Romans 11:3

"God didn’t reject his people, whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel:"

Key Reflection

Romans 11:3 serves as a powerful affirmation of God's ongoing relationship with his chosen people, despite their current rejection and suffering. Paul draws on the example of Elijah, who fervently pleaded with God against Israel, illustrating that even when God’s people stray, they are not permanently forsaken. This context highlights the deep and enduring bond between God and his covenant people, emphasizing that their rejection is temporary and part of a larger redemptive plan.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 3. Lord, they have killed, etc. This is taken from 1 Ki 19:10. The quotation is not literally made, but the sense is preserved. This was a charge which Elijah brought against the whole nation; and the act of killing the prophets he regarded as expressive of the character of the people, or that they were universally given to wickedness. The fact was true that they had killed the prophets, etc., (1 Ki 18:4,13) but the inference which Elijah seems to have drawn from it, that there were no pious men in the nation, was not well founded. And digged down. Altars, by the law of Moses, were required to be made of earth or unhewn stones, Ex 20:24,25.

Related Verses

More from Romans 11

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