Study of ROMANS 11:15-20

Verse 15. For if the casting away of them. If their rejection as the peculiar people of God--their exclusion from their national privileges, on account of their unbelief. It is the same as "the fall of them," Romans 11:12.

Be the reconciling of the world. The word reconciliation (\~katallagh\~) denotes, commonly, a pacification of contending parties; a removing the occasion of difference, so as again to be united. 1 Corinthians 7:11, "Let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband." It is commonly applied to the reconciliation, or pacification, produced between man and God by the gospel. They are brought to union, to friendship, to peace, by the intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." Hence the ministry is called the "ministry of reconciliation," 2 Corinthians 5:18. And hence this word is used to express the atonement. Romans 5:11, "By whom we have now received the atonement," (the reconciliation.) In this place it means, that many of the Gentiles--the world --had become reconciled to God as the result of the casting off of the Jews. By their unbelief, the way had been opened to preach the gospel to the Gentiles; it was the occasion by which God sent it to the nations of the earth. Comp. Acts 13:46.

The receiving of them. The same as was denoted (Romans 11:12) by their fulness. If the casting them off--an event so little likely, apparently, to produce any good effect--was nevertheless overruled so as to produce important benefits in the spread of the gospel, how much more may we expect will be accomplished by their conversion and return--an event fitted in itself to produce an important influence on mankind. One would have supposed that their rejection of the Messiah would have been an important obstacle in the way of the gospel. It was overruled, however, to promote its increase. Their return will have a direct tendency to spread it. How much more, therefore, may we expect to be accomplished by that?

But life from the dead. This is an instance of the peculiar, glowing, and vigorous manner of the apostle Paul. His mind catches at the thought of what may be produced by the recovery of the Jews, and no ordinary language would convey his idea. He had already exhausted the usual forms of speech by saying that even their rejection had reconciled the world, and that it was the riches of the Gentiles. To say that their recovery--a striking and momentous event; an event so much better fitted to produce important results --would be attended by the conversion of the world, would be insipid and tame. He uses, therefore, a most bold and striking figure. The resurrection of the dead was an image of the most vast and wonderful event that could take place. This image, therefore, in the apostle's mind, was a striking illustration of the great change and reformation which should take place when the Jews should be restored, and the effect should be felt in the conversion also of the Gentile world. Some have supposed that the apostle here refers to a literal resurrection of the dead, as the conversion of the Jews. But there is not the slightest evidence of this. He refers to the recovery of the nations from the death of sin, which shall take place when the Jews shah be converted to the Christian faith. The prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-14) has also used the same image of the resurrection of the dead to denote a great moral change among a people. It is clear here, that the apostle fixed his eye on a future conversion of the Yews to the gospel, and expected that their conversion would precede the universal conversion of the Gentiles to the Christian faith. There could be no event that would make so immediate and decided an impression on the pagan world as the conversion of the Jews. They are scattered everywhere; they have access to all people; they understand all languages; and their conversion would be like kindling up thousands of lights at once in the darkness of the pagan world.

Verse 16. For if the firstfruit be holy. The word firstfruit (\~aparch\~) used here denotes the firstling of fruit or grain which was separated from the mass, and presented as an offering to God. The Jews were required to present such a portion of theft harvest to God, as an expression of gratitude, and of their sense of dependence, Numbers 15:19-21. Till this was done, it was not lawful to partake of the harvest. The offering of this was regarded as rendering the mass holy, i.e., it was lawful then to partake of it. The firstfruits were regarded as among the best portions of the harvest; and it was their duty to devote to God that which would be the best expression of their thanksgiving. This was the general practice in relation to all that the land produced. The expression here, however, has reference to the small portion of dough or kneaded meal that was offered to God; and then the mass or lump (\~furama\~) was left for the use of him who made the offering, Numbers 15:20.

Be holy. Be set apart, or consecrated to God, as he commanded.

The lump. The mass. It refers here, properly, to the dough of which a part had been offered. The same was true also in relation to the harvest, after the waive-sheaf had been offered; of the flock, after the first male had been offered, etc.

Is also holy. It is lawful then for the owner to partake of it. The offering of a part has consecrated the whole. By this illustration Paul doubtless means to say that the Jewish nation, as a people, were set apart to the service of God, and were so regarded by him. Some have supposed, that by the firstfruit here the apostle intends to refer to the early converts made to the Christian faith in the first preaching of the gospel. But it is more probable that he refers to the patriarchs, the pious men of old, as the firstfruits of the Jewish nation. See Romans 11:28. By their piety the nation was in a manner sanctified, or set apart to the service of God; implying that yet tile great mass of them would be reclaimed and saved.

If the root be holy. This figure expresses the same thing as is denoted in the first part of the verse. The root of a tree is the source of nutritious juices necessary for its growth, and gives its character to the tree. If that be sound, pure, vigorous, we expect the same of the branches. A root bears a similar relation to the tree that the firstfruit does to the mass of bread. Perhaps there is allusion here to Jeremiah 11:16, where the Jewish nation is represented under the image of "a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit." In this place the reference is doubtless to Abraham and the patriarchs, as the root or founders of the Jewish nation. If they were holy, it is to be expected that the distant branches, or descendants, would also be so regarded. The mention of the root and branches of a tree gives the apostle occasion for an illustration of the relation at that time of the Jews and Gentiles to the church of Christ.

{p} "the firstfruit" Leviticus 23:10; Numbers 15:18-21

Verse 17. If some of the branches. The illustration here is taken from the practice of those who ingraft trees. The useless branches, or those which bear poor fruit, are cut off, and a better kind inserted. "If some of the natural descendants of Abraham, the holy root, are cast off because they are unfruitful, that is, because of unbelief and sin."

