ouk – Ministry of Grace Church

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Romans 10:19 – Action, not Anger

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Will

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will anger you by a foolish nation."

Truth to Learn

God’s gentle prodding is to provoke us to action. If we continually resist Him, it may provoke us to anger.

Behind the Words

In the phrase “did Israel not know?” Paul uses the same double negative, mē ouk, that he employed in the previous verse. We could paraphrase it as, “did Israel really not know?”

“Provoke” is from paradzēloō, which is made up of para, meaning “beside” or “alongside” and dzēloō, meaning “to be zealous.” It refers to coming alongside and exciting or provoking someone, like one would prod an animal to make it move.

The words “anger you” are from a similar word. It is parorgidzō, which means “to come alongside and anger someone” (perhaps by continually prodding them).

Meaning Explained

Paul starts off this verse with, “Did Israel not know?” The implication is that Israel should have known, but they didn’t. The question that we have to ask ourselves is, “Know what?” Clearly, Paul has been talking about all people having evidence of God’s supremacy and man’s inability to be as righteous as God. But I don’t think that’s what Paul is referring to in this verse. Based on what he says in the following verses, I think Paul is referring to the fact that Israel clearly should have known that God was going to turn from the Jews and the message was going to go out to the Gentiles.

In order to make this point, Paul now quotes Moses from the fifth book of the Bible. In Deuteronomy 32:21 he says:

They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not a God; they have angered me by their vanities. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will make them angry by a foolish nation.

Here’s a summary of what Moses is talking about in Deuteronomy 32: The greatness of God (verse four), God’s care for Israel, (verses nine and ten), the way Israel turned from God (verses sixteen through eighteen), and how God will respond by provoking Israel (verse twenty-one). Israel continually turned away from God and resisted Him so that in the end He provoked them to anger.

Paul’s point is clear. If the Israelites had studied their scriptures then they would have known that God would turn to the Gentiles because of the unfaithfulness of Israel. The problem was that too many of the Israelites did not know what was written in their scriptures.

Application

Let us all take a word of caution from this. Do you know what God wants and expects from you? Do you know what He instructs us to be and to do? Do you read and study your Bible so you will understand God’s plan for you? Do you know what God has in store for you and the future of mankind?

If you do, that’s great! If you don’t, why not? Do you want God to provoke you to anger like He did to Israel? Or will you listen to Him and be stirred to action?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 3:17 – The Peace Path

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Will

And a way of peace they have not known."

Truth to Learn

Real peace is only experienced on God’s path.

Behind the Words

The word translated “peace” is eirēnē, which refers to “the absence of warfare and dissention.” It is also used metaphorically, as in this verse, to mean “peace of mind” or “tranquility.”

“They have not known” is translated from the two words ouk egnōsan. Ouk is the absolute negative in Greek and egnōsan is a form of ginōskō, meaning “to know.” There are several Greek words that refer to knowledge. This particular one refers to acquired or experiential knowledge as opposed to intuitive knowledge. In today’s verse it implies that the people being talked about have never experienced peace.

Meaning Explained

Paul now states another result of having turned out of God’s way and having gone down the path of one’s own choosing. We explained in yesterday’s verse that hodos refers to “a way” or “a road.” Today we think of a road like a highway where cars and trucks travel at high speed. In the first century when this epistle (letter) was written, a road was often no more than a pathway just wide enough for an animal drawn cart to pass. So when we see the word “way” in these verses, it is usually referring to a road or pathway for foot traffic.

Another thing to be aware of is the fact that the definite article is not present before hodos in the Greek text, which leads us to translate this as “a way of peace” not “the way of peace.” In other words, there is not a single way of peace. Any path that God leads us down is potentially “a way of peace,” but the road we select for ourselves apart from God is never “a way of peace.”

Are you lacking peace in your life today? Jesus offers us a very special peace. In his gospel account, the Apostle John recorded these words of Jesus:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

And, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi, the Apostle Paul explained how a Christian can experience this peace:

Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

In today’s verse, however, we see that the natural man does not know the way of real peace because he doesn’t know the Prince of Peace. As we learned in the previous verse, the unsaved person will ultimately only know the way of destruction and misery.

Application

Even in the midst of trials and tribulation on this earth, we can experience this peace “that passes all understanding” because Jesus offered it to us. In order to have such peace, however, we need to be walking down God’s road, not our own.

