Israelite Advantages

Romans 9: 4-5

My kinsmen according to the flesh, 
who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the Temple service and the promises, 
whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Paul has just confessed his sorrow for the Chosen People who are not recognizing their Messiah (see Yesterday). 

Now he's recounting all the advantages they have been given. 

They were chosen by God to be His sons who would be promoted in His Family Business. 

They were to receive glorified bodies in order to perform these functions. 

They received the Covenants of birth and land.

They received the Law to be able to live their lives according to the way God designed this Earth to function. 

They had the Temple of God to worship Him the way He deserves. 

They were given all the promises of what God planned to do for them through this life and into Eternity. 

They are descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Patriarchs. 

This is the same genetic line of Christ Jesus, our Messiah and Savior and Redeemer, our Lord and King. He is the Lord God who spoke in earlier times to introduce Himself to His special creation, to tell us who He is, and how to relate to Him and to one another. 

Our Lord God did all this for the children of Israel, so they could show the rest of the World how wonderful our God is, and want to worship Him, too. 

And then He came to the Earth as one of us, born as a baby like we all enter this World. Then He grew up, just like everybody else, but then He fulfilled all the things He had told us He would do, as our perfect example, and our substitute in death as the Lamb of God. 

Then He rose from the dead, to show us that God the Father had accepted His payment of our debts, and now lives forever, never more to die, as our Lord God and King. 

So why did not the Israelites recognize Him? They had all the advantages, in being the first people-group to receive all the benefits. They have always been the first to hear God, receive from God, and worship God. 

So what happened? Did God's Word fail? 

Tomorrow we will discuss this possibility. 

O my Father, thank You for all You have done. Thank You for all You are doing now. And thank You for all You will accomplish in the future, and throughout all future Eternity! 

Father, You have planned it all out. You know what You want, and You have arranged for everything You planned to work out just as You desire. And You use us to do it! We are Your hands and feet, Your tongue and mouth, to draw to Yourself all those You made to be Your own children. 

Father, continue to send out Your workers into Your fields, to plant and reap all of Your crops, to find and carry in all Your lost sheep. 

Fill Your Great House, Father; gather all of Your uncountable number of children around Your Banquet Table to enjoy sweet fellowship forever. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is Messiah, Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever, Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!