#60. Romans 2:24 – A Complete Study of Paul’s Use of the Hebrew Scriptures, Part II

Part II: The Conduct of Humanity

From Romans 1:18-3:20, Paul makes a comprehensive argument for the necessity of God’s indignation and judgment, leveled against the irreverence and injustice of which all mankind involuntarily partake. Though this is a very pessimistic theme, it must be the blackest moral backdrop imaginable. This is only so that the evangel can be propped up on a pedestal, as the only resolution to such a backdrop.

This, as mentioned at the beginning of the “Indignation Series,” is hinted at in the very structure of Romans 1:16-18. Paul states that he is not ashamed of the evangel, and then provides three reasons why: its authority (“It is God’s power for salvation to everyone who is believing,”) its content (“In it, God’s righteousness is being revealed, out of faith, for faith,”) and, finally, its necessity (“God’s indignation is being revealed on the irreverence and injustice of men… who are deserving of death… condemning yourself [in hypocritical judgment]… for not one is just.”) We are further shown, in Romans 2:16, that judgment is “in accord with” the evangel. This proves for us, conclusively, that judgment is not the evangel itself, since one object (judgment) must be in accord with the other (evangel.)

Throughout this presentation of man’s utter helplessness, there are six individual passages which explicitly refer to the Old Testament. There are further four passages which implicitly allude to the Hebrew scriptures. In this article, we will briefly consider three allusions to the Old Testament, and then consider the first explicit use, at this time in Romans 2:24.

Jeremiah

Paul begins his extended argument by charging mankind with three offenses (see the Indignation series for these.) The third of these charges is that we allege ourselves to be wise. We immediately see God’s foil to this – that, in truth, we are made stupid (Rom. 1:22.)

This charge is not new to the Hebrew scriptures – particularly, in Jeremiah. This prophet of the Old Testament was prominent during the end of King Josiah’s reign (cf. 2 Kings 22-25, Jer. 1:1-3.) Though King Josiah was indeed a good king, and put a stop to much of the idol worship prominent in Israel at the time, this sick prostitution against Yahweh was too far embedded in the nation for one human to eradicate. Jeremiah was called by Yahweh to indict His chosen nation, in blatant threat, and further in entreaty to mature, and recognize Him as their God.

Part of this defense included calling the idols for what they really were: lifeless blocks of wood which did not truly “subject” anything but our vain sensibilities. As for the kings of the nations, who worshipped these objects, they were called “irrational and stupid” by Yahweh (Jer. 10:8.) And, later in 10:14, Yahweh says–

Every human is proved irrational, without knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his carving, For his molten image is falsehood, And there is no spirit in them.

This is very much in line with Paul’s indictment against both Jews and Greeks in Romans 1:22-23, whom he charged with stupidity, and proclaimed them worshippers of idols modeled after themselves, in vanity. It can be considered an allusion here because the passage in Jeremiah is a simple example of Paul’s broader point. There are hundreds of other examples, and yet the ones who have the most trouble coming to terms with these facts are the Jews themselves, who, in the Jeremiah passage, would continually lean on other nations instead of Yahweh Himself to achieve their goals – thus also leaning on the gods of the other nations.

This is, of course, irrational and stupid, for the Jew simultaneously recognized the fault in considering the nations as simultaneous equals and subordinates. To recognize them as “curs” while simultaneously relying on them to accomplish their agenda reveals their stubborn dis-inclination toward believing God. Though the knowledgeable Jew may read Paul’s letter and recognize the verbiage, and even recognize the truth of the Jeremiah passage, they typically exempt themselves from the charge with the same reasoning as their ancestors – they rest on law, boast in God, know the will, and test what things are of consequence, being instructed out of the law.

Psalms and Proverbs

When Paul reaches Romans 2:1, he immediately shifts the perspective from that of the third person to the first person (going from “they, them, their” in 1:18-32 to “you.”) He has not yet explicitly called out the Jew, but he has grown more adamant in his proclamation, and is now employing more direct rhetoric so as to shock the pious into heeding the facts.

There is no exemption spoken of in Romans 2:1-16 – Paul speaks of the judgment of one in accord with their acts (Rom. 2:6.) Not their denomination – nor their belief. One is not exempt on account of their simply “being” a Jew. And, for us today, there is no exemption for visiting a random building with pews every Sunday. Judgment will accord with one’s acts, and no one escapes this for any reason whatsoever. All are in need of correction. Though this correction will occur at various times, judgment is in accord with Paul’s evangel, and plays its role therein.

