Romans 11:33-36 - Wisdom, Knowledge, All Things

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?
35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

***

Who Knows God’s Mind?

***
This reads like a hymn of praise, and could have been used in the early church.

V. 33 - “depths of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God!” - Overwhelmed with amazement! God’s way of forgiving our sins, and establishing a relationship with us is beyond imagination. God knows we need to be saved - we cannot work our way to perfection. God knows that if the means of salvation is not provided, there will be people who claim unfairness. They will claim ‘privilege’ or ‘lack of privilege’ as the reason they are not saved - “It’s unfair”! The absolute fairness of God displays His wisdom. Sacrificing Himself in order to save all is amazing! We have all heard of a person sacrificing himself in order to save another person - The United States’ Medal of Honor is often awarded posthumously to such a person. We know of stories - e.g., “Tale of Two Cities” - where a person gives his life for another. None of these save everyone. None of these saves anyone for eternity.

“How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” - How do you argue with God on this? What holes can you punch in HIs wisdom and method of saving us? You don’t like the sacrificial system in the Old Testament? How would you demonstrate mercy? How would you show that forgiveness is not earned, but accepted as a gift? How would you show a build up of pride in people will be inevitable if they work their way into God’s mercy? (You know that people will brag about how they worked and were saved. They shun you because you worked and failed.)

V. 34 - “Who has known the mind of the Lord...” - Quoted from Isa. 40:13ff. We can not understand God and how He thinks, anymore than we can know how the universe began (KNOW absolutely, not theorize based on partial ex post facto observation.) We can see what He has done. We can believe He has done it. We have no rational basis for challenging His plans or His methods. His ways are higher than our ways (Isa. 55:9). We can not understand all He does anymore than a kindergartner understands quantum physics.

V. 35 - “Who has first given to Him...” - Quoted from Job 35:7, 41:11. What have you taught God, for Him to recite back to you, that you might grade and correct His progress in learning? Have you taught Him how to build a planet from nothing? Have you showed Him how to create gravity to hold the moon or satellites in their orbits? Did you teach Him how to work sunlight and chlorophyll in plants? Did you design the reproductive process, and then share it with Him so the world could be populated?

V. 36 - “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” - All things. Enough said.

*** End of Chapter

Rom 11:25-32 - Israel - for our sake

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
27 "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,
31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.
32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
***
***

The Calling of God

***

V. 25 - “I do not want you... to be uninformed of this mystery” - What mystery? There are a couple of answers that fit. First, that salvation is by God’s grace and mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Second, the Gentiles were added to the family tree of God, even as some Jews were being lopped off because of their rebellion.

The mystery is revealed in the last half of this verse - “a partial hardening has happened to Israel...” Because Israel hardened themselves to the message of salvation from God, the way was opened up for us, the Gentiles. Not all of Israel rejected Jesus. Does this mean if the Jews had not rejected Jesus as Messiah, the Gentiles would have been ‘shut out”? No. The Gospel came to the Gentiles in spite of the Jews, rather than directly through them. The promise is the whole world would be blessed - that is, both Jews AND Gentiles.

“so that you will not be wise in your own estimation” - Don’t think that you are better than others - any others - because salvation has come to you.

V. 26-27 - “so all Israel will be saved” - The salvation of the Gentiles through faith - which has come to them because of the recalcitrance of Israel - will also come to the Jews. This does not mean after all of the Gentiles are saved, then all of the Israelites will be saved. In verse 25, above, we see the phrase “until the fullness”, which is also used in Gal. 4:4. The idea is that when God determined the time was right, He sent His Son to save the world. Jesus came to the Jews, being a descendant of David, and now the time is right for the Gentiles to be offered salvation directly. Before Christ came, the salvation path appeared to be through the Jewish faith and practices. Now it is offered to all. Paul is a evangelist called to preach to the Gentiles. (See: Acts 9:15-16, et. al.)

I am not sure that “all Israel” means that every Israelite will be saved. In several places in the NT, it is noted that salvation is offered to all, but only many will actually be saved - a remnant, so to speak. All Israel has the gospel message. The offer of salvation is made clearly to all Jews. All could accept Christ and be saved. In reality, most will not; neither will most Gentiles

The quotation is from Isa. 59:20-21; 29:7. God has promised holiness to His people. He has promised to take away their sins, take away their guilt, take away their shame. All of this is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

V. 28 - “from the standpoint of the gospel” - It all depends how you want to look at it... Because they rebelled against God - in essence became enemies of God - the gospel has come directly to you.

