Which Israel?

 

 

This may be a puzzle

But it need not be, my friend,

An explicit reading, I dare say,

Should bring it to an end.

 

Go to Romans chapter 9

And you will see what I mean,

As I read it for myself

I see two different scenes.

 

I see Israel number 1

And I see Israel number 2,

Since not all Israel are of Israel

Is clear to me and you.

 

 

Yes, there are two “Israels”

Read it in Romans 9:

One of the flesh and one of promise,

Lock this in your mind.

 

This is explicitly stated

In not all Israel are of Israel,

Israel number 2 you should see

Are an assorted people.

 

Not all children

Because they are Abraham’s seed

But the children of the promise

Are counted for seed.

 

Predestined to be so

In God’s redemptive plan

That all the nations of the world

Will be blessed in Abraham.

 

 

“At this time will I come

And Sarah shall have a son,”

It was not Ishmael as some may opine,

 Isaac was her promised one.

 

 

Yes, Ishmael was older

But Isaac was the promised son,

Very similar to Esau and Jacob

But Jacob was the chosen one.

 

 

It was said to Sarah

The elder shall serve the younger,

As it is written, Jacob have I loved

But Esau have I hated.

 

Of course, love and hate here

Must be put into context

Never mind Jacob did some things

That really made Esau vexed.

 

After all, Jacob was a trickster

And by trickery he made his way

But in all of his dealing and scheming,

God held absolute sway.

 

Do not be side tracked

By the quality of men God chose,

The reason why He chose these men,

Only God knows.

 

Here He chose a trickster

Whose seed crucified the Christ

Arguing they were Abraham’s seed

And Christ did not suffice.

 

Not only of the Jews

Did all-wise all-knowing God call

But He also chose of the Gentiles;

Jews were not them all.

 

Not all of Israel are of Israel

Has a double meaning,

Follow me closely as I proceed

And see what I am gleaning.

 

Not all of Israel

Meaning not every Israelite,

To say that they all will be saved

Is just not right.

 

Thank God there were Jews

That did come to Christ,

Not all of them rejected the Saviour

Losing out on eternal life.

 

Not all of Israel

Are of Abraham’s flesh,

But in Abraham’s seed, of course,

The Christ, all will be blessed.

 

So that Israel number 2

Comprise both Jew and Gentile,

Both being endued by the Spirit;

The flesh being defiled.

 

For in the flesh, it states

Dwelleth no good thing,

Paul makes this clear in chapter 7

In what he’s offering.

 

‘Tis God’s sovereign choice

To choose as He did choose

But it is an act of man’s free will

Whether he win or lose.

 

 

Israel number 2 is the elect

The chosen of Almighty God,

These are they that came by faith

When they heard Him call.

 

“Whosoever will may come”

Is the invitation to one and all,

“Elect according to God’s foreknowledge”

Them that heed His call.

 

Neither Jew nor Gentile

But all are one in Jesus Christ

Who gave his life a ransom for many:

A once for all sacrifice.

 

Romans 9:30-33

 

What shall we say then?

That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness,

Have attained to righteousness,

Even the righteousness which is of faith.

 

But Israel,

Which followed after the law of righteousness,

Hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

 

Wherefore?

Because they sought it not by faith,

But as it were by the works of the law.

For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

 

As it is written,

Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence:

And whosoever believeth on him

Shall not be ashamed.

 

 

 

Be sure to say which Israel

For not all Israel are of Israel,

The one of faith is not ethnic Israel

But the New Covenanted Israel.

 

Stewart Russell © March 20, 2024

 

Fame Fortune Faith

 

 

Two we strive for

The other is God-given,

This is the one that holds firm

When trouble threatens.

 

None of us is without,

We use it every day

In circumstances and situations

Too numerous to say.

 

Fame and fortune

May go hand in hand;

The more famous the person

The more in demand.

 

 

Where demand is

Fortune will emerge

And the more the fortune

The greater the urge.

 

Sometimes fame

Comes without fortune

But such is a rare occasion

That there is no boom.

 

Many a preacher

Has become famous

By accumulating a fortune

Via the religious.

