Who did God raise up to reach the Gentiles after Israel missed it?
God raised up Saul of Tarsus, a zealous Jew for the law, saved by grace on the road to Damascus, to be the apostle of the Gentiles. Through Israel’s fall salvation came to the Gentiles, and God sent Saul far hence primarily to reach them.
Les explains that Israel stumbled over their Messiah, but God was not through with His covenant people. Through their fall, salvation came to the Gentiles, though under a different format. In the Old Testament, the promise was that Israel, every Jew, could be a priest of God to bring Gentiles to a knowledge of their Jehovah God, but they missed it. God did not stop. Instead of taking the whole nation of Israel, God raised up one other little Jew, just one: Saul of Tarsus, a renegade, zealous for the law, saved by grace there on the road to Damascus. The first thing God lets Saul know is, “I’m going to send you far hence to the Gentiles.” Saul would also go to the Jew, but he was primarily the apostle of the Gentiles, converted for that purpose on the road to Damascus. So Israel’s stumbling did not mean God removed them completely; no way.