TRAWDADDY: 03/28/24

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel – Romans 11:17-18

A Clay Jar

Encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12 NIV)

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Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
Romans 11:17-18 NET

Following Jesus’ command, the early church took the gospel first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (Acts 1:8). This led to the salvation of a great many Gentiles. So much so that Gentiles made up the majority in many churches. This led to a question concerning the status of unbelieving Jews. How did they fit into God’s plan for Israel? A question that many continue to have today.

In order to answer this, Paul used a horticultural example of grafting. Grafting is the process of attaching a branch that produces a desired fruit, leaf, or flower onto a plant or tree that has a superior root system.

Paul used grafting an olive tree for his example. And he told his Gentile audience that this olive tree was the heritage of historic Israel. “Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!” (Rom. 9:4).

God broke off some of the original branches of this olive tree–Jews who rejected their Messiah. And he grafted branches from a wild olive tree into the tree–Gentiles who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. As Gentile believers, we now share in what God has been doing with Israel from the time of Abraham. We are a part of the olive tree that is Israel.

But the branches broken off were not without hope. If they believed, they would be grafted back into the tree. And he looked forward to a time when that would take place. When the unbelieving Jews would turn to their Messiah, believe, and be grafted back into the tree. And then both the native and grafted branches would share in the nourishment of the one tree—Israel.

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Be Subject to the Governing Authorities – Romans 13:1-2

A Clay Jar

Encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12 NIV)

aclayjar.net

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Romans 13:1-2 NET

Human governments take a variety of forms today. Many countries have some form of democracy where the people have a say in who their leaders are. Others live under autocratic rule, where they have no say. Sometimes, the government is benevolent. At the other extreme are those that are repressive and harsh.

The Roman government Paul was under was autocratic. And, while it was generally tolerant, it was brutal in dealing with what it saw as a threat to its rule. It had grown large through conquest and the subjugation of other nations. And it was a government that ultimately killed Paul and many others in the first centuries of church history.

Paul’s words about being subject to the governing authorities are easy to accept when that government is benevolent, and we agree with its policies. But we struggle with this when our government, like first-century Rome, is harsh or we are at odds with its policies.

But Paul’s words are applicable regardless of the form our human government takes. From the most brutal and godless to the most benevolent and godly, it makes no difference. As believers, we are to be subject to our human leaders, the governing authorities. When we rebel against them, we are rebelling against God.

It is worth pointing out that the one who instituted our human government is a higher authority. When these two authorities conflict, we should submit to God as the higher authority. Just be sure it is actually God you are obeying rather than a personal disagreement with a policy. And be prepared to suffer when you obey God rather than human authority.