OT/NT Echoes

Old Testament in Romans 11:1-2

How did Paul read his Scriptures? Let’s take a look at Romans 11:1-2, “Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.” (in some old manuscripts, “people” in 11:1 was rendered “inheritance.”)

My reference Bible points me to 1 Sam 12:22 and Psalm 89:31-37. Undoubtedly 1 Sam 12:22 is highly likely “For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.” It is more so because it can be observed that later on Paul in 11:3-4 speaks of the history in the Book of Kings (Kings were in the Jewish Bible the second book of Samuel). But it seems that the reference to Psalm 89 should be replaced by Psalm 94: 14 and 18, “For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance…When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O LORD, supported me.”

The terms and concept expressed by the psalmist precisely reflect the covenantal relationship between Israel and God, derived from the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance” (Deut 32:8-9). Israel is forever God’s inheritance. Paul has inherited millennia of faith of the Jewish people in God, mediated through the Old Testament, Moses and the Psalmist in particular. He affirms such a faith to the church of Rome, telling the readers that even Israel were hardened and their feet “were slipping,” God has his merciful arrangement (Psalm 94:18). Later on in Romans 11:11, Paul would deal with the issue of the Israelites “slipping” or “stumbling”: “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious” (Deut 32:8-9).

If we can recall what the OT writers expressed about God and His relationship to them, it would make the reading of Paul’s letters much easier to understand; and when we try to interpret his letters, we will have the OT as our framework. If we know the original language of Greek, we may be able to identify the words used in Paul’s letters and those used in the Greek OT (e.g., reject). But, we would still be able to get the flavor quickly if we read the OT more frequently. If we are familiar with the OT, we may also be able to pick up from the English or Chinese translations the connection.

(Pastor Raymond; from J Ross Wagner, Heralds of the Good News, 221-31)