testament prophecies from which they are quoted: "I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved" (Rom. 9:25; cf. Hos. 2:23 ). "And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people: there shall they be [Page 187
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