ROMANS 11:32

“For God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.”

I love to hunt, as you probably know if you follow this blog. And I love to watch hunting videos. There are thousands of those out there. You can watch videos about deer, turkey, bear, geese, ducks and wild pigs. That last group is a destructive bunch. They can destroy a crop in the field overnight. Some farmers have resorted to catching them by luring them into a pen which automatically shuts. I love watching a huge herd of them enter and get caught. They go wild at first and then they just settle in and keep eating that bait.

Why in the world am I talking about catching pigs? Because there is a word that is used in today’s verse which can be illustrated by that story I just told. Paul uses the Greek word sugkleió, which means to conclude, enclose or shut up. This verse is the concluding verse of the subject about the Jews and the Gentiles that Paul has been writing about for a quite a while. The remainder of chapter 11 is an eruption of praise. I can’t wait for those verses.

APPLICATION

“The verb (sugkleió) carries the idea of shutting in together, hemming in on every side, or confining within fixed limits. In biblical usage the confinement can be either literal (fish in a net) or metaphorical (humanity under sin or the Law). Each occurrence portrays an intentional act of God that precedes a gracious purpose.” (Topical Lexicon) We see this word used in Luke 5:6 where we read, “And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear;” The word “caught” is sugkleió.

The word is used again in Galatians 3:22. “But the Scripture has confined everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” I am reminded of Romans 3:23 here, as it relates to this verse. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We have all been shut up into sin. Why did God allow that? To show us mercy. To show us our need for a Savior.

Much like those pigs who went crazy at first and then settled down and kept eating the bait, we too act the same. We may initially try to get out of the sin that has shut us up. But if we do not turn to the One who can release us, we will settle in and continue to eat the bait of sin. I prefer freedom in Christ. Hallelujah, I have been set free from the bonds of sin. How about you?

Father God, thank You for setting me free from the pigpen of sin I had entered.

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