Categories: Bible Lessons Leave a comment

#DailyDevotion There Is One Who Is Cursed For Us

#DailyDevotion There Is One Who Is Cursed For Us

Romans 9 I’m telling the truth in Christ; I’m not lying, as my conscience assures me by the Holy Spirit, 2when I say I have a great sorrow and continuous pain in my heart. 3I could wish myself cut off from Christ and damned for my fellow Jews, my own flesh and blood. 4They are the people of Israel. They were made God’s family. They have the glory, the covenant, the Law, the worship, and the promises. 5They have the ancestors, and from them according to His body came Christ, Who is God over everything, blessed forever. Amen.

Paul is pretty serious here. He’s making oaths. He’s telling us the truthfulness of what he is about to say. He even invokes the Holy Spirit’s name and witness. What is it that he is testifying to? The great sorrow and continuous pain in his heart. Seriously, what could cause such pain and sorrow in his heart? The Jewish people were not being converted to the faith of Jesus Christ. Paul by this time had been let down the wall in Antioch where he was converted for fear of the Jews. He had been driven from one city to the next throughout Asia Minor by his fellow Jews for preaching Jesus is the Christ. He was stoned to what the Jews thought was death. He was imprisoned, put on trial by his fellow Jews because of his preaching Jesus is the Christ. Sure, there were plenty of Jews who were converted but there were many who rejected Jesus their Messiah.

Paul amazing says he wishes that he could be cut off from Christ and damned for his fellow Jews, his own flesh and blood. That’s pretty serious. He is dead serious. We can see how serious he is by his oaths. Would you be able to say the same that thing, tell God you wanted to be cut off from his life so others may enter into eternal life? Moses said something similar during the golden calf incident, Ex. 3232“And now will You forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me from the scroll You have written.” What so moves them to say such a thing? Well verses four and five seem to be the motivation. It is on account of God’s action towards them in the past. They were made God’s family, they have “the glory, the covenant, the Law, the worship, and the promises.” Despite their sinfulness these were things that belonged to them even if they rejected it.

But Paul could not substitute himself for Israel anymore than Moses could.  There is one who could though. “Christ, Who is God over everything, blessed forever.” Israel did not keep the Law and they were cursed for it. Galatians 313“Christ paid the price to free us from the curse of the Law when He was cursed for us (it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)” Jesus Christ was cut off from Israel on the cross. Christ was cursed for them.  Even more so, Jesus Christ was cut off from the living and cursed for the world. Jesus was cut off and cursed for you. He did this, God made Man did this so that you would be made God’s family, God’s Israel, and inherit eternal life at the end of the age.

Heavenly Father, you cut off your Son and made him a curse so that we may be grafted into Israel and be blessed with them. Continually give us faith in Christ Jesus who is God over everything blessed forever so we may enter into his kingdom now and at the end of the age. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Share this post
Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *