What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. – Romans 3:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (March 5, 2021): Romans 3

Abraham Lincoln argued that "You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was." It is an interesting quote considering not only that Lincoln stood 6'4", but also because of the political shadow that the Great Emancipator has cast over American history. You have to grow every inch of your own life. You have to live your life; you can't let your parents live it for you. And the same advice has to be given to parents and grandparents. You can't live the lives of your children either. They have to do their own growing.

Paul poses to his Roman audience a question he imagines that his audience might be wanting to ask him. They were proud of being Jews, God's chosen descendants throughout the length and breadth of history. They were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They believed that that was to their advantage. But Paul seemed to be saying that the Jews were on equal ground with the rest of the world. That was not what they believed; they didn't want to conclude that there was no advantage to being Jews.

Paul's response? There was an advantage. And part of that advantage was that they had been given the words of God. They were the custodians of the law, handed down directly from God to Moses on Mount Sinai. They were the keepers of the words of the prophets, as God spoke directly to these people throughout the nation's history. They were the guardians of the writings, the poems, proverbs, and stories that had been written under the inspiration of God, sometimes by Kings like David and Solomon. All of this had been given to Israel and not to the other nations. And this was the advantage of Israel.

The problem is that Israel had spurned their advantage. God had set out his expectations to Father Abraham long before giving the law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

 "I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you."

I will bless you so that you can, in turn, pass that blessing on to the world. It is the reason behind the advantage. And the very place where God's followers, both Jew and Gentile, usually fail. We want the benefit to mean that we don't have to do our own growing. But that is impossible. We are to grow every inch and moment of our lives. And in the process, we will have to decide whether to bless ourselves or become a blessing for others. But if we are following the will of God, following the biblical record, we will become a blessing to the world that exists all around us because that is what the very words of God demand. Words that were first given to the Jews as part of their advantage and then passed onto the Christian Church, which holds that these same Mosaic laws, prophetical words, and writings inspired by God, are sacred. And those words should be what shapes us as we grow every inch and moment of our lives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 4