Through the Bible – Day 224

₁₃I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to you, I will take pride in my work. ₁₄I hope in this way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved. ₁₅When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world were able to turn to him. So when God makes friends with Israel, it will be like bringing the dead back to life. ₁₆If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too.

₁₇You Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree that were made to be part of a cultivated olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches that were cut away from it. And because of this, you enjoy the blessings that come from being part of that cultivated tree. ₁₈But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember that you are not supporting the roots of that tree. Its roots are supporting you.

₁₉Perhaps you think those branches were cut away, so that you could be put in their place. ₂₀That's true enough. But they were cut away because they did not have faith, and you are where you are because you do have faith. So don't be proud, but be afraid. ₂₁If God cut away those natural branches, couldn't he do the same to you?

₂₂Now you see both how kind and how hard God can be. He was hard on those who fell, but he was kind to you. And he will keep on being kind to you, if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.

₂₃If those other branches will start having faith, they will be made a part of that tree again. God has the power to put them back. ₂₄After all, it wasn't natural for branches to be cut from a wild olive tree and to be made part of a cultivated olive tree. So it is much more likely that God will join the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree.

₂₅My friends, I don't want you Gentiles to be too proud of yourselves. So I will explain the mystery of what has happened to the people of Israel. Some of them have become stubborn, and they will stay like that until the complete number of you Gentiles has come in. ₂₆In this way all Israel will be saved, as the Scriptures say,

₂₈The people of Israel are treated as God's enemies, so that the good news can come to you Gentiles. But they are still the chosen ones, and God loves them because of their famous ancestors. ₂₉God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or forget about the people he has chosen.

₃₀At one time you Gentiles rejected God. But now Israel has rejected God, and you have been shown mercy. ₃₁And because of the mercy shown to you, they will also be shown mercy. ₃₂All people have disobeyed God, and that's why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.

₃₃Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?