Numbers 4:1-28 - Take a census of the sons of Kohath

4:1-20

The census was now broken down further, with note being taken of those between 30 and 50 years old. They were to do work in the tent of meeting. The Kohathite priests had to be very careful in carrying out these tasks. Aaron and his sons took care of actually handling the holy items, the Kohathite priests were to ensure that they did not actually touch the holy things, otherwise they would die. The Kohathite priests were to be anointed by Aaron and his sons, but they were to not even look at the most holy things. We are not treat the things of God lightly.

4:21-28

Next we have the sons of Gershon, and once again it is the 30-50 year olds who are eligible to serve in the tent of meeting. They were to handle the curtains and the goatskin covering. Remember that the tent of meeting would need to be moved every time the camp moved. There is no severe warning for them, presumably because their task was far less likely to bring them into contact with the holy things.

Romans 12:4,5 - For as in one body

12:4

In chapters 9-11 Paul has spoken about the place of Jews and Gentiles in the kingdom, and both are equal. As he says elsewhere, there is neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile). Likewise, we all have different roles within the church, the body of Christ, but we are one body. Fleshly man is always looking to divide, witness the effects of identity politics. The gospel has no place for this disunity. We are one body with many parts. That is how we need to look at the church, and at our place in the church.

12:5

We are also members of each other. I need you and you need me. My well-being is dependent upon your well-being, and vice versa. Notice that there is emphasis both on the corporate body and the individual. Individualism, i.e. an excessive focus on the individual is not Biblical, nor is it good. Nor does the individual get swallowed up in the corporate. The Bible emphasises both. Take the Old Testament, there is focus on the nation of Israel, but there is also a focus on individuals such as Moses, Abraham, David etc. 

Numbers 3:14-51 - Count the Levites

3:14-39

So the Levites were separated from the other tribes and we now get a bunch of details concerning the Levites. They were to be listed, but from one month old, rather than twenty years old. We then get details of the numbers in the various clans, and the duties they were assigned to. The total number of 22 000 is actually 300 less than the total obtained by adding up the individual clan numbers. The 22 000 could just have been a rounded figure, or the number of Kohathites could have been 8 300, rather than 8 600, and 8 600 is a copying error. Apparently the Hebrew 3 and 6 look very similar. In truth it doesn’t really matter that much.

31:40-51

We now get more details on God taking the Levite firstborn (including the firstborn cattle) instead of the firstborn of all of Israel. The Levites belonged to God. In 1 Cor 6:19,20 it reminds us that we are not our own, but bought at a price. Like the Levites, we belong to God. One Levite firstborn redeemed one non-Levite firstborn. This left 273 non-Levites, so these were bought for 5 shekels.  We might think this is a piddling detail of no importance, but what it does show is that the price Christ paid on the cross to redeem us has been paid in full.

Romans 12:2,3 - Do not be conformed

12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world”. Israel frequently wanted to be like the nations. The church is forever trying to be like the world. This is not what we are meant to be, not what we were created for, nor saved for. We were saved to be like Christ. We are to be transformed, not conformed. And this transformation comes about by the renewal of our minds. This is not the mere gathering of knowledge, but a whole new way of thinking. For instance, if we lose our lives for Christ’s sake we actually gain them. And this is most certainly not an unthinking approach to life. We are to discern the will of God by testing. We apply Godly wisdom, not human wisdom, to situations. And God’s will is “good and acceptable and perfect”. 

12:3

“By the grace given to me ...” We sometimes think of grace as a rather “soft” thing. However, grace also gives authority. Right at the beginning of Romans Paul said it was because of the grace given to him that he was an apostle to the Gentiles. Paul’s first instruction to them is to have a right attitude about themselves. We should not have an unduly high opinion of ourselves. Instead we are to have a “sober judgement” about ourselves (and others).  While we must not have an inflated picture of ourselves, we must not have an inferiority complex either, especially mistaking it for humility. We are to measure ourselves by faith. This means that we recognise we are all forgiven sinners and that God is making us evermore Christlike, able to be useful servants.

Numbers 3:1-13 - The account of the family of Aaron

3:1-4

We start with the "generations of Aaron and Moses", though all the names mentioned here are Aaron's relations. All Aaron's sons are named, then we are reminded that the first two, Nadab and Abihu, died because they offered unauthorised fire (Lev 10:1,2). So it was just the latter two who served during Aaron's lifetime.

