“. . . that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved . . .” (Romans 11:25–26, KJV 1900)
When I used to play guitar, one of the things that happened was the building of calluses on my left fingertips. It happened naturally as the constant pressure of the fingers of my left hand on the strings produced them. The calluses were important for playing the guitar. However, these calluses also desensitized the tips of my fingers regarding the sense of feeling.
This is similar to what had happened to Israel. In verse 25, the word, “blindness” in the KJV is porosis that comes from the word, poroo, meaning to be covered with a thick skin, or callused. Israel had become calloused of the heart in such a way as to be unable to understand the truth of the gospel. This calloused heart prevented them as a nation from understanding and receiving their Messiah, Jesus.
Yet, Paul indicates that there is a time coming when the Lord will remove the callus from the heart of Israel. It will happen when the fullness of the Gentiles enters the faith. It is not until then that the Nation of Israel will be saved.
We look forward to that time of greater blessing, but we do not know when it will occur. We also do not know when the fullness of the Gentiles will enter. We do know that we, the church, are the vessel through whom God has chosen to preach the gospel to the whole world, inviting people from every nation to enter in. Therefore, today, we have a vital role in the salvation of all Israel and this greater blessing. As we proclaim the name of Jesus and people believe, we move closer to that day.
Continue to pray for Israel and the evangelization of Jewish people, and continue to pray for the nations and witness to those you meet. In doing so, we are vessels of honor moving forward to that glorious day.
Renewing the Heart 