Has Israel become, in the eyes of God, a ex-people that now differs nothing from any other peoples of the earth? Even an ex-wife in the natural human drama never becomes just another woman in the eyes of an ex-husband. Please understand that NO divine promise will ever fail, whether it relates to Israel or to any individual of any nation.
GOD’S SELECTION OF ISRAEL (Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 33:12)
When the human race, tested in the days of Adam and Eve and the generations which followed, dismally failed to obey the Lord and instead lifted up its heart in revolt against Him, God stepped into a tragic situation and chose one people to whom He would peculiarly reveal Himself and who in turn would be a blessing to the world.
The Hebrews proved to be a nation of unusual religious sensitivity. Their country, Palestine, is a geographical centre. But God chose Israel, not primarily because of their worth or national or cultural or geographical characteristics, but because in His sovereign love and wisdom He desired that the nation belong peculiarly to Him (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).
Why did God choose Israel? In the main, there is a threefold answer to this question:
1. To proclaim the One True and Living God and to demonstrate the importance of knowing and serving Him
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:4, 5). "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God" (Isaiah 43:10-12). Israel was a little island of monotheism in a vast sea of polytheism. The revelation of the True God was given to this people only, and they were to scrupulously maintain and give witness to this truth to all people.
2. To receive, preserve and transmit the Scriptures
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God" (Romans 3:1, 2). These "oracles" were the Old Testament Scriptures (compare Acts 7:38; Hebrews 5:12). "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments...Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations...(Deuteronomy 4:5, 6). The marvelous revelation of truth was given to no other people.
3. To produce the Messiah
To Abraham came the promise, "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). The first verse of our New Testament is the beginning of the fulfillment of this word. Romans 9:5, as well as 15:8, also confirms the fact that Israel was to be the vessel through whom the earth-blessing Messiah was to come.
The apostle Paul had a deep concern for Israel’s salvation (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1). Remember that the gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first..." (Romans 1:16). Paul lists some of Israel’s priceless, unique blessings (Romans 9:4, 5). Let us look at them very briefly.
1. The Adoption - This is really Israel’s national position of nearness to God. Nationally, they were God’s sons (Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1; Jeremiah 31:9).
2. The Glory - This refers to the visible symbol of Jehovah’s presence, above the mercy seat in the Tabernacle and later over the Jewish Temple, and is sometimes called the "Shekinah" (Exodus 25:22; 40:34; Leviticus 16:2; 1 Kings 8:10).
3. The Covenants - These were solemn agreements made between God and Israel. Some were unconditional, while others were conditional.
4. The Giving of the Law - This was the Decalogue given by God through Moses at Mt. Sinai for Israel’s obedience.
5. The Service of the God - This refers to the divine instructions regarding the ritual of the Tabernacle and the Temple. Priests, Levites and common people all had their specific obligations in connection with certain sacrifices, feasts, etc.
6. The Promises - These were chiefly concerning the Messiah and their own national future. The Old Testament is filled with them. Innumerable blessings were guaranteed to Israel as long as she remained faithful to the God (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
7. The Fathers - These were the illustrious men of faith, whose names shine so brightly in Hebrews 11 and other parts of Scripture.
8. The Messiah - This One was the climax of Israel’s blessing. Notice His twofold nature here - in His manhood He was of Israel; but as divine He was "over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." " As concerning the flesh Christ came..." (Romans 9:5). The Lord Jesus was Himself an Israelite.
GOD’S COVENANTS WITH ISRAEL
It is important that you know these four agreements. They indicate how closely God had bound the nation Israel to Himself.
1. The Abrahamic Covenant - (Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-14)
Abraham was promised not only a seed, but also a land in which he dwelt and a vast number of descendants who would form a great nation. The boundaries of the promised land were to extend far beyond the little strip of country known as Canaan. The unconditional promises of this are found in such passages as Genesis 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:7, 18-21; 22:17, 18; and Exodus 32:13. Notice especially the word "forever." This promise was confirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:3, 4) and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15). The boundaries are expressly described in Genesis 15:18-21; Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 1:7, 8; and Joshua 1:4. God brought Israel into the land in fulfillment of His Word.
2. The Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10)
The nation is told that she would be removed from the land for disobedience; that she would some day repent (Deuteronomy 28:63-68; 30:1-3); that her Messiah would return (Deuteronomy 30:3-6); that she would be re-established in her land (Deuteronomy 30:5); that she would be nationally converted (Deuteronomy 30:4-8); and her enemies would be cursed (Deuteronomy 30:7); and that then she would enter into the blessings of prosperity (Deuteronomy 30:9).
3. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12-16)
This guarantees the establishment of the throne of David forever.
4. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
This promises a renewed heart and mind to rejected Israel, her regeneration and restoration to divine favor, and everlasting blessing.
THE DISOBEDIENCE OF ISRAEL
In spite of the fact that God had showered His loving favor upon the nation, she grossly disobeyed Him and rushed down the pathway of rebellion, idolatry and sin. Illustrations of her sins:
1. In the days of Moses
Even when this servant of God was receiving the law in Mt. Sinai the people were sinning at the foot of the mountain (Exodus 32:1-6). Later, in the wilderness, they repeatedly revolted against the Lord (Numbers 11:1, 4-6; 14:1-4; compare 1 Corinthians 10:1-10).
2. In the days of the Kingdom
Wicked kings often led their fickle people into idolatry and iniquity (1 Kings 13:33, 34;16:30-33).
In the days of the Prophets
God often sent men of God to His recalcitrant people to warn them and to bring them back to Himself. Their refusal to heed these noble men is graphically portrayed in such passages as 2 Kings 17:7-17 and 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16.