3:5-10

We now get a long section on the duties of the Levites. Numbers is the book which gives the most information on the Levites. The Levites were to assist Aaron and his sons, and were to protect the people. Leaders in the church are supposed to protect the people, and that includes helping them not to sin. For a minister to assist a member of the congregation in sinning, or to tell them that sin is OK, is a terrible thing to do. The Levites were also to guard the tabernacle, to protect the sacred things. They were given to Aaron and his sons. Outsiders were not allowed to come near the holy things.

3:11-13

When the plagues were being unleashed on Egypt the firstborn of Israel were spared and were dedicated to the Lord. After the golden calf incident, it was the Levites who rallied to Moses, and so to the Lord (Ex 32:25-29). Then the Levites were chosen to serve the Lord.

Romans 12:1 - I appeal to you

12:1

The first eleven chapters have laid the theological foundations. In fact, much more than foundations, they have set the whole structure of the kingdom and our part in it. We now get the practical applications, though these chapters still contain “theology”!

We are saved by grace through faith, but this does not in any way mean we are to be passive. So Paul makes an appeal to them. He is very strongly urging them to do the things he is about to talk about. And he does so “by the mercies of God”. He is not appealing on the grounds that they need to do these things in order to earn salvation, but because of the mercy of God. The mercy of God is more than forgiving us for our sins, it is also about enabling us to live the lives we ought to live. And we only experience this grace when we put the effort in, when we seek to live godly lives. So we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, dedicated to the service of the Lord. This is our “holy and acceptable” offering to God, it is our spiritual worship. But note the mention of “our bodies”. Spiritual worship is not some nebulous or ephemeral thing, but is deeply rooted in reality. “Spiritual worship” can also be translated as “rational worship”. NIV has “true and proper”.

Numbers 2:1-34 -The Israelites are to camp round the tent of meeting

2:1-9

We now get details on how the tribes were to arrange themselves around the tent of meeting. Essentially three tribes on each side.

So on the east there was Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. Nahshon appears in the genealogies of Ruth (Ruth 4:20), and of Jesus (Matt 1:4 and Luke 3:32). These tribes would be the first to set out.

2:10-34

On the south side we have the tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Gad. These tribes would be the second to set out.

On the west were Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. They set out third.

Finally on the north were Dan, Asher and Naphtali, and they set out fourth.

Everything was done according to the plan.

Romans 11:34-36 - To Him be the glory forever

11:34,35

“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counsellor?” Yet so often we seem to think we know better than God! Liberal theologians and so-called progressive “Christians” are the experts at this. But even as Bible believing folk we can do the same. When we get anxious we are effectively saying that we know better than God. We don’t! No one has given to God, whether it should be a material gift or advice. God does not owe anyone anything. We need to recognise who we are in relation to the Lord.

10:36

Everything is from God, thorough Him and for Him. He created the universe and everything in it, including you and me. The universe only continues to exist because of God. And everything is geared towards achieving God’s purposes.

“To Him be the glory forever! Amen”.

Numbers 1:44-54 - The ancestral tribe of the Levites

1:44-46

The census was carried out by Moses and Aaron and a leader from each of the tribes. Given the numbers it probably means that they oversaw the counting, rather than actually doing all the work themselves. We are then reminded of the purpose, and given the total number. God did not just rescue the people and drag them along, or at least that was not His purpose. The amount of complaining they did demonstrates that to a large extent they had to be dragged along. But God’s purpose was to rescue the people and build them into an effective unit. It is the same with salvation today. Salvation is not just about being forgiven and healed, we are set free for a purpose.

1:47-54

The Levites were treated differently, for they had a different purpose. They were to be in charge of the tabernacle. In church life we need people to do the practical things, we also need people to attend to the “spiritual” things (I am just using the term “spiritual” very loosely here, anything done for God is “spiritual”) such as prayer, worship and teaching. Both are important.

Romans 11:32,33 - That He might have mercy on all

11:32

“For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all”. The “everyone” here means every people group, it is not grounds for supporting universalism. We are all in the same boat, Jew or Gentile. We have all sinned against God, and we can all receive mercy if we believe in Christ. There is no difference.

11:33

Paul closes this section with the doxology, a paean of praise to the Lord. This could apply to what has been said in chapters 9-11, or to the whole of what has gone before. The essence of it is that God’s plans are beyond our working out, and are infinitely more wonderful than anything we could come up with or imagine. We should believe what God has done, and what He is going to do, but our ultimate faith should be in who God is. There are many times when we cannot work out what He is doing, but we can always be confident that His plans are good. No man could have worked out how God was going to save the world, or save Israel.