 

A niche-market

Full of gullible persons

Whom these preachers set up

For financial reasons.

 

Elaborate crusades

Where miracles are done

And the appearance often takes in

An unsuspecting one.

 

Miracles of healing,

Financial breakthrough

And other supernatural feats

Of what faith can do.

 

 

Desiring fortune?

Looking for fame?

Some of these preachers will say,

Call on Jesus’ name.

 

A reliable talisman!

If you use Jesus’ name

You can come into great fortune

And much fame.

 

But fame and fortune

Outside of Jesus Christ

Is worth eternally nothing

But a useless device.

 

Beware of charlatans

Whose fortune and fame

Comes from conning people

In Jesus’ name.

 

 

Faith in the Gospel:

This is saving faith

And if fame and fortune come,

Give God the praise.

 

Stewart Russell © December 11, 2024

 

Whose Prayer?

 

 

Whose prayer is more important:

A child’s prayer or an adult?

Please bear with me, my brethren,

I sincerely mean no insult.

 

The reason I ask the question

Relates to what I see and hear,

Some prayers are given more importance-

At least that’s how it appears.

 

We’re oft at serious odds

If we cannot contact a person

That we hold in very high esteem,

To pray about a problem.

 

Often it is a pray warrior

Or a specially endowed intercessor

With whom we cannot make contact

And this becomes a stressor.

 

Is it a matter of whose prayer

That gets the message through?

Is God partial to the prayers of some?

Has this become your view?

 

Is prayer an object in itself

From which it derives its power?

For, if this is the case, my friend,

Then prayer is our strong tower.

 

However, I am led to believe

God should be the object of prayer

Such that, neither the adult nor child

Should be an issue here.

 

 

So that whether adult or child

God makes no such distinctions,

We are all his children in His eyes

And to us He pays attention.

 

Someone said a while ago,

And it is best that I insert it here,

Satan trembles when he sees

The weakest saint in prayer.

 

It is my firm and simple belief

That God responds to the heart,

It matters not whether child or adult

Here’s where prayer should start.

 

From our heart to God’s heart-

Thus, the answer to whose prayer,

Whether it be a child or an adult

For them both, God cares.

 

Whose prayer? if you should still ask-

The prayers of the born again,

By faith, we can trust God’s Holy Word-

The scriptures make this plain.

 

Stewart Russell © May 25, 2023

 

No One and Nobody

 

 

Follow this argument

With a critical mind

And of course, this would be

If you have the time.

 

No one and nobody

Synonyms perhaps?

But can you picture either

As a tangible fact?

 

No one or nobody

What does it matter?

It could be the former

Or even the latter.

 

Did you see no one

Or did you see nobody?

When you arrived there

Did you look for me?

 

When I arrived there

I saw no one

Meaning I saw nobody;

Everybody was gone.

 

Am I no one

And am I nobody?

Are you trying to tell me

You did not see me?

 

I did not see you

So, you were not there,

I am sure no one or nobody

Ever appeared.

 

 

You can’t see no one

And you can’t see nobody

And that is the reason why

You didn’t see me.

 

How does no one look

Or for that matter, nobody?

Right now, for example,

You can see me.

 

Next time you see no one

Or you see nobody,

Take a picture with your phone

And let me see.

 

If you can do this

You would convince me

That it is actually possible

To see nobody.

 

I cannot do that

You know it’s not possible

Even if the camera

Were ultra-reliable.

 

This was an argument

Between two friends

And for a moment I thought

It would never end.

 

But we say things daily

That to us make some sense

Though not absolutely so,

Please, no offense.

 

It aids communication

Though not an actual fact,

Seeing no one or nobody

Is a case like that.

 

 

“I saw no one”

I’m sure you’ve said that

Or, “I saw nobody”;

This too is a fact.

 

Don’t fret yourself

If it happened to you,

Like me, you are weird-

Admit this is true.

 

It takes a weird mind

To have a weird thought

And so, it was from a weirdo

This one was brought.

 

Stewart Russell © June 10, 2024

Apologetics and Apology

 

 

Apologetics and apology:

Don’t mix up the two,

Some treat them as synonyms

According to their view.