Though Paul presents this fact here, it is also not new to the scriptures. David sings, in Ps. 62:12–

to You, O Yahweh, belongs benignity, For You Yourself shall pay each man according to his deeds.

A few expositors believe that Psalm 62 takes place was written during a dark time for David, when his son, Absalom, murdered his brother Ammon, and became a traitor to David (2 Sam. 14.) A series of poor decisions which I will not spoil (read it yourself) led David to both exile, then immigrate Absalom out of and back into his kingdom. This led to great pains for David (which, again, I will not spoil, just go read it.)

My point is not to meditate on the personal hardships of David, but to note that this information – that Yahweh will pay each man according to their deeds – is one of astounding wisdom, and is consolatory in times of great distress. It is to reinforce that, even in a passage such as Romans 2:6, it is supposed to console all that the correction of all living creatures will be accomplished.

We see this same pattern in another instance, in Proverbs 24:12–

Rescue those being taken away to death, And you should keep back those who are slipping away to the kill. If you say, Behold, we know nothing about this, Does not He Who gauges hearts detect it, And He Who preserves your soul know it, Who will render to a man according to his deed?

The writer of this passage (Prov. 19:20-24:34 is not by Solomon, but for Solomon,) is in the midst of a treatise on personal character (24:1-20.) Concerning any attempt to maintain ignorance against known wrongdoings, the writer promises that the One Who preserves our soul will pay a man in accord with his acts. The meaning is twofold – you must be corrected, for maintaining ignorance, yet the one enacting evil will also be corrected.

Deuteronomy and Job

The critical consideration which remains is thus: who has the right to correct? The answer, of course, is Yahweh, for He alone is an impartial Judge, and provides righteous standards of judgment which can and must be measured by One Who does not fall prey to the mistakes of the guilty party (Rom. 2:7-11.)

There are many, many passages which attest to this quality of Yahweh – yet this statement, that He is impartial, is most correlated with Deuteronomy 10:17–

Yahweh your Elohim, He is the Elohim of elohim and the Lord of lords, the El, the great, the masterful and the fear inspiring One, Who neither shows partiality nor takes a bribe…

From Deut. 10:12-11:12, the Jews received a few direct charges – to fear God, to love God, to walk in God’s ways, and to serve God with all their heart and all their soul (10:12.) The intention is then stated (10:13,) which is simply that it is for “the good” of Israel. The following six verses expound further on these points, by providing various absolute motivations for which Israel should want to pursue this goal. This is so that neither the intention of God, nor the proper motivation for their deeds, is left misunderstood.

Almost all of these reasons have to do with the scope, and breadth, and depth of God’s authority, ability, and love. One of these reasons is the one cited above – that Yahweh’s political power extends over every other lordship, earthly and heavenly alike. God’s complete power to destroy the universe on a whim should be more than enough to express His complete control over it. Yet His ability to subject it is properly conveyed through this – a lack of partiality. He is the Owner of the universe, and its Creator. This gives Him an intimate understanding of every single vessel which He has created. He thus knows – to a perfect degree – how to impartially correct each and every vessel, so as to teach them righteousness, and enable a righteous walk. It is His ability to do this which demands our attention, and, in truth, should adorn all of our hearts with the highest reverence, love, and stand as the purpose for any action we take.

This thought is found under another context as well – in Job’s elongated bout between himself and his three friends. We read this of Elohim in Job 34:12–

El, truly indeed He does not do wickedness, And He Who-Suffices does not distort judgment.

This is said by Elihu, the third of Job’s friends, who is knowledgeable (34:2,) albeit full of the same self-confidence as the Jewish crowd (32:17-18,) by supposing himself to have the knowledge which Job and his other two associates had not yet attained.

Elihu particularly argues from Job 32-37. The above statement is not given to Job, but to Job’s associates. In this passage, Elihu makes a false assumption that Job has justified himself as opposed to Elohim (32:2,) and proclaimed that Job believed he had no depravity in him (33:8.) However, Job himself had, in his own argument, implicitly noted that he did not think himself flawless (7:20.)