Numbers 1:4-43 - One man from each tribe

1:4-19

The one person from each tribe was to assist Moses in the task. This person would have a more intimate knowledge of his tribe than Moses would have. We then get a list of the twelve people who were to assist Moses. God gives Moses the names of the twelve people. So Moses and Aaron begin the task and the census begins.

1:20-43

We now get the lists, with essentially the same being said for each tribe, giving the name of the tribe and the number of men counted. As indicated in the introduction, there are questions about the numbers. The numbers are all, with one exception, rounded to the nearest 100 (Gad to the nearest fifty). The problem that most people raise is that the total comes to just under six hundred thousand, which would imply a total size of two million. Deut 7:1 then says there were seven nations larger than Israel. So the total population for the region would be 15-20 million, which exceeds the current population. So the numbers are thought to be unreasonable, if taken at face value. Several explanations have been offered, including:

• The figures are an exaggeration

• The Hebrew word translated “thousand” means “military unit”

• Numbers were used for their narrative value rather than being intended to be taken literally, and the readers of the time would recognise this.

[The above information is based on the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Walton and Keener.]

Romans 11:29-31 - The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable

11:29

“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable”. This verse is sometimes quoted completely out of context and misapplied. I have heard it used to imply that when God gives some ministry gift to someone it is irrevocable. This is not a proper use of this verse. It is referring to Israel, that is the clear context, and it is referring to God’s call of Israel. The Greek word translated irrevocable actually means “without regret”. God called Israel and the Old Testament is full of promises regarding Israel. God does not regret calling Israel, and has no regrets about doing so, nor of making any of the promises. The call and the promises will be fulfilled, and there will be a faithful Israel.

11:30,31

The context and application of the previous verse is made even clearer, as is the whole of Paul’s argument in chapters 9-11. Anyone who feels superior to Israel, or anyone who says “Israel rejected Christ therefore they are no longer part of God’s plan” has no grounds whatsoever for doing so. We Gentile believers were once disobedient, but we have now received mercy. God used Israel’s disobedience in taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Israel was (and still is) disobedient in rejecting Christ, but God will show them mercy as well. There will come a day when they repent and believe. And God will use His mercy to the Gentiles as part of the process in bringing this about.

Numbers 1:1-3 - Take a census

1:1

The Israelites are now in their second year of release from Egypt. The book starts by saying that God spoke to Moses. Indeed, an emphasis in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers is that God spoke to Moses, and Moses spoke to the people. In John’s gospel a key theme (one of many!) is that God sent the Son, and Jesus revealed to us what He had seen the Father do and heard the Father say. The book of Numbers covers a period of just under thirty nine years.

1:2,3

Then we are right into lists. God commands Moses to take a census. Now David was severely rebuked for taking a census. So taking a census or not taking a census is neither right nor wrong. Following God’s command is the issue. The purpose of the census was to get a list of all the men able to fight in the army, so a census of all the men twenty years or older was to be taken. The people had been released from slavery and were now being prepared for battle.

Romans 11:27,28 - I take away their sins

11:26,27

Paul quotes from Is 59:20 and 27:9 (Septuagint). The key point, and the point that the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day refused to recognise, was that Israel needed to repent. Sin was her biggest problem, as it is with every human being. The deliverer comes from Zion, that is Jesus. So salvation comes from Zion. Ungodliness will be banished from Israel (Jacob), and God’s salvation involves taking away their sin. Sin is the fundamental problem. Unless someone, Jew or Gentile, recognises that they cannot be saved.

11:28

This verse sums up the present situation. With regard to the gospel the Jews were indeed enemies, for in the early days of the church most of the persecution came from the Jews. Paul does not shrink from recognising the realities of the situation he and the church was in. But they were still chosen of God, He would bring salvation to Israel, in addition to the Jews who already believed.

Numbers - Introduction

Introduction

Numbers is not one of the most popular books in the Bible! There are a number of lists, and if you have followed these blogs for any length of time you will know that I am not overly enamoured with lists. It is also a record of a number of failures. The whole nation, with a couple of honourable exceptions, failed to enter the Promised Land and so the nation was subjected to forty years in the wilderness. Moses failed to honour God as holy before the people, and so was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, while still having to lead them through the wilderness for many years. There is the incident with Balak, and several rebellions of the people. 

The book is traditionally ascribed to Moses (e.g. Num 33:1,2). It may be that some parts were edited by later scribes, but the account is based on what Moses said and wrote. E.g. Num 12:3 was probably written by someone other than Moses! (Look it up.)

