Romans 9:1-5

I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh, who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

It is pretty obvious from this passage that Paul dearly loves the Jews. His love was so deep for them that, before God, He knew that he would rather go to Hell so that they could go to heaven. I believe that Paul talks this way, at least in part, because he knows he was saved by God’s mercy. Just like them, he used to fight against Jesus. He knows that the Jews can’t see the truth because of sin’s blindness but he wishes that they could. He says that his pain is “unceasing” for them.

Notice the things that God has given to the Jews. He has given them “the adoption,” which I believe refers to the fact that God made the Jews His very own earthly people. He also gave them “the glory,” which probably refers to many things in the Old Testament like the fact that God provided all kinds of miracles on their behalf when they were taken out of Egypt. God also gave them “the covenants.” Some of these covenants have yet to be fulfilled. He gave them “the law,” which I have already talked quite a bit about as well as “the service,” which I believe is talking about the Jews duty to serve God. At one time this meant serving in the Temple. Now, I believe it has more to do with representing the word of God to the world. It was to them that God delivered “the promises” and the example of all those men who obeyed God. All of these things have been provided to us in the Bible by the Jews.

The biggest honor that the Jews received was that they became the people through whom God sent the Messiah into the world. The Jews are to be honored and loved because of what God has done through them. We should share with Paul in the deep desire that they would come to know their Messiah.