Romans 9:4-5 “All in a Name”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁴ones who are Israelites, of whom [is] the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the [temple] service and the promises. Of whom [are] the fathers, and out of whom [is] the Christ (that [is], according to the flesh), the One being God upon all, blessed into the ages. Amen.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what these two simple verses teach us, but, before I leave them, I want to pause over each item and consider them individually. To begin, Paul recognizes these people as “ones who are Israelites.” I find it interesting that Paul actually does express in Greek the verb “are.” In that language it wasn’t necessary. It could just be left as understood, as it is in the rest of the passage. You can see above, in the places where I’ve shown the “to be” verbs in the [***] brackets to indicate I am supplying a verb which is actually not there in Greek. This was (and maybe still is) an advantage to Greek speaking people as it gives them the option to express the verb or not. Since they usually do not, when they do, they are usually communicating some emphasis.

In this case, I do not doubt Paul’s inclusion of the verb is, in fact, expressing the honor that accompanies this name “Israelites.” Israelites – the physical descendants of Jacob, whom the Lord Himself renamed “Israel.” To be an Israelite is, in fact, to be a direct physical descendant of this man and his family who were very specifically chosen by the Lord to be His own special people. That is certainly no small blessing! He had told Abraham, “and I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Gen. 17:7).

When the Syro-Phoenician woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter, don’t run past His answer: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel…It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Matt. 15:24-26). Stop and just let that sink in. Jesus’ miracles were specifically and uniquely intended only for Israelites! That woman was granted her request, but on what basis? When she replied, “Yes. Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table” (v.27), Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted” (v.28). She acknowledged she was not an Israelite. She even acknowledged that made her and her people “dogs!” She then offered to Jesus the only thing any of us Gentiles have to offer Him – faith – and, like us, she was, in a sense, “grafted in,” and granted a blessing intended only for people born physical descendants of this man Israel!

They are Israelites! Then think too about that name. In Gen. 32:28, the Lord very specifically gave that name to this man born “Jacob.” However, note that the Lord also named both Abraham and Isaac. Abraham was born Abram. In Gen. 17:5, the Lord said to him, “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations” (which is what that name means in Hebrew). Then in 17:19, the Lord told him, “Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac” (which means “laughter”).

The Lord Himself named Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. All the way back in Gen. 2, God had given to Adam the responsibility of naming all the animals (v. 19). Note that, from the very beginning, this business of naming things was an expression of authority. Let us all note that just to be called an Israelite is in itself a recognition that you belong to God! Yes, they are Israelites!

While we’re on the subject of names, isn’t it interesting that back in Gen. 11, the people said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that may make a name for ourselves…” (v.4). When the Lord comes to Abram in chapter 12, He tells him, “I will make your name great…” (v.2). The Tower of Babel builders would make their names great and instead, their bones long ago wasted away and their names are totally forgotten. Abram let God do the “making great,” and now, some 4,000 years later, he’s still considered a “great” man by much of the world’s population. God gave Jacob the name Israel and there is still a people and a country by that name to this day! Jesus summed it up saying, “He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” A great name is a gift from God. We get it from being found His humble servants!

So, once again, it is no small thing to observe of this particular people group, they “are Israelites.” Eternity itself would seem to be invested in that name!