The Israelites do a lot of complaining, and suffer for it. So there is a whole lot of human failure contained within this book. There are two key things we learn about human failure. The first is that it matters. Being God’s chosen people does not take away responsibility from the people. The same lesson applies to us. The second is that God’s plans will still be fulfilled, despite human sin. God’s plans are fulfilled on God’s terms. 

Questions are raised about the numbers in Numbers. Taken at face value the numbers imply a population of about two million, which is very big for the time. Various attempts have been made to answer the supposed problem, most saying, one way or another, that the numbers do not mean exactly what they say. None of the answers are particularly satisfactory, and we do know that God made the people fruitful. So until such time as a better solution is arrived at, we will take the numbers at face value.

Romans 11:25,26 - All Israel will be saved

11:25

Paul now wraps this part of the argument up. Before looking at the text itself it is perhaps worth looking briefly at how chapters 9-11 fit into the whole, in particular chapter 8. There are two key parts of the later stages of chapter 8 that are very applicable to chapters 9-11. First, in Rom 8:28 and 29 Paul says that all things work together for good in order to make us more Christlike. The rejection of Jesus by the Jews seems, on the face of it, a very bad thing. Yet God has worked through this to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, and it will eventually lead to Israel believing in Christ. A few verses later he says that nothing will separate us from the love of God. Again on the face of it it seems that Israel was very much separated from the love of God, but in fact God has not forgotten about Israel.

Here at 11:25 Paul wants to make sure that the Gentile believers understand what is happening. Yes, there has been a hardening of Israel, but this is only a partial hardening. It is not forever. It will last until God’s work among the Gentiles is complete.

11:26

“And in this way all Israel will be saved”. There are numerous interpretations of what “all Israel” means, ranging from those that in effect means all believers and so effectively does away with Israel, to those that say literally all Israel will be saved. Both these extremes can be rejected as nonsense. I tend to prefer the interpretation that says it means those Israelites who believe. Gardener thinks this is rather tautologous, but I’m not so sure. It does imply that many Israelites will one day come to repent and believe.

Leviticus 27:22-34 - These are the commandments

27:22-25

These rules ensure that someone could not dedicate land that they had bought from someone else without redeeming it at the Jubilee. This was to ensure that the land could revert back to its original owner. Some people might think “I will have to give the land back anyway, so I might as well dedicate it to the Lord”, so it would be a cost-free “gift” to the Lord. These rules countered that sort of activity.

27:28,29

“Devoting” something to the Lord was different . Something that was devoted to the Lord was a permanent giving to the Lord. It could not be redeemed. 

27:30-34

Tithing first came in with Abraham, though the practice may have existed before then. Tithes of all the produce were to be given to the Lord. The rules here, as well as stating that tithing must be done, were to ensure that no one “cheated” in their tithes. Being tempted to cheat on giving is a very human tendency. The book closes again, much as it did at the end of chapter 26.

Romans 11:23,24 - God has the power to graft them in

11:23

Paul then states quite clearly that if the Israelites do not continue in their unbelief, then they will be grafted back into the vine. God has the power to do this, He also has the desire to do this. We believe that no one has fallen so far that they cannot be saved, this also applies to the Jews just as much as it does to the Gentiles.

11:24

In fact, this ought to have been obvious to the Gentiles. For they had been grafted in, even though prior to their hearing and believing they had no connection at all, naturally speaking, with the vine. They were a wild olive branch grafted into the true olive tree. How much more will branches from the true olive tree be grafted back in if they repent and believe. Salvation is by faith, faith is the righteousness of God that has been revealed in the gospel.

Leviticus 27:9-21 - He shall not exchange it

27:9-13

Now we come to animals being dedicated to the Lord. There is provision here to ensure that someone does not present a good animal to the priest, and then actually offer a lesser beast. Mal 1:12-14 rebukes Israel for offering dodgy animals. If someone wanted to redeem an animal then a fifth had to be added to its value. 

27:14,15

Someone could dedicate their house to the Lord, or “as something holy to the Lord”. The house would revert back to the owner at the Jubilee. If a person wanted to redeem it before that time they would have to pay an extra fifth. So it seems to recognise that a person’s circumstances may change, so they need the house back, but there was a penalty for doing so, therefore people would not lightly dedicate their house.