 

Alas, they are not;

They are vastly different

And to show this in this poem

Is my intent.

 

One is a defence

Of a biblical doctrine

Like for example an examination

Of universal sin.

 

 

The other is a regret

For something said or done

With the intention in the future

It would be shunned.

 

Apology is the word

Used for either case

But let me hasten to explain,

To scoff, don’t haste.

 

For some are quick

To pass searing judgment

On matters they haven’t research

But stoutly resent.

 

 

Thus, the need to apologize

For poor apologetics

And misleading the uninformed

With an erroneous mix.

 

On the other hand

No apology is required

By any apologist whose position

Is the Word, God-inspired.

 

So, don’t mix the two,

They are clearly distinct,

Be clear in you presentation

Even when succinct.

 

 

Two meanings of apology

But don’t mix up the two,

One could be a poor presentation

Of an unresearched view.

 

 

As an apologist

In the practice of apologetics,

Be wary of so-called apologists

That are up to tricks.

 

 

 

Stand on the Scriptures

And not on apology,

For that which pertains thereto

Touches eternity.

 

Stewart Russell © December 16, 2024

 

Sovereignty and Free Will

 

 

Concerning Sovereignty

There is only One,

History has its Emperors and kings

But they are long gone.

 

Pseudo sovereignty

Meaning a mere pretense

But never having ultimate control

Whatever their intent.

 

The Emperors of Rome

And the great kings of Israel:

They all suffered irreversible defeat

In their final battle.

 

The Presidents of today

And Prime Ministers as well

Are destined to lose their life battle

After their spell.

 

Death is appointed

For both great and small

And when death dials our number,

None can stall.

 

Pseudo sovereignty

Is all that we have got

And whether Emperor or pauper,

Death is our lot.

 

God is the only Sovereign

And there’s not another,

Don’t you dare consider the devil:

That deceptive usurper.

 

 

 

Now man has free will

Given to him by God

Meaning he has limited choice,

That is all.

 

He is not sovereign

And this is so very clear

For he lives for a period of time

And then disappears.

 

Man may choose

Whether to live or die

And this must be seen in two ways:

One being suicide.

 

Or he can remain dead

In his trespasses and sins

And refuse the gift of salvation

God offers to him.

 

Man can choose to work

Or idle away all day,

He can choose to become muted

Or have a say.

 

He can choose a job

And build a nice career

Or be a recluse and from people

Stay clear.

 

He can have a family,

I mean of his own

Or having been born into a family,

He can go off alone.

 

 

 

A Myriad choices

Are available to all

But understand choice is unlimited

Only to God.

 

God sets the limit

On the choices of man

And we can accept or reject Him

If we so plan.

 

BUT

 

There are consequences

To the choices we make

And these can be very heart wrenching

Like here of late.

 

 

 

Choices by our leaders

And important others

That put harsh measures in place

And cause great bother.

 

Nations against Nations

In skirmishes and war

Choosing weapons of destruction

To show their power.

 

Taking another’s resources

By sheer brute force:

The animals’ survival of the fittest

Now man’s recourse.

 

Changing their gender

As though this is possible

And then actually agitating for it,

Though reprehensible. 

 

Man is not a robot

But then, neither is God

And because He is the I AM that I AM

He is sovereign of all.

 

 

 

Creating Adam and Eve

God gave them a rule:

It was His way or the other way;

They could choose.

 

Think of a world

Without restrictive choice:

Wherein are no rules or regulations:

No regulating voice.

 

No reason, no empathy,

Just all is civil anarchy!

Surely God did not create the world

For this to be.

 

Hence a Sovereign voice

With ultimate control

That can limit the despicably wicked

And put evil on hold.

 

Thus, the reason for death

And the limit imposed,

I AM that I AM is the only Sovereignty

And none other comes close.

 

We can do as we like

But not for as long as we like

For Almighty God is in ultimate control

And will set things right.

 

Free will is limited

And this is without doubt

So, to rulers of countries and nations,

So is your clout.

 

Stewart Russell © November 10, 2025