“From the standpoint of God’s choice” - However, God chose Abraham and his descendants for the promise. Their rebellion notwithstanding, God did not, nor does not rescind His promise. (See: Num. 23:19; Deut. 7:5; Josh. 23:14; 2 Sam. 7:25; Acts 7:17; Gal. 3:17, 18)

V. 29 - “for the gifts and the calling” - There is no substantive difference between “gifts” and “calling”. Both are given by the Lord to us, not because we have earned them, but by His grace. Once given, they are not recalled by God. We did not choose God to bless us. (Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15) We can choose to accept and give thanks for His gift. (Psa. 65:4; Isa 14:1; John 15:16; Jam. 2:5) God does not withdraw His offer to us, because we reject it. He waits patiently for us to repent and turn to Him.

V. 30 - “you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy” - (See: Col. 1:21-22; Eph. 2:3-4, 12) “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us... For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son” (Rom. 5:8, 10)

V. 31 - “they also may now be shown mercy.” - Not that Jews were not previously shown mercy. Paul’s hopes the Jews will see Gentiles are receiving mercy and eternal life, and want the same for themselves. The mercy and grace is already there, but is not efficacious because the Jews are stubborn. God does not force us to be blessed.

V. 32 - “God has shut up all in disobedience” - No one can say, “I am not, nor have been, disobedient!” All of us, everyone, fall far short of the glory of God (See: Rom. 3:23). God is sinless perfection, holy and righteous. We most definitely are not. It is a gap we cannot span, cannot cross.

“so that He may show mercy to all.” - Logically, if all are failures then all need mercy. If there was some way for us to earn our way into God’s presence, then there would be some who would do it. Others would not. How would you know if your efforts were sufficient? There is no way to know, until it is too late. When standing in front of God our Father in the final judgement, some would claim, “It’s not fair! I tried really hard! They got lucky breaks I didn’t get! If I had known, I would have tried harder.” There are as many excuses as there are people.

All need God’s mercy and grace - no exceptions. No one can claim they deserve salvation because of their own efforts. Everyone is dead in sin. God’s mercy is offered freely to all - no exceptions. Everyone has the same “lucky break” - Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior has paid the price.

*** ***

Rom. 11:22-24 - Kindness and Severity of God

22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
***

God Will Welcome Them Back!

***

V. 22 - “Behold then the kindness and severity of God” - It depends on your point of view. If you reject God’s offer of salvation in Jesus, you may think God is being too harsh. If you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and His forgiveness of your sin, you know His kindness and mercy. You’ve received what you do not deserve - eternal life, peace with God, freedom from sin and guilt, and victory over death (you will be with Him forever!). See: “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)

V. 23 - “And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in” - Salvation is offered to the Jews, in spite of their rejection. If they can overcome their pride and disbelief God will save them just as He has done for us. We can only be saved by faith in Jesus. The Jews can only be saved by faith in Jesus.

V. 24 - “ For if you… were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree” - The picture painted here is you Gentiles were ‘wild’, outside the boundaries of the farm or orchard, not bearing edible fruit. God took you wild branches, adding you to His precious tree of life. You now have life eternal. You can know God, be with Him, be friends with Him, be part of His family! If God can do that for you (Note He did do that!) thin of what He will do for the Jews. 

“how much more” - God pruned them from His family. He can graft them back in. Gentiles are not part of His chosen family, and are added at His grace. We are welcomed into the family. The Jews are welcomed back. See: Luke 15:11-32. The parable of the prodigal son fits here. They rejected and then came back. They are lost but are now found. There is much rejoicing for those who were lost are are now saved! There is also rejoicing over those of us who were in the wilderness, “wild branches” as it were, when we have heard the message and come to Christ as Savior! The OT prophets foresaw that Gentiles would be added to God’s’ family.

***

 

Rom 11:16-21 - Cut-off vs. Grafted

16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,
18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."
20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;
21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
***

Do Not Be Arrogant!

***

V. 16 - “if the root is holy, the branches are too” - Two analogies here: dough and branches. If you take a lump of dough from a batch (“piece”) it will have the same characteristics. When I bake sourdough bread, the levain (a.k.a. sourdough starter) is mixed throughly in the flour and then allowed to bulk ferment. I separate the bulk into two loaves and allow them to proof before baking. Both loaves have all the same characteristics as the main piece of dough. If the starter has gone bad, then the loaves will be bad.

