God has not turned away from Israel's people
1 So I ask this: ‘Has God turned away from his people?’ No, certainly, he has not done that! I myself belong to Israel's people. I am a descendant of Abraham and I belong to Benjamin's tribe. 2 God chose who would be his people from the beginning. He has not turned against them now. Remember what the Bible tells us about Elijah. He wanted God to punish Israel's people. Elijah said, 3 ‘ Lord God, they have killed your prophets. They have destroyed the altars where people offered sacrifices to you. I am the only person alive who still serves you. And they are trying to kill me.’ 4 This was God's answer to Elijah: ‘There are still 7,000 men that I have kept for myself. Those men have not worshipped the false god Baal.’
5 It is the same at this time too. There is a small number of Israel's people that God has chosen to trust him. He has chosen them because he is very kind. 6 God has not chosen them because of any good things that they have done. If that were true, it would not be his gift to them that they do not deserve.
7 So we can say this: Israel's people did not all find what they were looking for. Only those people that God had chosen received it. But the other people of Israel were unable to understand God's message. 8 It says this in the Bible:
‘God caused them to be like people who are sleeping.
Even until today, their eyes cannot really see,
and their ears cannot really hear.’
9 King David said this:
‘I pray that their feasts will become a trap for them.
Let their feasts bring them trouble and punishment.
10 Let their eyes become dark so that they cannot see.
Let their bodies always be in pain, like slaves.’
11 So now I ask this: ‘When Israel's people failed to accept God's Messiah, did they make themselves separate from God for ever?’ No, certainly that is not true! Because of their mistake, God is now saving Gentiles. He is doing that to make Israel's people become jealous. 12 Because of their mistake, God has blessed everyone in the world. Israel's people failed to receive what God wanted to give them. As a result, God has blessed the Gentiles with many good things. So, when the complete number of Israel's people do turn to God, the result will be even better!