Are you on a path of peace today?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:2 – Securely Chosen

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Will

Romans 11:2 – Securely Chosen

God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

Truth to Learn

God does not reject or desert any of His children whom He has chosen.

Behind the Words

The words translated “did not cast away” are the Greek words ouk apōsato. The word ouk is a form of ou, which we talked about in the previous verse. It expresses the absolute negative. The word apōsato is a form of apōtheomai, which means “to thrust away from oneself, to cast off, or to reject.”

“Foreknew” is translated from the Greek word proegnō, which we talked about back in Romans 8:29. It is a compound word made up of pro, which means “before, in place or time” and a form of ginōskō, which means, “to know in a completed sense, that is, to have full knowledge of.”

The word “pleads” is from entugchanō, which is made up of en, meaning “in or by” and tugchanō, which properly means “to affect or to obtain.” Entugchanō, therefore, refers to “meeting with someone for the purpose of obtaining a request.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul asked the rhetorical question, “Did God put away His people?” Then he immediately answered it with the declarative, “No way!” He is now giving more clarification as to why he said that. He starts off this verse by stating, “God did not cast away his people.” Paul is saying that God absolutely did not thrust away or reject His people.

The next phrase describes an attribute of God’s chosen people, those whom He did not reject. They are those, “whom He foreknew.” You may recall that in Romans 8:29 Paul said:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

In other words, these are the elect, the chosen ones of God. Paul is saying that God did not reject His people whom he foreknew and chose as His children. In fact, God can’t reject those whom He has chosen, which Paul pointed out in the earlier chapters of this book. Next, Paul will quote a passage from Elijah, but since this is so closely tied to the next verse we will cover it there.

The thing I want us to get from the current verse is the fact that God chose some of the Jews to be saved, but not all of them. And even though He will turn from Israel as a nation, He will not turn away from those Israelites whom He has chosen. God does not change! Let me repeat that, God does not change!

Application

If God did not reject his chosen ones from the Old Testament dispensation, He is not going to reject those whom He has chosen in the church age. That’s another way of saying, “Once you are saved, you are saved for good.” That means that no amount of grieving the Spirit or willfully sinning against God is going to cause you to lose your salvation. Remember that you did not do anything to get it in the first place (God chose you), so there’s nothing you can possibly do to lose it (God won’t reject you).

That’s eternal security!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 8:18 – Suffering for Glory

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:18 – Suffering for Glory

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Truth to Learn

Our future glory is far greater than our current suffering.

Behind the Words

The expression “I consider” is from the Greek word logidzomai, meaning “to count, to impute, to estimate, or to reckon.

“Sufferings” is translated from pathēma, a noun form of the verb paschō, meaning “to feel strong emotion or sensation, to suffer, or to experience.” It is most often used to refer to painful suffering either physically or emotionally.

The words “not worthy” are translated from ouk axia. As we have discussed before, ouk refers to the absolute negative. The word axia is a form of axios which is a reference to two items placed on a balance scales which are of comparable weight, causing the scales to balance perfectly. This perfect balance indicates the relative worth of one of the items on the scales. Hence, the word has come to refer to the comparable worth of an item.

The word “revealed” is from apokaluptō. This is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and kaluptō, meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” Thus, we see that apokaluptō means “to uncover” or “to reveal.” This is the word that is translated “Revelation” as the name of the last book in the New Testament.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that since we are joint heirs with Christ, as members of God’s family, we can also expect to suffer with Him. Whenever we suffer because of being Christians, we are suffering with Christ. We are sharing in the pain of rejection, misunderstanding, betrayal, false accusation, persecution, and physical torture that Christ knew before and during his crucifixion.

But Paul now gives us a glimmer of hope that we can hang on to whenever we are going through those times of suffering. He starts off with the expression, “For I consider.” It is Paul’s belief that whatever sufferings we might have to go through in this life, they are of little value or consequence when compared with the incredible glory that we will receive in Heaven.

In verse seventeen Paul said that if we suffer with Christ, we may also be glorified with Him. Well, now Paul says that the present suffering that we are going through for Christ’s sake is in no way comparable to that glory that we are going to share with and from Christ. This is something that we should all hold dear to our hearts.

Application

The next time you feel like you are being persecuted, mistreated, or attacked because you are a witness for Christ, remember that you are suffering for His sake, and some day you will be glorified with Him and for His sake. No matter how much physical pain or mental anguish you may have to endure now, it is temporary and insignificant compared to the glory He will give to you for eternity.

Makes the suffering a little more bearable, doesn’t it?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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