Chapters 9 and 10 may seem to indicate that God, having originally chosen Israel, has now given them up. Here, however, the apostle, using himself and Elijah as examples, proves that this is not the case.

Lit., soul.

Baal, which in Hebrew means master, possessor, was the name of a chief idol of the Phoenicians and Canaanites.

Israel stumbled on the stone of stumbling, Christ (Rom. 9:32), but did not fall. Rather, they only misstepped in order that God's salvation might come to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). This is God's economy in His selection.

The three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, referred to in v. 28 as "the fathers," are the firstfruits of the dough, which were offered to God for His satisfaction. They are also the root that supports the branches of God's cultivated olive tree, Israel.

Grafting produces an organic union (see note Rom. 6:5¹). It is not the exchanging of a poor life for a better life. Rather, it is the uniting of two lives as one so that they may share one mingled life and one living. Such a mingling of life takes place when two similar yet different lives pass through death (cutting) and resurrection (growth). This depicts our union with Christ.

According to the word in Matt. 2:15, "Out of Egypt I called My Son," a quotation from Hosea 11:1, Christ and the real Israel are one entity. When the Gentile believers are grafted into Christ, they are grafted into Israel, the cultivated olive tree, to become fellow partakers of the fatness (Christ) of the root (the patriarchs — v. 16), the unsearchable riches of God in Christ (Eph. 3:8). They and Israel have become the branches of Christ, the true vine (John 15:1, 5), and with Him the two have become the organism that expresses the Triune God.

This will occur at the Lord's second coming, when all the remnant of the nation of Israel will repent and turn to believe in Him as their Messiah and be saved (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 11:26).

Referring to the repentant and believing Gentiles. The completion of the fullness of the believing Gentiles is different from the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24). The latter denotes the termination of the time of Gentile power.

This shows clearly God's economy in His selection. Israel's unbelief affects their relationship with God. Nevertheless, since the calling that issues out of God's selection is irrevocable (v. 29), they are still the beloved people of God positionally.

Man's disobedience even fulfills God's mercy.

This is a praise to God for His riches, wisdom, and knowledge, which are beyond what man can search and trace, and which God exercised in creating all things and in arranging all things for the fulfillment of the selection of His chosen people. This praise and that in Rom. 16:25-27, at the end of this book, are of different sources and have different goals. The former comes out of God's selection and has the accomplishing of God's selection as the goal; the latter comes out of God's mystery in the times of the ages and has the fulfillment of that mystery as the goal. Both result in the giving of glory to God.

Wisdom is deeper and higher than knowledge. Wisdom is seen in the initiation of something, whereas knowledge is seen in the practical application of the thing that was initiated by wisdom. God is the unique Initiator, as seen especially here in the matter of His selection. His wisdom in initiating His selection and His knowledge in carrying it out, as described in these chapters, deserve our highest praise!