The branches of a grape vine, or an apple tree or olive, or a rose bush are fed from the root. If the root is healthy, the branches can be healthy also. Sometimes hybrid roses are grafted to a more hardy rose root stock. (This may be true for grapes or olives also.) The analogy begins to break down in that the hybrid rose maintains its qualities - the “Betty Boop” or the “April in Paris” grafted roses do not change to the root stock, but are maintained healthy.

V. 17 - “some of the branches were broken off” - Paul is describing a pruning process. One of the ways to get a plant to produce good and plentiful fruit is to cut off non-producing branches. For example, non-determinant tomato plants will grow and grow, producing luxurious foliage. The tomato plant will have better tomatoes if some of these branches are removed so the nutrients are concentrated. God said in Isa. 18:5 He will remove the unproductive branches and tend to the productive branches to bear much fruit.

“you... were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree” - A people, who were not originally His people, will be His people. God will take a branch from a “wild olive” - i.e., Gentiles - and add them to His family tree. We were lost, producing no good fruit. Those who were not His people have been given a new heart, a new nature, and being fed by the Holy root - the power of the Holy Spirit - will be able to produce good fruit.
This is where the analogy doesn’t quite fit - valuable olive, grape or rose branches are grafted to a hardy root stock - whereas we “wild ones” are reborn, given new spirits and new bodies fed by the power of God. We are “partakers of the rich root”. We do not produce good fruit on our own, but only by the grace of God. We are given a new nature, given to us because we accept and believe Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and that new nature receives life from God through the Holy Spirit.  

V. 18 - “do not be arrogant toward the branches” - This reminds me of the first “Star Wars” movie. Luke and Han Solo are shooting at tie fighters, and Luke gets exited because he hit one. Han says, “Don’t get cocky kid!” You might ask, “From where would this arrogance come?” The answer is human pride. The Jews, (especially the Sadducees and Pharisees) were extremely proud of their Jewish heritage - they were ‘clean’ and the Gentile sinners were the ‘unwashed’. Christians are not any better than that. Too often, we get to believing that our salvation makes us better than others - non-beleivers. “Look at me! Look at what I’ve done!” We so easily ‘forget’ that it is by God’s mercy that we have been changed, and that not of ourselves. And if you have been a Christian for a significant period of your life, it is too easy feel superior to the faults of newbies. We chuff through our lips and think, “Well, I never… I am glad I am not like them.” By grace you have been saved, and by grace you grow in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who works in you to bring your closer in your relationship with the Lord. It is Christ the Lord who makes it possible for me to follow and act in His teachings. 

“the root supports you.” - It is not your doing that brings salvation. It is by God’s grace, and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He did this, not you. “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)

V. 19 - “You will say then“ - Continuing with the ‘don’t be arrogant’ theme: you may be tempted to think you are something special because you replaced the Jews. After all, they were rejected and pruned away from the righteous root, and you were added on.

V. 20 - “Quite right” - In that the Jews rejected Jesus, and those people are rejected by God. They are not saved as a result of their unbelief. Neither shall you be saved if you reject Jesus as Lord and Savior.

“you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear” - See Luke 7:50; Eph. 2:8-9. The only reason you can stand and face God at judgment time is that Christ Jesus intercedes for you, claiming you as His own. He has paid the price - God’s justice is satisfied. Be wary of being conceited about your privileged position.
Too much of our life is infected with irrational fears - agoraphobia, speaking in public, spiders, invasion by outer space aliens, pandemics, ghosts. I think the "fear" is based on a healthy respect for the Lord, and that you might fail in your relationship with Him. “Fear” that your attitude will get between you and your relationship with God. Discipline is not spared because you are a child of God now. See: Heb. 12:9-11; Rev. 3:19. If you do not know Jesus as Lord, and have not accepted Him as your savior, you indeed have reason to truly fear facing Him at eternity - you will be lost. If you are a child of God, then the fear is that you might fail Him in your relationship with Him.

V. 21 - “God did not spare the natural branches” - The Israelites are God’s chosen people. Read Exodus through Malachi. Did God spare them discipline and punishment for their rebellion? What was 38 years wandering through the desert if not discipline? The book of Judges shows a cycle of rebellion, punishment, repentance and salvation. The ten northern tribes were severely disciplined for their rebellion, their pride and arrogance - to the point that only God knows where their descendants are located. Babylon and Rome were also used by God to discipline the Jews.