Elihu’s further claim, that Job believed God thought of him as an enemy because of his suffering (33:10-11,) is indeed true. Through this, we have a deceptive mixture of truth and lies. Elihu’s logic is sound – but the foundation misapplied. When turning to Job’s associates, he falsely claimed that Job believed he was just (34:5,) but correctly presumed that Job believed El had taken something which Job had earned (27:2, 34:5.)

This all relates back to Job’s initial problem – living as a “righteous” man (that is, as one faithful to Yahweh, as has been the only way for a sinner to be accounted just – Gen. 15:7.) Job could point at the simple facts: God is supreme over all. Job had suffered. God, Who is supreme over all, must be supreme over suffering. Therefore, God is the ultimate Cause for Job’s suffering. These facts could be rationally computed by him, but the problem – that of the motivation – continually eluded him.

Elihu’s answer is not so dissimilar from that of the Christian religion today – that “El does not do wickedness, nor iniquity” (34:10.) This is true – and thus Elihu seems to convey that, even by admitting Job’s premises, that God is not committing a wicked act in afflicting Job. As such, Elihu presses that there must be a reason for this affliction – this reason being man’s contrivance (34:11.)

Therefore, all of the judgment which God enacts – which has involved many incidents of brutal suffering on the part of humanity – are not in themselves evil, but necessary responses to our terminal cases. Since the purpose is good, the evil cannot be absolute, but a means to a good end for the judged. Therefore, Job’s case – which, on its surface level, appears overwhelmingly cruel – has its place in educating Job of the verities of the divine hand in all (and, as we learn from Job 38-42, Job does indeed learn humility, and is rewarded threefold – moreover, we know from Paul’s evangel that he will see and dwell with his former family again, permanently, in the long run. Talk about good!)

In both the Deuteronomy and Job passages, it is evidently a great thing that God has not caved to improper judgment – that no man’s action has ever led Him to arbitrarily lower His standard. The judgment itself is never with a view to hate or thrust away the individual permanently – to do this, even once, would indicate some futility on God’s end to continue judging (for why should you keep judging if you cannot successfully correct the sinner to a finality?)

Isaiah

What we have learned, then, is that the argument thus far has especially stressed examples from the Hebrew scriptures, whilst maintaining God’s right judgment throughout.

This has been a prevalent theme especially throughout Romans 2. Though Paul is not citing exact passages – even in indictments in Rom. 2:17-23 – we can find plenty of support throughout the Old Testament. These accord with Paul’s present argument. In this, there is a special and credible tie that Paul’s presentation holds to the Old Testament. He has not expressed that his evangel is found in the Old Testament (nor will we find any Hebrew allusions or quotes during his presentation of the evangel, from 3:21-32.) Yet he does show that the circumstances which bring about the evangel easily find their support in the Old Testament, and thus establish credibility for the rest of Paul’s argument.

Paul concludes his indictment against the Jew in 2:24–

For because of you the name of God is being blasphemed among the nations, according as it is written.

This is a direct reference to Is. 52:5–

And now, what is for Me here, averring is Yahweh, That My people were taken gratuitously? Their rulers, they are howling, averring is Yahweh, And continually the entire day My Name suffers indignity.

And Ezek. 36:20-23–

When they came to the nations, wherever they came, they got My holy Name profaned when it was said of them, These are the people of Yahweh, and they have gone forth from His land. Yet I shall take pity for My holy Name which the house of Israel got profaned among the nations where they came. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus says my Lord Yahweh: Not on your account shall I act, house of Israel, but rather for My holy Name which you got profaned among the nations where you have come. I will hallow My great Name which has been profaned among the nations, which you got profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh, averring is my Lord Yahweh, when I am hallowed among you before their eyes.

Both passages stress different aspects of the same event – the Babylonian exile of the nation of Israel, in which Israel is driven out of Yahweh’s land.

I want to note a familiar pattern, here; as with the Habakkuk passage, Paul could not be importing the context of the passage he is quoting, but re-applying it to fit a new discussion. In the original contexts, it is their expulsion from the holy land which, to the nations, displayed Yahweh in a poor light. The nations had trampled their kingdom, and destroyed the holy temple – making Yahweh appear weak, as a Deity Who did not (or could not) defend Himself from invaders, or control His people. To sinful mankind, He appeared as a Deity Who should not be worshipped, because those who were shown, unequivocally, that He should be worshipped, had strayed so far from His instructions.

