King David, Jeremiah, Moses & Paul...

"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart" - Romans 9:1-2

In Romans 9, we start out seeing that the Apostle Paul has "great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart". As the verses continue, we'll see that it's going to be in regards to Israel, and how he wishes he could be the one accursed, if it meant that they were all the ones saved. (verse 3).

Was Paul the first one to take on such an attitude towards Israel regarding matters of rebellion? No...for that we can "back up in time" to the prophet Jeremiah, and see where it is written, " Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive." - Jeremiah 13:16-17

Jeremiah, with his eye weeping sore, sounds like he has great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart too, and that for the Lord's flock, and their issues in that current day. Let's go back also to King David, and see what is written regarding his thoughts on Israel and rebellion towards God:

"Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." - Psalm 119:136

King David, having rivers of waters running down his eyes, just like Jeremiah with his eye weeping sore, sounds like a heart for the people, which is what we see in the Apostle Paul regarding Israel, and him having "great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart" starting in Chapter 9.

This is just like Moses, when he stated regarding Israel and their sin against the Lord regarding the golden calf, "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." - Exodus 32:32 There also is a man of Israel, (a man of God) with a heart for his people regarding the issues in that current day.

IF one were to read Chapter 9 through 11 in the book of Romans, and go through it as a book completely written to the Body of Christ, here is where you would run into trouble, trying to write yourself into these two verses alone, let alone the next three chapters. Who Paul is speaking about, and to whom Paul is speaking must also be rightly divided in order to grasp a better understanding of his epistles and to get a better understanding of our instructions in this day and time.