27:16-21

If land was dedicated, then its value was determined according to how much seed was required for the land. They had to redeem the field by the Jubilee, otherwise it would belong to the priesthood forever. At one level all these regulations seem to be a bit much, however, they are bringing some order to giving, and providing fairness.

Romans 11:21,22 - The kindness and severity of God

11:21

God has shown that He is quite prepared to cut off unfruitful branches, as Jesus taught in John 15:1-11. Remaining in Christ is crucial. We cannot be proud and remain in Christ. So if we become proud and unfruitful God will not spare us. So often we treat the harsh passages of the Old Testament (and the New Testament! It contains many harsh passages) as something to be smoothed over, explained away. This is not the Biblical approach. It is not the approach of Jesus not of the apostles. The harsh passages should be taken seriously.

11:22

The “kindness and the severity of God” go together and must be taken together. If we just take one of them (usually the “kindness” these days) then we have no idea what we are talking about. Why do the two go together? It is because the only way of salvation is faith in Christ. Any other way boils down to relying on our own merits and therefore the righteous judgement, which will be severe, is all we can expect. But if instead we put faith in Christ, in His work on the cross, then we encounter the kindness of God. The gospel is good news if we believe, but contains no comfort at all for those who persist in unbelief. And the belief is first that God’s judgements are right, and we are guilty, and then that Christ has paid the price for us.

Leviticus 27:1-8 - If anyone makes a special vow

27:1

Lev 26:45 had rounded off Leviticus, this chapter forms something of an addendum, dealing with various gifts and vows. So why is this addendum included? The various sacrifices, offerings etc in the main body of Leviticus were obligatory. The gifts and vows here are optional, freewill offerings. Even so, they are still subject to the Lord and must be done on His terms.

27:2-8

Here we get a whole list of monetary values placed on people who were dedicated to the Lord. There may have been a variety of reasons why someone would dedicate someone else (a relative) to the Lord. Rather than the person actually serving the Lord directly, a specific sum of money could be given instead. There is a whole table of values depending on the gender and age of the person dedicated. The poor were not excluded from this, for the priest could set a value if the person was quite poor.

Romans 11:17-20 - Do not be arrogant

11:17,18

Now Paul turns to the Gentile believers. As stated in the previous verse, they are holy, fully accepted by the Lord. They need to realise this, whatever some Jews might say. They had no need to feel inferior, but neither did that have any grounds for feeling superior. Some of the branches (i.e. unbelieving Israel)were broken off, and believing Gentiles were grafted in, but the Gentiles must not become proud. Pride was part of the Jewish problem. The Gentile believers were feeding off the root of the Olive tree, and the roots were Jewish. To put it another way, the New Testament is built upon the Old Testament. Neither makes any sense without the other.

11:19,20

“The branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in”. Maybe, but they were broken off because of their unbelief. Any Jews who believed were kept in, such Peter and Paul and the other apostles. If the Gentile believers wanted to remain in the kingdom they needed to “stand fast through faith”. They must not become arrogant or proud, but should have a holy fear. And this applies to all of us.

Leviticus 26:40-46 - But if they confess their iniquity

26:40-42 

However, all this disaster being a result of sin is actually good news, for it means that there is a solution. If the people repent of their sins and return to the Lord. If they repent of their unfaithfulness, if they humble themselves before the Lord. Then the Lord would remember His covenant with them. For our nations in the West we need to pray for repentance. 

26:43-45 

There are two key things to note here. The first is that the disasters are a result of the people’s sin. They rejected God’s laws and so are being punished for it. The second is that there is a way back. God would not abandon them completely, not even in the land of their enemies. God would remember His covenant, made with their ancestors when they came out of Egypt. 

26:46 

The section closes with “these are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai”. The Lord made these through Moses. We can see a parallel here with the covenant He has made with us through Jesus Christ. What God established through Moses was binding on the people, what He has established through Christ is even more binding.

Romans 11:15,16 - Life from the dead

11:15

Earlier in Romans Paul has said that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. The Jewish rejection of the gospel has led to the gospel going out to the world. When they accept Christ and the gospel  there will be “life from the dead”. This probably refers to spiritual renewal rather than the actual resurrection. Whatever its precise meaning, their acceptance of the gospel will be good news! It is always good when someone, or some people group, believes in Christ.

11:16

There are several key things that Paul wants to drive home in these three chapters. One is that it is only by faith that the Jews can be saved, there is no other route to salvation. Another is the absolute acceptability of the Gentile believers. They are accepted by God because of their faith in Christ. The other key point is that God has not given up on Israel. Here he uses two analogies to say that the Gentile believers are holy. The first fruits probably refers to the first believers, who were all Jews. 