And thou. The word thou here is used to denote the Gentile, whom Paul was then particularly addressing.

Being a wild olive tree. From this passage it would seem that the olive tree was sometimes cultivated, and that cultivation was necessary in order to render it fruitful. The cultivated olive tree is

"of a moderate height, its trunk knotty, its bark smooth and ash-coloured, its wood is solid and yellowish, the leaves are oblong, and almost like those of the willow, of a green colour, etc. The wild olive is smaller in all its parts," (Calmet.)
The wild olive was unfruitful, or its fruit very imperfect and useless. The ancient writers explain this word by "unfruitful, barren" (Schleusner.) This was used, therefore, as the emblem of unfruitfulness and barrenness, while the cultivated olive produced much fruit. The meaning here is, that the Gentiles had been like the wild olive, unfruitful in holiness; that they had been uncultivated by the institutions of the true religion, and consequently had grown up in the wildness and sin of nature. The Jews had been like a cultivated olive, long under the training and blessing of God.
Wert grafted in. The process of grafting consists in inserting a scion or a young shoot into another tree. To do this, a useless limb is removed; and the ingrafted limb produces fruit according to its new nature or kind, and not according to the tree in which it is inserted. In this way a tree which bears no fruit, or whose branches are decaying, may be recovered, and become valuable. The figure of the apostle is a very vivid and beautiful one. The ancient root or stock, that of Abraham, etc., was good. The branches--the Jews in the time of the apostle--had become decayed and unfruitful, and broken off. The Gentiles had been grafted into this stock, and had restored the decayed rigour of the ancient people of God; and a fruitless church had become vigorous and flourishing. But the apostle soon proceeds to keep the Gentiles from exaltation on account of this.

Among them. Among the branches, so as to partake with them of the juices of the root.

Partakest of the root. The ingrafted limb would derive nourishment from the root as much as though it were a natural branch of the tree. The Gentiles derived now the benefit of Abraham's faith and holy labours, and of the promises made to him and to his seed.

Fatness of the olive tree. The word fatness here means

fertility, fruitfulness--the rich juices of the olive producing fruit. See Judges 9:9.

{q} "be broken off" Jeremiah 11:16
{r} "being a wild olive" Ephesians 2:12,13
{1} "in" or, "for"

Verse 18. Boast not, etc. The tendency of man is to triumph over one that is fallen and rejected. The danger of pride and boasting on account of privileges is not less in the church than elsewhere. Paul saw that some of the Gentiles might be in danger of exaltation over the fallen Jews, and therefore cautions them against it. The ingrafted shoot, deriving all its vigour and fruitfulness from the stock of another tree, ought not to boast against the branches.

But if thou boast. If thou art so inconsiderate and Wicked, so devoid of humility, and lifted up with pride, as to boast, yet know that there is no occasion for it. If there were occasion for boasting, it would rather be in the root or stock which sustains the branches; least of all can it be in those which were grafted in, having been before wholly unfruitful.

Thou bearest not the root. The source of all your blessings is in the ancient stock. It is clear from this, that the apostle regarded the church as one; and that the Christian economy was only a prolongation of the ancient dispensation. The tree, even with a part of the branches removed, and others ingrafted, retains its identity, and is never regarded as a different tree.

{s} "Boast not against" 1 Corinthians 10:12

Verse 19. Thou wilt say then. Thou who art a Gentile.

The branches were broken off, etc. The Jews were rejected in order that the gospel might be preached to the Gentiles. This would seem to follow from what the apostle had said in Romans 11:11,12. Perhaps it might be said that there was some ground of exultation from the fact that God had rejected his ancient people for the sake of making a way open to admit the Gentiles to the church. The objection is, that the branches were broken off in order that others might be grafted in. To this Paul replies in the next verse, that this was not the reason why they were rejected, but their unbelief was the cause.

Verse 20. Well. True. It is true they were broken off; but in order to show that there was no occasion for boasting, he adds that they were not rejected in order to admit others, but because of their unbelief, and that their fate should have a salutary impression on those who had no occasion for boasting, but who might be rejected for the same cause. This is an instance of remarkable tact and delicacy in an argument, admitting the main force of the remark, but giving it a slight change in accordance with the truth, so as to parry its force, and give it a practical bearing on the very point which he wished to enforce.

Thou standest by faith. The continuance of these mercies to you depends on your fidelity. If you are faithful, they will be preserved; if, like the Jews, you become unbelieving and unfruitful, like them you will be also rejected. This fact should repress boasting, and excite to anxiety and caution.

Be not highminded. Do not be elated in the conception of your privileges, so as to produce vain self-confidence and boasting.

But fear. This fear stands opposed to the spirit of boasting and self-confidence, against which he was exhorting them. It does not mean terror or horror, but it denotes humility, watchfulness, and solicitude to abide in the faith. Do not be haughty and high-minded against the Jew, who has been east off, but "demean yourself as a humble believer, and one who has need to be continually on his guard, and to fear lest he may fall through unbelief, and be cast off." (Stuart.) We may here learn,

(1.) that there is danger lest those who are raised to eminent privileges should become unduly exalted in their own estimation, and despise others.

(2.) The tendency of faith is to promote humility, and a sense of our dependence on God.

(3.) The system of salvation by faith produces that solicitude, and careful guarding and watchfulness, which is necessary to preserve us from apostasy and ruin.

{f} "Fear" Philippians 2:12