Romans 11:2b-4 Don’t you know what 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”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
Paul now uses the story of Elijah to support his idea that God has not forgotten Israel but has left a remnant to carry forth the testimony of the way of faith. The Jews of Paul’s day faced the same type of situation as the Israelites of Elijah’s time. Most of them had rejected faith in God and had turned to idols. Although the Jews of Paul’s day had not specifically turned to idols (the Jews had learned a hard lesson about this through the Babylonian exile), they still had a form of idolatry by thinking that the law would make them righteous. They had erected their own type of idol shown in their spiritual pride and arrogance. Paul had been persecuted by the Jews like Elijah. But God did not give up on Israel but “reserved” 7000 faithful people. In Paul’s day, there was also a faithful remnant who understood God’s plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul was hoping that other Jews would come to faith like the remnant. God does not give up on anyone, but it is always up to us to respond to faith. God’s invitation is open to all but sadly few heed that call.
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