 

Rom 11:13-15 - Ministry to Gentiles

13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Their Rejection becomes our Reconciliation

***

V. 13 - “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles.” - Paul acknowledges that explaining the failure of the Jews to heed the Lord may not carry deep significance for the Gentiles. The Gentiles do not have the centuries of history to which to refer. But that’s okay, because his mission is to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. (See: Acts 9:15-16; 15:1-22) The Gentiles are to know and understand: it is not by birth that they are saved, but by re-birth. It is not by works that salvation is attained, it is by faith in Jesus Christ. It is not what you know. It is who - Jesus Christ the Son of God - you know!

V. 14 - “If somehow I might ... save some of them.” - Paul knows his ministry, his mission - and he’s going to work it. He is dedicating his life to that mission (magnifying) in order that some Jews will note that a devout Jew has accepted Christ and so follow him to find the Lord.

V. 15 - “what will their acceptance be” - How exciting is this: Jews won to Christ through his ministry to the Gentiles. Life, eternal life in lieu of death, eternal death. What could be better than his fellow countrymen coming to Jesus!

***

Rom 11:11-12 - Jews’ transgression brought salvation

11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

***

Gentiles Benefitted from the Jews’ Mistake!

***

V. 11 - “They did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be!“ - So, the Jews stubborn hearts led them to reject Jesus as Messiah. They were spiritually blind and deaf, their good fortune caused them to rely on their perception of that good fortune. They were special, but could not see that it was because of God’s grace they were so. Paul is praying that rejection is not permanent or final. He prays this is a temporary setback.

"Salvation has come to the Gentiles” - Salvation comes to the world through Jesus Christ. See John 3:16-17 - “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.”  The rejection by the Jews does not change God’s ultimate plan! (See: Acts 13:46) The difference is in the execution of the plan, not the end result. God’s mercy and grace is not a function of Jewish religion, but is offered to all who will believe in His Son.

“To make them jealous” - It was prophesied in Hosea that people who were not God’s people would be called God’s people. God was warning both the Northern and Southern nations of Israel. There would come a time when His grace was going to be offered to people who appeared to be rejected or ignored by God. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were chosen by God to have a special relationship with Him. All others were ‘the nations”, kind of a faceless mass of humanity. There would come a time when that would change. We Gentiles are no longer faceless or forgotten - we, too, are now Children of God. (See: 1 John 3:1-2)
Perhaps, if the Jews are paying attention, they will want to share in the grace offered to the Gentiles. Not a jealousy that causes resentment towards the Gentiles because of the grace, but a desire to know the abundant life promised by God.

V. 12 - “If their transgression is riches for the world ...” - The whole world is directly blessed, not tangentially, because Jesus is available to all who listen. Salvation is offered to we Gentiles by the preaching of the Gospel to us. No longer a carom off a side cushion - salvation does not come from the Jews, but from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit spoken to our hearts and minds. All the riches of God is offered to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

“How much more will their fulfillment be!” - The Jews rejected Christ and the world is blessed by salvation offered to all and is efficacious to all who believe. This can be looked at in a couple of ways, so:

1. The world will be blessed even more when the Jews come to belief in Christ.
2. The blessing for the Jews will cause for even more celebration. The riches realized by the Jews will be even more wonderful because they overcame their stubbornness and bias.

I am not sure how anything can be better than having all the riches of God be ours through Christ - what could be better than being with Jesus and the Father, face-to-face, embraced in love for eternity?

***

 

Rom 11:6-10 - Israel Has Not Found It Yet

6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
8 just as it is written, "GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY."
9 And David says, "LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM.
10 "LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER."

***

V. 6 - “But if it is by grace” - The remnant, either Jews or Gentiles, are saved by “God’ gracious choice” (See: v. 5, above) not by our works or deeds. All too often we humans do not want to be saved God’s way. We want to do it our own way. For example, I just read in Jeremiah 42-43 that the Jews asked Jeremiah if they should escape to Egypt and they promised they would do whatever God told Jeremiah. Guess what - they rejected what the Lord told Jeremiah. They wanted to go to Egypt, and no one was going to change their mind. (My question is why did they ask?) Should God judge and reward you on your terms when you have rejected His terms? (Paraphrased from Job 34:31-33.) Can the inferior command the superior, and expect obedience from Him? God is the creator, we are the created. (See: Isa 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jer 19:1; Rom 9:21)

“otherwise grace is no longer grace” - Grace is not earned, but offered.  See the following: “He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6) The act of faith - believing in and accepting Christ - is not a labor one performs in order to receive gain or reward. It is a commitment of mind and will to God and Jesus.

