17 But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God,
18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law,
19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,
21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?
22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?
24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written.
Paul continues on the thought train - we all need Jesus. Up to this point any reference to the Jews has been tangential. Paul began to focus on the Jews and the Law in the last paragraph when he notes that Gentiles may follow God’s Law without actually being Jewish.
But what about the Jews who do not follow God’s Law? Paul has an answer...
***
V. 17-20 - “if you bear the name ‘Jew’" - The sarcasm here is so intense, it is a wonder the ink did not eat through the paper (parchment?). Look at the accusations Paul lays before the Jews.
You Jews claim that you:
- Rely upon the Law
- You know God
- Know HIs will
- Approve things that are essential
- Are instructed from the Law
- Are confident you are a guide to the blind
- Are a light to those in darkness
- A corrector of the foolish
- A teacher of the immature
- Have the embodiment of knowledge and truth
There is a certain amount of schadenfreude as we see Paul grab the Jews by the front of their shirt and slap them silly. In truth, Paul’s words hit too close to home for Christians. We also take a holier-than-thou attitude in dealing with others. Look back to verses 2:1-2 - We are without excuse. Jesus also warned us. See Matt. 7:3-5; Luk. 6:41-42.
You can almost hear the Jews proclaim, “We are Jews! We cannot be depraved! After all, we have the LAW!”
V. 21 - “do you not teach yourself?” - Do you pay any attention to what you are saying? You claim you can teach others what they need to know. Where’s the evidence you have learned from your own teaching?
“Do you steal?” - Example number one: Commandment number 8, (Exo. 20:15). God chastises the Jews, accuses them of stealing from Him. How? They steal when they do not offer the proper tithes. They are cheating God out of what is due Him. (See: Lev. 19:13; Psa. 50:18; Mal. 3:8; Matt. 7:11; 15:5; 23:14-20)
V. 22 - “do you commit adultery?” - Example number two: Commandment number 7, (Exo. 20:14). Is adultery a serious sin? It must be, since it is one of the 10 given to Moses to teach the people of Israel. Beyond that, we see many times in the OT disloyalty to God is treated as adultery. Adultery is sex outside of marriage - a married person having sex with someone to whom they are not married. (Sex between unmarried people is fornication. It is a sin.) Worshipping false gods is seen as adultery. It is a breaking of the close personal relationship similar to that which should exist in marriage. God describes the Jews as the ‘bride of the Father’, and the church as the ‘bride of the Son’. In this sense adultery ranks as important as “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exo. 20:3)
God considered divorce the same as adultery - the breaking of the marital commitment. Why then did divorce exist - because we are weak, and prone to sin. (See: Psa. 50:18; Matt. 5:27-29, 31-32; Matt. 19:4-9)
“do you rob temples?” - This offense is less clear to me. God did give the instruction to the Israelites to leave the gold from the Canaanite idols alone. He did not want them defiled by the idols. (See: Deut. 7:25; Josh. 7:21) I am not sure how this applied to the Jews of the first century A.D. It is hard to imagine Jews entering temples of false gods. Perhaps the Jews were doing business, selling and buying, with the temples and cheating them in the process. (That is my speculation.)
V. 23-24 - “do you dishonor God?” - You show contempt for the Law by your selective obedience. James says it clearly: “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” (Jam 2:8-11)
“For THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU” - God acts to preserve His reputation among Gentiles, among all peoples. They see how Israel acts and thereby lose respect for the God of Israel. God tells David directly his sin has besmirched God’s name. (2 Sam. 12:14) The punishment Israel receives in exile is the result of their dishonor of God. (See: Isa. 52:5; Ezek. 36:20ff) Paul reminds the church of this in his letter to Timothy. (1 Tim. 6:1)
God is not glorified when our actions refute our professed belief in Him.
***End Rom 2:17-24
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