The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Twenty-Three

"Hardened Hearts"

Romans 11:1-10 (NLT)  I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

   And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

   It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

   So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see,  and closed their ears so they do not hear.” 

   Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

"The word of God has not fallen even though in his day-and ours-the great majority of Israel has rejected her Messiah and is accursed and cut off from Christ." ~ John Piper

This portion of Scripture deals with the notion that God has forsaken the Jews. This idea is not true. Though most Jews have rejected Jesus as Messiah, He has not rejected them. He will never forsake His Chosen.  God is not bound to save a person just because of ancestry or parents-Jewish or Gentile. ~ John Piper

The physical or ancestral heritage is not what causes a right relationship with God. It is the spiritual heritage that does this. When a person lives their lives by faith in Jesus, they are part of the spiritual chosen. God fulfills His promises in those who have faith in His Son Jesus.

Acts 20:20-21 (NLT) I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

God actions towards man is always just. He is kind and compassionate, extending His grace and mercy to us. We in turn, must repent from our sins and turn toward Him to receive His salvation and renewed relationship with Him.

I know this is crazy but I just watched an episode of "Beverly Hills Housewife." (I can be shallow sometimes) But, it broke my heart to see how much they needed to hear about Jesus. They had a psychic on who claimed to know what people think and how their lives would turn out. Interestingly, she has a TV show based on her life called "Medium." (I don't watch that show and never intend to because the Lord tells us to stay away from things like that.) The women at this cocktail party wanted her to "read" them. She was a foul-mouthed woman under deep spiritual bondage. The whole time I watched it I was thinking, "these women need Jesus." Their eyes were blinded by their wealth and insecurities. Would they have listened to someone telling them about Jesus? Yet, His grace extends to them as well.

The point I am trying to make is this, God has chosen to give eternal life to those who choose to believe in His Son Jesus. Things in life like wealth, drugs, pride, anger, wanting to know the future, etc. separate us from Him. They cause a hardening of the heart. God's Holy Spirit calls all to Himself but hard hearts keep Him at a distance. These poor women, though wealthy and privileged are spiritually starving. Their lives get in the way of eternity with God who loves them enough to give His Son's life to redeem them.

Matthew 13:14-16 (NLT) This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Because of God's grace, ears can be opened, hearts can be softened and lives can be changed. He has chosen to give us all a chance to have a relationship with Him through belief in His Son and repentance of our sins. God is good. Hard hearts can be softened by the Holy Spirit.