Yet this is not the framework in which Paul borrows this statement. He severs the historical context, and reapplies the statement in a broader scope, encompassing the Babylonian exile in the OT. The only point of contact which remains between Romans 2:24 and Is. 52:5 is the fact that, in both cases, the Jew is unable to follow the law. Because of the sin discussed in Romans 1, it is impossible for the Jew (or any other) to follow each precept to perfection.

The truth is as Paul says, here – “according as it is written.” These uses are evidently not meant to be the Old Testament, but are statements designed to accord with it. It is notable that the historical purpose for this passage is absent, for it clarifies that many other passages in which Paul quotes the Old Testament do not require a forceful importation of the older context into the new (looking at you, Preterists.) While I am taking the time to briefly point at the historical context of the quotations, it is only to show that they are superfluous and are not required to understand Paul’s argument found in Romans itself, and nowhere else.

The Conclusion

The Jew has shown, both in the great volumes of their history, and in the murder of their own Messiah, that they are incapable of fulfilling the law, and the proof is most blatant in their enviousness against Jesus. They have, in turn, dishonored the righteous Deity of the universe, by making such a mockery of the promises He has made, and turning their noses up at the only Way in which they can follow law.

This is indispensable to Paul’s argument; he emphatically points at the Jews’ misconduct to highlight that they cannot be justified by the law, for they are not doers of the law (Rom. 2:13.) In demonstrating this for both those who do know the righteous law, and those who do not, the way is set for Paul’s conclusive indictment (Rom. 3:9-20.) No one is righteous. The only one who is righteous in this relationship is God – Who implicitly demonstrates righteousness by not committing any of the actions in Rom. 1:29-31, as we do, and explicitly demonstrates righteousness in presenting the evangel to all of us, even to this day (Rom. 3:21-26.)

Thus the “necessity” for the evangel becomes apparently known to us – to reverse this blasphemy of the nations, and the faithlessness of the Jew (or any religious man today,) an impartation of the righteousness of God is needed. This will be explained for us when it comes time to discuss the evangel itself.

In the meantime, it may be challenged: how can God remain lax in paying Israel for her sins, and still be just in providing them their promises? The answer is, simply, that Israel will come to fear Him. To do this, they must cease worshipping God as a corruptible man. They must glorify God as God. They must cease retaining His truth in injustice, and must instead hold it justly.

The problem, of course, is that they have demonstrated an inability to do any of these things of their own accord. Jesus’ answer to their plight is that they must be “begotten anew,” or “born again.” This is not a theological term for the “born again” Christian cult. Jesus is referring to an actual resurrection (Rev. 20:4,) in which they are “born again,” with the law written in their hearts (Jer. 31:33, Ezek. 36:24-27.) They simply cannot achieve righteousness in this soil.

In observing these facts, we discover the full force of our answer to the previous objection. This is why God is lax in paying Israel for her sins to begin with. They are soil – they are damaged goods, and the all-knowing God knew this going in. He is righteous in providing them their promise anyway, because, when it comes time for the promise to be fulfilled, there will be no doubt as to Israel’s fear of Yahweh, as they will fully recognize their subordinate and subservient place in their Master’s land.

The reason God gives the promises to them in this damaged state, then, is for this present, necessary demonstration: He is contrasting their misconduct with His proper conduct. He alone is the righteous One, Who can write the law in their hearts (thus showing His authority over them.) His righteousness is central to the evangel, and for Him to be pre-supposed as unrighteous is an extremely hypocritical judgment for the hypocritical race to make (Rom. 2:1-2.)

As we learn the evangel itself, God’s dealings with Israel and the nations will be fully contextualized and understood. The cross of Christ will have its effect on the nations, but is further used to bring about the promises made to Israel. The ends will be revealed, and this will justify the means – demonstrating God as faithful under the strongest and most sinister opposition.

Let us, then, ever keep the evangel’s goal in mind (Rom. 1:17.) Paul is presently on a runway, and he is just beginning to accelerate the plane before takeoff. The goal here is not to personally hate and abolish the Jewish community, or to mock their blessings. Paul himself is a Jew, and later in this very letter he will express a deep love for his brothers (Rom. 9:1-5.) But they must be revealed as no better than the rest of mankind, and no more “deserving” of the promises made to Abraham by their own merit. All of humanity will be shown unjust, both in action and judgment.

- GerudoKing