Leviticus 26:31-39 - I will lay your cities waste

26:31-35

The offerings would not be accepted by the Lord. When a church abandons God’s word it will often go through the motions, and have a superficially “religious” form, but this will not fool God. If we want to please God then we need to listen to Him, trust Him and obey Him. The cities and land would be laid waste, and this would be a direct action of the Lord. They would be scattered among the nations. Again, this happened during the Assyrian inversion for the northern tribes, and during the Babylonian conquest for Judah. Then the land would enjoy its Sabbath rests. The will of the Lord will be obeyed, one way or another. The rest denied it by the disobedient Israelites, would eventually be enjoyed by the land.

26:36-39

The Lord’s people are not meant to be fearful, but when they abandon the Lord fear takes a hold, and much of this fear is irrational. We see this in our own world today. We saw it during the Covid pandemic with government after government making irrational decisions. We see in the irrational responses to the “climate emergency”. This is not to say covid wasn’t important, it was, nor that we should not look after the environment, we should. But the response of many is utterly stupid and counterproductive.  And so we see a similar response described here. All this will happen because of their sins.

Romans 11:12-14 - How much more will their inclusion mean!

11:12

Paul now seeks to broaden the Gentiles’ understanding of the situation, and to warn against wrong attitudes. The trespass of Israel has resulted in riches for the Gentiles, the gospel went out to the Gentile world. The wrong conclusion would be that it is good that the Jews have rejected the gospel, and long may it stay that way. The truth is that there will be even greater riches when Israel does turn to the Lord. God’s plan is a plan of salvation. Paul has no doubt that God plans for Israel to be saved.

11:13,14

Paul now addresses the Gentiles believers directly. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, appointed by the Lord (Acts 9:15). Paul understood God’s mission, and it is that salvation should come to both the Jews and the Gentiles, and it has always been so. Paul delighted in his mission, not just because the Gentiles were being saved, but because it would also lead to the salvation for the Jews.

Leviticus 26:23-30 - I myself will strike you

26:23-26

“If in spite ...” God foresees mans’ refusal to repent and listen to Him. “do not accept my correction”. The afflictions are not merely punishment, but “correction”, seeking to bring the people to their senses. So now the Lord Himself would be against them. The prophets sometimes spoke of God being against the nation (e.g. Is 1:25; 28:3). There would be no escape. The sword would come against them. If they retreated to the cities, plague would come upon them. Then food would be in short supply.

26:27-30

“If in spite of this ...” The rebellion would continue. Sinful, prideful man is incredibly stubborn. God would be hostile against them, they would end up eating their own sons and daughters. This happened in the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. All the idols they had built would be torn down. There would be many dead, their bodies left on the lifeless and useless idols. Sinful man trusts in things that are utterly useless. God would abhor them. Man was meant to be the pinnacle of God’s creation, but in his disobedience he becomes worthless.

Romans 11:9-11 - Did they stumble

11:9,10

Paul now cites Ps 69:22,23. The stubborn adherence to trying to achieve righteousness would become “a snare and a trap” to the Jews, a stumbling block. It seems a good thing to man to try and earn our salvation, to seek to become worthy of it, but this is actually rebellion against God. We were created by the Lord, we did not choose to come into existence, this was entirely down to God. To think we can live without God is the height of foolishness. This way will never lead to righteousness. Moreover, it ignores the fact of our inherent sinfulness, our fallen nature. There is nothing admirable in seeking righteousness by our own efforts.

11:11

So far Paul has been emphasising the failure of Israel, but that is not the end of the story. God has made numerous promises to Israel, and these are not now null and void. But God’s plans were greater than anything Israel imagined. Israel is not lost forever. First, as a result of their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles.  And part of the purpose of this was to make Israel jealous. They would see that the Gentiles were receiving salvation and they were not. At present we see that they are jealous, but for the most part it has produced only resentment.  We should also note that Israel and Gentiles here are used as referring to groups. Many Israelites and many Gentiles are not saved, but salvation is open to all who believe, Jew or Gentile.

Leviticus 26:18-22 - I will break the pride of your power

26:18-20

The consequences for not listening to the Lord continue. The number seven represents completeness, they will receive the full consequences of their sin. Refusal to listen to God is a result of pride, thinking that we know better than God. We see this today in our societies endorsement of homosexuality and transgenderism, but it happen in any area where we think we know better than God. So the sky would refuse to yield its rain, and the ground would not bear food. Prideful man would put in great effort, but for no reward.

