Read: Romans 11:25-36
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Micah and Romans
O Lord, protect your people with your shepherd’s staff; lead your flock, your special possession. Though they live alone in a thicket on the heights of Mount Carmel, let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead as they did long ago. 15 “Yes,” says the Lord,“I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued youfrom slavery in Egypt.” 16 All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the Lord will do for you. They will be embarrassed at their feeble power. They will cover their mouths in silent awe, deaf to everything around them. 17 Like snakes crawling from their holes, they will come out to meet the Lord our God. They will fear him greatly,trembling in terror at his presence. 18 Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. 19 Once again you will have compassion on us.You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! 20 You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.
~Micah 7:14-20 (NLV)
What scriptures are you studying right now? I have just finished going through the book of Micah. The amazing thing about Scripture is that we can read the prophet Micah or the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and see the same themes that we are learning about in Romans on Sunday morning.
As I read through Micah, it reminded me that the God who loves and cares and calls people to come deeper in Romans is the same God that has always been. This past Sunday Carson addressed the impact the story of Israel had on Paul as he wrote Romans, and he discussed the impact it should have had on how they saw Christ. One of our ADC classes is teaching how the Law of the Old Testament is important to Paul’s writings as well as how it affects our understanding of Romans.
In order to see these themes, sometimes we have to plunge deep into the forest. I don’t want to say weeds because weeds aren’t something we want to keep. We want to keep what we learn as we study God’s word. By plunging into the forest, we are strengthening our roots and building ourselves a firm foundation.
This meditation for preparation is a little different because I want to encourage you to read the passage above and look for themes that we have seen within Romans. A few themes you can identify and look for are as follows: God’s love, God’s judgment, God’s compassion, and God’s forgiveness of sin. Identify verses within this passage of Micah where you see these themes, and then identify verses within Romans that speak to these same attributes and actions of God.
By taking a few minutes to do this cross-passage study, I hope you walk away with the understanding that God is unchangeable. God has desired to be with his people, to dwell with them and love them, to draw them to Himself, and to forgive them of their sin. Our God is immense and worthy of awe and wonder in the best possible way. I pray that as we continue to study Romans, and as you continue to study other passages of scripture in your own time, you will find joy and beauty in these themes that bear evidence of who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are across the pages of Scripture.
