“What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.” Romans 11:7
July 9, 2025
It was Martin Luther, the Reformer, who said, ”The human will – like a horse – if God sits on it, it goes where God wills; if Satan sits on it, it goes where Satan wills. The horse, however, lacks the ability to choose its own rider.” Therein lies the key to understanding why the Jews of Jesus’ day saddled up and rode in the wrong direction. The question before us is, is God through with the Jews? In moving toward the answer to that question, we must know what happened historically in the overall rejection of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah. It (Deut. 29:4; Isa. 29:10) had been told by God. The Jewish leaders and the crowds who shouted, “crucify him” (Jesus), were seeking righteousness in all the wrong places. They wanted to be accepted by God on the basis of works and the righteousness of the Law (Rom. 10:2-3). The result? Judgment fell upon them by their own choosing. The majority of Israel said a big “NO” to the offer of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. My dear reader, has a spiritual numbness taken over your response to Jesus? Hearing the gospel and turning your back on its offer is a nail in your spiritual coffin. Hard hearts get hard treatment. There are those who have resisted God’s voice (His Word and the Holy Spirit) and are on the road to eternal punishment. Run to Jesus as fast as you can.
H
“If men will leave God’s flowing spring and willfully march into the swamp, the law of the sucking quicksand will come into effect.”
Donald Grey Barnhouse.