3. Killing of their Messiah, Jesus Christ
When we hear her leaders avowing to Pilate at the time of the crucifixion, "His blood be on us, and our children (read Matthew 27:11-26)," we may look for some terrible national disaster to overtake them. Jehovah chose Israel to be the depository of His testimony to the world, and that because of their failure in this, plus their consummating sin of crucifying their Messiah, this people has been set aside during the present age.
THE SETTING ASIDE OF ISRAEL
The Reason
God had clearly and painstakingly warned Israel that disobedience would end in disaster (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). But she rejected the Word of God. The predicted tragedy overtook her.
The Historical Evidence
1. The Captivities
In 722 BC the ten northern tribes were taken into exile by the Assyrians. During the period 606-582 BC the two southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin, were led into captivity to Babylon. Later a remnant returned to Jerusalem. But their descendants in Palestine were overthrown by the Roman general Titus in AD70. The Jews were scattered and for many centuries had no national homeland.
2. The Persecutions
Many nations have abused and defamed the Jews. In the seventh century Spain forced tens of thousands to accept baptism. She burned thousands more during the days of her Inquisition. And in 1492 she banised the Jews from her realm. A King of England exiled Jews from his shores in AD1020. Many returned to England under William the Conqueror. The Czars of Russia had thousands of Jews massacred. The liquidation of six million Jews in Hilter’s day was probably the most cruel tragedy of them all.
The Biblical Description of Israel’s Plight
She has been blinded, has stumbled and fallen, but has not been cast away, as the result of her rejection of God (Romans 9:31, 32; 11:11, 12, 15, 25). The "times of the Gentiles," during which Jerusalem is "trodden down of the Gentiles," are under way (Luke 21:24). The natural branches (Israel) of God’s olive tree have been broken off. Branches of a wild olive tree (the Gentiles) have been grafted into the good olive tree (Romans 11:16-21).
The Miracle of Her Preservation
The Jews have been vilely treated and slandered. They have had no national home, army or navy for centuries. They have been scattered among the nations of the world. The somber warnings of Deuteronomy 28:63-68 have been fulfilled. Any other nation subjected to the abuse which has been showered upon Israel would long since have perished. Where are the Canaanites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Moabites, Edomites, or Ammonites today? They have been absorbed by other peoples and have lost their identity. But Israel still persists as a nation. Why? Because God has protected and shielded her. He established His covenants with her progenitors. He has not forgotten His pledges. Israel still has a magnificent future. Hitler might try to wipe her out. But Hitler is dead and Israel still survives. The purpose of God on her behalf will not fail.
The Church’s Attitude Toward Israel
The Church should not boast that the Jews have been nationally set aside and that she is now the recipient of divine favor (Romans 11:17-21). Instead, she should be deeply concerned about Israel’s salvation (Romans 10:1).
ISRAEL’S PRESENT CONDITION
There are three New Testament words which aptly describe her national plight. We must remember that what Israel is politically is always the result of what she is religiously. In this connection, the Word describes the plight of this people by the words "fallen," "desolate," and "blinded."
1. Fallen
Jesus said, "Whosoever shall fall on this stone (meaning Himself shall be broken" (Matthew 21:44). Romans 9:32 and 1 Peter 2:8 make it clear that the nation trippped and fell over the Messiah who had come to deliver them. They had looked for deliverance from their Roman conquerors rather than from the enslavement of their sins, and this had blinded them to the claims of their true Messiah. They rejected Him and were consequently broken. (Read Romans 11:11, 12.)
2. Desolate
"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:37-39). During the past two thousand years, Israel has been nationally fallen and religiously desolate. Their temple has been completely destroyed and even its very site was for centuries in the hands of the infidel, which accords exactly with Hosea 3:4. True, the Jew has clung to the empty shell of ritualism, but any spiritual life has long since fled. In heaven’s reckoning, they are desolate religiously.
3. Blinded
"Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded....that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:7, 25). The story of Elymas (Acts 13:6-12) perfectly illustrates this condition. Notice, however, that the blindness was, and is, temporary and not permanent.
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL
No amount of human or diabolical effort to destroy the nation, or keep her from Palestine will permanently succeed. God’s Word is sure.
The Old Testament abounds in predictions that some day Israel will return to her land. God declared, "And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away...and to break my covenant with them...(Leviticus 26:44). In Isaiah it is written: "The Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left..." (Isaiah 11:11; 43:5, 6). To Jeremiah the same revelation is given: "I will...have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land" (Jeremiah 12:15; 23:3; 24:6; 30:3, 18; 31:8; 32:37-41). Other passages dealing with the same theme are Ezekiel 20:42; 28:25, 26; 36:24-27; Hosea 3:4, 5; Joel 3:1; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:6; Zephaniah 3:20; Zechariah 8:7, 8; 10:10).
The Lord Jesus made it clear that "the times of the Gentiles" would come to an end. They would last until they were fulfilled. Then of course "the times" of Israel would commence. "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25). Israel, long despised and spurned, will yet have her day.
The apostle Paul is explicit. "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid...God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew" (Romans 11:1, 2). On the contrary the Hebrew olive branches which have been broken off from the tree, "if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again" (Romans 11:23).
NOTE:
There are those who deny any future to national Israel as such. Assuming that the Church of this age is the true Israel, and that, therefore, the promises made to her find their complete fulfillment now in the Church, there can be no future application to any company. Support for this view is largely found in Old Testament quotations which are frequently applied to Christians of this age.
