What Is Romans 9-11 About? Part Six

Paul follows up his statement about all Israel being saved by quoting Isaiah 59:20-21 (Paul quotes from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible).

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all [twelve tribes of] Israel will be saved. As it is written [in Isaiah 59:20-21]:

“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob [all twelve tribes of Israel]. And this is my covenant with them [all twelve tribes of Israel] when I take away their [all twelve tribes of Israel] sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

Paul’s purpose in quoting these verses is to show that God made a covenant with Jacob, meaning all twelve tribes of Israel.

The concern of people during the lifetime of Paul was if God’s word had failed regarding all twelve tribes of Jacob.

Paul’s response was that God’s word had not failed because the ten northern tribes were coming into the new covenant with the Gentiles from the nations.

Let’s examine the context of Isaiah 59:20-21.

The Context Of Isaiah 59:20-21

The verses Paul quotes in Isaiah 59:20-21 from the Septuagint read,

“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob [all twelve tribes of Israel]. And this is my covenant with them [all twelve tribes of Israel] when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26-27)

Isaiah 59 describes the sins of Israel against God and God’s vengeance upon them.

God’s vengeance is consistent with the law-based judgments against old-covenant Israel written in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-32.

According to Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-32, if Israel persisted in their violations of the law, God would enact vengeance upon them by sending a sword of vengeance against them.

The sword would be the armies of a foreign nation sent by God to destroy the land, people, cities, and holy places of Israel.

Isaiah (Isaiah 59) warned the people of Israel that this judgment was coming.

However, according to Isaiah 59:20-21, God would send a deliverer from Zion [Jesus] to deliver the people from their sins and God’s judgment.

In Isaiah 59, the Israelites who acknowledged their sins (repent) and trusted in the deliverer would be saved from God’s vengeance.

The Deliverer Would Take Away Sin

Salvation would come because the deliverer would take away their sin.

Paul adds take away their sin to Isaiah 59:21 as an explanation of the covenant that God would make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

The covenant God would make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah is the new covenant where he remembers sins no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Jesus established the new covenant in his blood (Matthew 26:27-28, NKJV).

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

In John 1:29, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

John, the disciple of Jesus, wrote in 1 John 2:2 that Jesus…

…is the propitiation [the full payment for sins] for our [Israel] sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world [Gentiles]. (Berean Literal Bible)

The Contemporary English Bible of 1 John 2:2 reads,

Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins [the sins of all twelve tribes of Israel] and the sins of all the world's people.

The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 9:26 (New American Bible),

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.

He also wrote in Hebrews 9:28 (NIV),

So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many…

When Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20-21 concerning the deliverer taking away sins, he has in mind the new covenant.

In the new covenant, the deliverer would take away the sins of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

The deliverer is Jesus who established the new covenant in his blood.

Those who trusted in Jesus would be delivered from the final old covenant judgment upon Israel (Jewish-Roman War AD 66-70).

The Twelve Tribes United In The New Covenant

In the new covenant, the twelve tribes would no longer be divided.

Rather, they would be united in the new covenant.

In the new covenant, God would remember their sins no more.

Let’s Return To Isaiah 59

Isaiah 59 is about judgment upon the descendants of Jacob [the twelve tribes] for their sinful violations of the law.

However, God would send a deliverer to Jacob who would establish a new covenant and take away their sins.

Those who repented by acknowledging their sins and turning to the deliverer would be delivered from the judgment.

However, those who refused to repent of their sins and rejected the deliverer would experience judgment.

This was the majority of first-century Israel who refused to repent of their law-based violations and who rejected Jesus as the Christ.

According to Jesus, they would undergo the vengeance and wrath of God when armies destroyed the people, the land, and the cities, including Jerusalem and the temple (Luke 19:41-44; Luke 21:5-24; Luke 23:26-29).

Those who refused to repent and who rejected the deliverer are called the enemies of God in Isaiah 59:18.

In Romans 11:28, Paul identifies these enemies as enemies of the gospel.

We will examine these enemies in Part Seven (available soon).

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