Truly the Bible is inexhaustible. You could spend your entire life reading it and never fully understand it, and at the same time learning something new from it every day. There are many times I will read something in the Bible and pass over something, not fully understanding what was being said. I praise God for helping me to learn and discern something I don’t understand and reveal more to me everyday. Case in point is the following verses in Luke 4:24-30
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias,
when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine
was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save
unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and
none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in
the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And
rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the
hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
But he passing through the midst of them went his way.
In the past I would read this verse and not ask the question, what were they so angry about? What did Jesus say here that caused them to want to kill him? As I grow in my faith, I am more careful when in my studies and take more time to try and understand what is going on. On a side note I am also fascinated how Jesus always slipped away from the mob on countless occasions, but that’s another story (he is of course GOD)!
What I have learned about this verse was Jesus teaching that God chooses whom he chooses, or the Doctrine of Election. Paul in Romans 9:6-13 delves into this. They were upset at Jesus because each example above was a gentile! Jesus gives them in this sermon two examples of two peoples that were benefited by two of Israels most famous prophets! It made the Jews angry because they thought they were the chosen people, and Paul hits this head on in Romans 9.
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9:15
“I Will Have Mercy On Whom I Will Have Mercy”
God took refuge in His own inherent right to suspend judgment, if it pleased Him. There was no resource left in man! All have forfeited title to life through sin. Let’s flee to the ultimate authority:
Jesus Himself.Make it personal: Why did you believe in God? It was God’s initiative for His own purposes (John 6:40-47). Mixture: God’s initiative and human responsibility. (1)
This issue of Divine Election is very misunderstood and one that can not be simple enough to explain in a single blog post. My intent is just to give you a glimpse of what it is. Furthermore, when you understand that God is outside the physical dimension of time, “God alone knows the end
from the beginning.” (Isa 46:10; cf. Isa 55:8). Then there is no confusion.
Now in your bible studies, know that everything is there to teach and for our benefit. I loved getting an understanding of what was going on in Luke and what Paul was speaking about in Romans 9.
Notes:
1.Chuck Misslers Study of Romans.