26:21,22

If after this man still persisted in his prideful ways, refusing to listen to God, then God would multiply his afflictions. “As your sins deserve”, the punishment would be no more than man deserved. Wild animals would be sent against them, their children would be devoured, and their cattle destroyed. They would decrease in number. This is the exact opposite of how things should be, of how things would be for a people who obeyed the Lord.

Romans 11:7,8 - Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking

11:7

Paul sums up the situation. Israel was seeking righteousness, but failed to find it. We need to understand that merely looking for the right thing, searching for it, even searching for God is not enough. For if it was we are then making salvation man focused, man dependent. However, some did find it, these were the elect. “The rest” had hardened hearts.

11:8

Paul quotes from Is 29:10, and this states that God gave them a spirit of stupor, so that their eyes would not see nor their ears hear. And this was true right down to Paul’s day, and even now. The truth of this is seen in their rejection of Christ.  Does this mean man has no responsibility? No. Their stupor is a result of seeking to earn righteousness, of being man-centred. 

Leviticus 26:14-17 - But if you will not listen to me

26:14,15

Following the relatively short section on blessings, we now get a much longer section of curses, or punishments for disobedience. In the Bible a “curse” is usually “God’s punishment on man’s sin”. Why is this? Is God keener on cursing than He is on blessing? Absolutely not! A life lived in obedience and faith is an awful lot simpler than a life lived in rebellion. If we live in rebellion the complexity and problems of life just multiply.

26:16,17

Having set out the general principle, God begins to set out the details. Sudden terror and wasting diseases and fever will come upon them. Perhaps most importantly, God’s face will be set against them. So their enemies would defeat them, and those who hated them would rule over them. When we live in humble submission to the Lord things work, when we don’t things stop working. I believe this is what is happening to the West. The good news is that the problem is easily solved by repentance. Sadly repentance is not easy. We need to pray for God to be merciful to the nation and lead us to repentance. And you can pray the same for your nation.

Romans 11:5,6 - There is a remnant chosen by grace

11:5

So Paul now applies the principle to the Jews. There is a remnant and it is chosen by grace. This means that no matter how bad things are, no matter how bad people are, God’s grace can overcome all things. Grace most definitely does not mean that sin does not matter, what it does mean is that the grace of God can overcome all sin.

11:6

Paul then stresses again that we are saved by grace. Our natural way of looking at things is to assume it is by works. We need to get out of this way of thinking. God’s salvation is based on the grace of God. If it was based on works then grace would no longer be grace, grace would not be relevant. But grace is supremely relevant. Indeed, if it was not by grace then no one would be saved, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 

Leviticus 26:9-13 - I will make you fruitful

26:9,10

26:9 expresses God’s desire for mankind. He wants us to be fruitful and to increase in numbers. This is the same purpose as expressed in Gen 1:28. Despite the fall, God’s plans have not changed. And God will keep His covenant with us. God’s plans are for abundance. He also desires to dwell with us. God does abhor sinful man, but this is not the way He wants things to be. Man’s solution to this is that God should stop being bothered about sin! God’s solution was to send His Son to pay the price for our sins. 

26:11-13

26:12 expresses the oft repeated purpose, “I will be your God and you will be my people”. This crops up again and again in the Old Testament, and God will fulfil this purpose. God’s desire is to be with His people, to live in fellowship with us. God had set them free from slavery in Egypt. He broke the yoke of slavery and set them free so that they could “walk with heads held high”. This is what God does with every sinner He frees. He sets us free from the things that bind us, and the things that have brought shame upon us.

Romans 11:1-4 - Has God rejected His people?

11:1

So Paul has been making the point as strongly as he can that the assumption of the Jews that they had some sort of special right to be in the kingdom was badly mistaken, that faith was God’s chosen way in, and the only way in, and that the Gentiles who believed were as much part of the kingdom as anyone else. In this chapter he deals with two primary issues. First, has God rejected Israel? Or more pertinently, has God rejected His people? Secondly he warns the Gentiles in no uncertain times not to become proud! Pride was a big part of the Jewish problem, it would be a serious mistake for the Gentiles to become proud! 

To the first issue the answer is that God has definitely not rejected His people. Paul himself is an illustration of this, and Paul, as Saul, vigorously persecuted the church. Paul was a most Jewish Jew and he believes, he has been saved. 

