Romans 11:1-10
The Remnant of Israel
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? 4And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day." 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."
God loves us...He does not reject His people...Sometimes He must discipline us...But His love remains...Elijah, one of the major prophets was haunted by the wicked queen Jezebel and king Ahab...Elijah, even though God was with him, was afraid and ran from Ahab and Jezebel for his life (1 Kings 19:3)...But God' presence appeared to Elijah on the mountain...A great wind came by Elijah, but He was not in the wind...A great earthquake passed Elijah, but He was not in the earthquake...A fire came and He was not in the fire...Then came a gentile whisper, and Elijah covered his face with his cloak and there God was...He was in this calming gentile whisper...
God tells Elijah that a few believing Jews were out there (Elijah wasn't alone, even though he felt like he was)...He was not the only one left that believed in Him...St. Paul tells us that now in his time that there is a group of believers...
As in Elijah's day, Paul's day, and now today there is a group of believers, who refuse to have idols...But some people, no matter what time it is in the past, present, or future, refuse to believe and do reject Him...He knows the believers and the nonbelievers and all of their/our thoughts...
We are told in David's Psalm that He allows us free choice, to do anything we want and if we choose this spirit of stupor, we will not see the light and go down in a snare...We must first seek God and not resist Him so we can see the light and hear His spirit in the gentile whisper...We have a choice, to believe or not to believe...When we get so caught up in this world and forget our Father then we cannot see...We are in a spirit of stupor...
We must open our eyes to God...Seek Him earnestly...Have the faith...And in the days we struggle, we must pray to Him to keep the faith...We are not alone...
Faith is not defined the same as certainty or something you can see, or feel...Faith is not the same as the truth...We can have have and keep the faith by God's grace...Our salvation is not gained by something we do, otherwise, it would not be called or no longer be grace...