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THE KING’S BUSINESS
followed by their going forth to preach to the nations that are left, and thus there' shall come a general turning to God (cf. Isa. 66:19, 20; Isa. 2:2, 3; Zech. 8:20-23; Acts 15:16, 17). Wednesday, August 8 . Rom. . 11 : 13 - 22 , Paul was an intense lover of his people, the Jews. All their abuse of him never quenched his love. If Paul had had his choice he would have been a missionary unto them instead of unto the Gentiles (Act? 22:17-21), and when the Lord Jesus would not permit that, he still bore them on his heart. By his faithful ministry to the Gentiles he hoped to provoke to jeal ousy Israel and thus “save some of them.” But it was not for the sake of Israel alone that he sought to provoke them to jealousy. He knew that their reconciling would bring vast blessing to the world at large, that for the nations it would be "life from the dead.” Paul warns the Gentile believers against glorying over Israel in the day of their rejection. The church today greatly needs this warning. How Gentile believers do glory over gainsaying and impenitent and rejected Israel! But it is well for us to remember why Israel was broken off. It was “by their unbelief.” Is there no unbelief among us? Have there never been seeds, of unbelief in our hearts? It will stand us instead to “be no.t highminded, but fear.” If God spared not His own chosen people in their unbelief, neither will He spare us. There are two things to look at: (1) “The goodness of God,” i.e. His goodness toward those who believe; (2) “the severity of God,” i.e. His severity toward them that fell. We do well to continue in the goodness of God, and do well never to forget that God is holy and that there is “severity” in God as well as kindness. This shallow and unholy age, this wicked and adulterous generation, does not like to believe that it is so, but it is. Thursday, August p. Rom. 11 : 23 - 26 . There is hope for Israel even yet. They have been cut off, but not forever. They
will turn from unbelief some day and be grafted in again. The Old Testament is full of promises of the future restoration of Israel (Isa. 2 :2-4; 11:11, 12; 49:7, 22, 23; 66:19 ; Jer. 31:27, 31-34; Ezek. 36:24, 25-27, 29, 33-36, R. V.; 37:19, 21, 22, 24, 29; Zeph. 3:19, 20; Zech. 8:3-5, 23; 12:9-14; 13:1). It is quite common to take these glorious prophecies and promises that belong to Israel and apply them to the churfch, but they were . spoken and written to the national Israel. A hardening in part befell Israel “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” The present day is “the time of the Gentiles,” but when “the fullness of the Gentiles is come in,” i.e. wheft God’s full purpose in the present dispensation concerning the Gentiles has been accomp lished, then God will deal 'with Israel again. In that time there “shall come out of Zion (i. e., the literal Zion, not a figurative Zion, nor a place some lying pretender dares to call Zion and thus pervert God’s word) the Deliverer (i.e.,' the Christ).” When Christ comes as the Deliverer out of Zion, “He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” The whole context makes it clear as day that the actual descendants of Jacob are meant (cf. Isa. 59:20, 21). The result of Messiah’s thus turning away un godliness from Jacob will be that “all Israel shall be saved.” This of course does not mean that all the Israelites who ever lived on earth will be saved, that would contra dict the plain teaching of Scripture else where, for Judas Iscariot was an Israelite, and it is plain that he is lost forever (Matt. 26:24). But it does mean that the whole nation then living when the Deliverer comes out of Zion, when the Lord Himself shall descend to this earth, to Jerusalem, for the deliverance of His people in “the day of Jacob’s trouble,” shall fepent and be saved. That will be a glorious day. Friday, August 10 . Rom. 11 : 23 - 32 . “The gifts and the calling of God are without repentance,” i.e., God never changes His mind about any gift He bestows or any call that He sends forth. He called
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