God’s consolation for Israel: (11:11):
The apostle Paul asks once again: Has Israel has stumbled beyond recovery? In the Messianic Psalm (Ps.69:22-23). Paul is not quoting it for eternal punishment. He says that they only have stumbled. There is a difference between stumbling and falling. They have stumbled, but they are not knocked out, God’s plan and purpose has not been removed completely. They did not stumble into an irrevocable fall. They will certainly recover from stumbling. Jews who reject Christ are not hopelessly lost. They can still be saved. But in the meantime, salvation is being offered to Gentiles. Paul once again referring the Scripture “I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding” (Due.32:21). Jews have never imagined that God would bless the Gentiles so much that the Jews would be envious.
God’s specific purpose in allowing Israel to stumble: (11:12-16):
Israel has experienced the stumble but not the permanent fall. In so doing he was fulfilling the purpose of God. He knew that it was a temporary phase. He looked beyond, that Israel’s stumbling was a boon to Gentiles.
- Jewish rejection brought Gospel to the Gentiles: (11:12): The Gospel went out to the Gentiles after the Jewish people rejected. The rejection of the Gospel by Jews was riches to the Gentiles. During the ministry of Paul, he turned away from the unbelieving Jews at least 3-times (Acts 13:46; 18:5-6; 28:25-28). But this has not deterred Paul to completely walkway from Jews.
- Jewish rejection has brought reconciliation for the Gentiles: (11:13-14): It has given more opportunity for the Gospel to go to the Gentiles and they took good advantage of this opportunity. God had the universal plan of Salvation for the entire mankind. It was not just the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah which caused Gentiles to be saved, but this had made the Gospel to come early to the Gentiles.
- Israel’s acceptance of the Gospel would a life from the dead: (11:15):
Since Gentiles were enjoying the riches of the Gospel, it was Paul’s heart desire that these riches of the Gospel should be enjoyed by both Gentiles and Jews. He wants to motivate Jews in a kind of jealousy so that they too receive the blessings equally along with Gentiles. If Israel’s stumble or trespass which is temporary has brought riches to the Gentiles, the mankind would experience greater blessings if Israel turns to the Lord and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as its Messiah. Certainly greater riches will be enjoyed by Gentiles after the conversion of Israel before the Lord’s return. In other words, If Jewish failure has brought blessings to others, Jewish success will bring even more. Their full conversion to God would be the complete restoration which is nothing but passing from death to life.
- There is hope for Israel: Israel a holy dough: (11:16): Paul was looking to the future heritage of Israel taking an illustration of the holy dough. Israelites are promised and special people. When Israelites enter the promised “you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord. Present a cake from the fist of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor” (Num.15:19-20). The first of the dough was to be set apart and offered to the Lord which is the fruit-fruit. So when the priest offer the part of the dough or a sheaf of the harvest, it represents the entire harvest, the part of the harvest is made holy. If the part of the harvest is made holy, the entire harvest is holy and acceptable. In other words, if the first-fruit be holy, the entire lump is holy. The idea is that when God accepts the part, He sanctifies the whole.
The first converts of Christ were Jews. When a remnant of Israel are elected, sanctified and preserved, it implies that God will bring to completion the saving of entire Israelites.
Admonition to Gentiles: Ingrafted branches: (11:17-24):
Paul warns the Gentiles not to feel superior because they have been grafted in place of rejected Jews. God has separated Abraham and made a covenant with Abraham, established through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and other Patriarchs. Through this family, God brought out a nation.