11:2-4

“God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.” “Foreknew” means more than simply having knowledge of what is going to happen. It is more a matter of God having determined to save people. So this really means God saves those He intends to save, and this number is greater than we think. Elijah thought he was the only one left who was faithful to the Lord, but God told him that He had kept seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 18:1-46). Now, things were bad in Elijah’s time, and in Paul’s time many Jews had rejected Christ, but that was not the end of the matter. God’s plans are better than we imagine.

Leviticus 26:3-8 - If you walk in my statutes

26:3-5

Obedience to God has an effect on the natural environment. If they followed the Lord’s decrees then He would send the rains at the proper time, and the ground would be fruitful. This does not mean that they would not work, quite the opposite. It did mean that their work would be fruitful. Our success and safety depends upon the Lord.

26:6-8

Peace and security are a fruit of following the Lord. Danger would be absent from the land. They may be attacked, but every attack would be easily repelled. It would be their enemies who would fall before them. It wouldn’t matter how big the attacking force was, five would repel a hundred, and a hundred would repel ten thousand. 

Romans 10:20,21 - I have been found by those who did not seek me

10:20

The problem was that Israel had too high an opinion of herself, she was not willing to admit her guilt, her inherent sinfulness. This is true of all humanity. So God was found by those who did not seek Him, and He has shown Himself to those who did not ask for Him (Is 65:1). Salvation all stems from God, not from man. People sometimes speak of men seeking God, a more accurate way of looking at things is God seeking man.

10:21

Paul then quotes Is 65:2. God spoke to them again and again. He revealed Himself again and again. He did many awesome acts on their behalf, but they refused to listen or to learn. Israel had no one to blame but herself. So far it looks grim for Israel, but that is not the case. For everything depends upon the Lord, not Israel nor any other man. And in the next chapter we will learn of God’s plan of salvation for Israel.

Leviticus 26:1,2 - You shall not make idols for yourselves

26:1

This chapter, like chapter 28 in Deuteronomy, contains a list of blessings and curses. This pattern is found in other law codes from the second century BC, though first century BC codes and treaties do not (see Hess). This lends credence to Leviticus having a second century BC date. 

Before we come to the blessings, there is a reminder of the command not to worship idols, not to set them up. Worshipping something other than the Lord is a constant danger, and one that we are equally prone to. If we put our trust in anything or anyone other than the Lord we are worshipping that thing or person.

26:2

Conversely, they are to observe the Lord’s Sabbaths, and to have reverence for His sanctuary. Observing the Sabbaths was a key aspect of worship. It applied not just to the weekly Sabbath, but also the seven year and Jubilee Sabaths. Observing or not observing these demonstrated whether or not someone’s trust was actually in the Lord or not.This is followed by the oft stated phrase “I am the Lord”. Everything comes from God.

Romans 10:18,19 - The voice has gone out to all the earth

10:18

So had those who did not believe not heard? Was that the problem? No, for Israel had received the Law and the Prophets which looked forward to the gospel, and the gospel had been going out to the nations of Europe and Asia Minor. The focus here, however, is on Israel. Israel certainly had heard. Indeed the Messiah Himself had come to Israel. The quote is from Ps 19:4.

10:19

So not hearing was not the problem for Israel. Perhaps the message was unintelligible. But this was not the case either. For Gentiles had understood and believed the message, and they were “not a nation”, “a foolish nation”. God would make Israel angry, which indeed He succeeded in doing. For Israel was angry that the Gentiles were coming into the kingdom. Paul here is quoting from Dt 32:21.

Leviticus 25:47-54 - Shall be released in the Jubilee Year

25:47-49

We now come to the situation where an Israelite has become poor and sells himself to a foreigner. Foreigners in the land were still subject to the Israelite laws. It seems that they were allowed to have an Israelite as a slave, but the slave could be redeemed, and blood-relative could redeem them. They could even redeem themselves if they prospered (25:49). This last bit reminds us that slavery was not quite like a common picture of it. This does not mean that it was pleasant! It may often have been brutal and harsh, but sometimes it was possible for a slave to amass sufficient money to buy themselves out.

25:50-54

The Israelite slave still had to take account of the years to the Jubilee, so the foreigner is treated fairly. So if many years were left, the price was higher than if only a few years remained. Then we learn that they were to be treated as hired workers, and not ruled over ruthlessly. The Israelite slave was still to be freed at the Jubilee. They belonged to the Lord. The circumstances and actions did not alter the fact that the man belonged to the Lord. And again we get the reminder that they were rescued by the Lord.