GOD'S INFINITE WISDOM
“FOR God has committed them all to disobedience, THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY ON ALL.”
Romans 11:32 (NKJV)
The mystery of God's infinite wisdom is being described and shared here by Apostle Paul. God did allow or permit the disobedience of the Israelites that a room might be made for the salvation of the gentiles—the whole world (Romans 11:32).
Two mysteries: riches of God's wisdom and knowledge are being displayed or exhibited here by God which are illustrated by Apostle Paul:
a. God has not totally or completely rejected the Israelites, but He permitted their hardness of heart, or they were permitted to stray from Him, that access to Him, God, might be given to the gentiles—that the whole world might come to Him (Romans 11:8,11; 1 Timothy 2:4).
b. God also wanted to provoke the Jews to jealousy, to show or prove to them that His mercy and goodness which was their [Israelites'] sole benefit, is being given or extended to the gentiles, the whole human race (Romans 11:11).
God has not outrightly rejected the Israelites, but He wanted them to see the value or importance of His mercy and goodness that used to be their sole or exclusive benefits; that they might run
back to Him in repentance and appreciation of what He, God, has
done for them.
If you did not know the value of what you have, you might be allowed to lose it for a while or a period of time. Finding it back after some time, you tend to value and appreciate it the more. The reason being that, at the period you lost it, or you are deprived of it, you have come to see and know the importance of it. Now, getting it back would make you value and appreciate it the more.
In God's infinite wisdom, He did allow the Jews to lose their place in Him, because they are the only nation adopted by God to establish a relationship with. This stems from the covenant God made with their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Acts 3:25).
However, God from the foundation of the world had had the plan that the whole human race would come back to Him or be reconciled to Him:
15 AND WITH THIS THE WORDS OF THE PROPHETS AGREE, JUST
AS IT IS WRITTEN:
16 ‘AFTER THIS I WILL RETURN AND WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, WHICH HAS FALLEN DOWN; I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL SET IT UP.
17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, EVEN ALL THE
GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY
NAME, SAYS THE LORD WHO DOES ALL THESE THINGS.’
18 “KNOWN TO GOD FROM ETERNITY
ARE ALL HIS WORKS" (Acts 15:15–18
(NKJV).
READ: Isaiah 11:10; 49:6; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19.
The fulfilment and manifestation of what God had had in plan from eternity was unfolded when God without minding the bigotry of Jewish believers moved in Cornelius house to save the
gentiles (Acts 10:34,35,44-48; 15:7-9), and did the same in the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas and the subsequent missionary journeys of Paul and others (Acts 15:3,4; 21:18,19).
Salvation or reconciling to God or relationship with God is not exclusive of the Jews.
Thus, if I may ask:
• Have you taken a step on it?
• In other words, have you been reconciled to God? (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
Peace.