The Jews' Advantage—Romans 3:1-2
"What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God" (Romans 3:1-2)
I am sure by this point, the Jews reading this letter were feeling beaten down. Paul ended Chapter 2 by revealing that they had misunderstood God’s covenant. They were operating under the assumption that because they were circumcised and the natural descendants of Abraham, they had an advantage with God. But all of this had been shattered by Paul’s declaration that a true descendant is one whose heart has been circumcised by the Spirit of God (Rom. 2:29).
The Jews had the monumental task of taking the Word spoken to the and recording it and preserving it.
So the question becomes: What advantage is there in being a Jew?
Fortunately, verse 2 gives the answer. The Jews were entrusted with the very words of God. Then they had the monumental task of taking the Word spoken to them and recording it and preserving it.
Not only did He give them intuitive knowledge like the rest of creation (Rom. 1:20), they were also given the utterances of the Heavenly Father. This is a huge advantage, one that blesses both the Jewish race and the rest of humanity.
What makes this so amazing is that God places immeasurable importance on His Word. King David said in the Psalms, “You have exalted above all else your name and your word and you have magnified your word above all your name!” (Ps. 138:2b AMP). This is incredible!
At the name of Jesus, everything will eventually bow and come into submission to Him (Phil. 2:10-11), but God places so much importance on His Word that He magnifies it over His name. The Jews were entrusted with these very words, and no one can question that they retained a favorable position with God right from the very beginning.
Today, we have also been blessed by the special relationship God had with the Jewish people, as we have access to the very same words they were given. Let’s rejoice that God provided us with His Word and celebrate that we can know God in a personal way through it.
Previous: Romans 2:28-29 Next: Romans 3:3-4
Original article published June 15, 2009.