V. 7 - “What then” - What hope is there for Israel? Where does she go for salvation? If Israel has rejected God, does that mean God has rejected Israel? Paul has already squashed that train of thought.

“What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained” - The nation Israel was seeking a kingdom of power and glory here on earth. A kingdom superior to all the tyrants around and over them - greater than Rome, or Greece, or Babylon and Assyria. A kingdom that would rise up and crush the oppressor nations. God always intended to save the world, not just Israel. Israel was to be the ambassador for the Lord. To be the conduit for the advent of the Messiah, the Savior. Through Israel the whole world will be blessed. This promise started with Abraham, the “Father” of the nation Israel. (See: Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-5; 17:15-16, etc.)

The problem was loss of focus on Israel’s part, not on God’s. “We will be great in the world’s eyes,” was Israel’s understanding. God says, “My name will be praised because of what I have done for the world. Israel will bask in that glory because the Savior comes through them.” The glory is not Israel’s. The glory is the Lord’s, and His alone.

Salvation. Israel was seeking salvation. Not on God’s terms, but on theirs. As noted in Rom 9:30-32, Israel sought righteousness based on works, not on faith. They could not obtain the unobtainable. It is always out of their reach.

“But those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.” - Some believed. Starting with the disciples, both men and women, there were those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Read through the Gospels - see the leaders go from curiosity and amazement, to suspicion, anger, to conspiracy to murder, ending with outright lies and demanding crucifixion. Their hearts became harder and harder. They turned many of the rest who were in Jerusalem at the time into a screaming blood-thirsty mob.

V. 8 - “just as it is written” - The following was a quote from Deut. 29:4 and Isa. 29:10. Words spoken to the Israelites by Moses in his last message to them, combined with words spoken to Judah and Jerusalem. In both instances, God has been doing miraculous things for the Jews - whether freeing them from Egypt and caring for them in the wilderness, or protecting them from foreign nations. These words are not a prophecy, but are quoted to show that the Jews have been stubborn for a long, long time. The exodus from Egypt happened about 1500 B.C., and about 750 years later Isaiah is warning them to listen to God.

The metaphor of “seeing” what God is showing them, and “hearing” what He is saying - is to exhort them to pay attention to God and to make a willful decision to obey His commands and instructions. Their acts of rebellion and rejection have the same effect as being sedated, drugged into a stupor. God is not making them belligerently ignorant.

They are saying, “We don’t want what you are offering!”
God says, “Are you sure? You are not going to like what happens.”
They reply, “Yes. Our prophets and leaders are telling us this is the way to go.”
God says, “But your spiritual leaders are blinded by their hubris. It’s as if they are drunk. They are leading you in the wrong direction.”
They reply, “They are telling us what we want to hear!”

God allows them to make the wrong decision. He does not coerce. He woos. When they reject Him, He allows them to have ‘hardened hearts’, just as happened with the Pharaoh.

V. 9-10 - “and David says” - Quoted from Psa. 69:22-23. Again, these quotes are not a prophecy. The sixty-ninth Psalm shows David begging God to provide help against enemies. David knows he has sinned against the Lord, and appeals to His lovingkindness. David’s enemies appear to be doing so well, and he appeals to the Lord’s mercy and compassion. His prayer to God is that his enemies will be so fat and happy they will be complacent - their good fortune will become a trap.

The Jews were so blessed by their position of favor with the Lord, they became lazy. By this I mean they began to worship by rote - going through the memorized motions.  They are relying on their good fortune to get them by. It is also possible they were relying on their obedience to the laws, which they did every week, every year to be enough. 

What an interesting paradox: The Jews are so sure they are God’s people that they don’t even need God! Their good fortune (they were selected by God to be His people) blinded them to their absolute need for God’s grace and mercy. I think that Christians can fall into the same trap. It is easy for many of us to be Christians - we live in a nation where belief in Christ is tolerated and sometimes welcomed. We here in America normally do not face persecution for our belief. (That may be changing, creeping from disinterest, to dismal and opposition. We have not seen persecution, yet. But there are initial attempts to squelch professions of faith. We will see how this goes in the United States.) 

***