Who is the root in the olive tree analogy and who did God put in Israel's place?
In the olive tree analogy, the root is Israel’s father Abraham, from whom the fatness and blessing flow. When Israel rejected everything and was broken off, God turned to the Gentiles through Paul and grafted them in, putting the Gentiles in Israel’s place to partake of the root.
Les explains from Romans 11 that if the first root is holy, the lump and branches are holy. Israel did not appreciate that position, so God broke off some branches. When Israel rejected everything, God turned to the Gentiles through the apostle Paul and began calling out the Body of Christ. He removed Israel from feeding on the root and fatness of their father Abraham and put the Gentiles in their place, grafting them in as a wild olive tree to partake of the root and fatness. The context also ties Israel’s future receiving to Ezekiel 37’s valley of dry bones, where the nation will experience life from the dead.
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
More Questions
Who replaced Israel in feeding on the root and fatness of Abraham in Romans 11?
In the olive tree analogy, God removed Israel from feeding on the root and fatness of their father Abraham and put the Gentiles in their place.