THE HERITAGE OF ISRAEL
AND THE CENTRALITY OF THE GOSPEL
© Paul Brydson   May 1999
The Church of God in Williamstown
WEB SITE: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~sanhub/index.htm

INTRODUCTION
The motivation for my examination of the subject which I would like to present to you today has come from a number of sources. The first one is Hebrews 4:2.

I always found this a difficult scripture to reconcile with what I believed and had been taught about ancient Israel. It clashed. How could a group of people who we were taught was "physical Israel" be given the offer of eternal life? Also, if they were only physical Israel, denied the Holy Spirit (Scripture actually testifies that they resisted it [Acts 7:51; Neh 9:20,30; Isa 63:10]), but we are "spiritual Israel", given the Holy Spirit, then their example and failings can easily be dismissed as ultimately irrelevant to us. I was also prompted to give further consideration to this subject in light of discussions with different people revolving around the identity of Israel and who receives the promises. And, finally, it was motivated by what seems to me to be a very widespread tendency within many different Christian groups to separate and distinguish between OT Israel and the church of NT times. In one book on end-time prophecy entitled "Things to Come", by D. Pentecost, the widely-held belief that the Great Tribulation is primarily a Jewish calamity whose purpose is to bring about the conversion of a multitude of Jews to Jesus Christ is justified by quoting many scriptures. It goes on to claim that Christians escape the Great Tribulation because they have been raptured to safety beforehand. The Worldwide Church of God taught a variation on this idea by claiming that the faithful (being "spiritual Israel") would be carried away to a "place of safety" just before the Tribulation, while "physical" Israel (supposedly the USA and Britain) was to suffer punishment and ruin through it.

The purpose of this study to try to clarify who we are in relation to OT Israel.

THE PROMISE OF BLESSING
Let's go to back to what is at the core of what is disputed in Genesis 12. God made promises to Abraham and ever since people have been trying to claim them, steal them, change them or deny them.

This is a remarkable promise made to Abraham. It claims that a person's response to Abraham and his children is a life-and-death decision. This was fulfilled in part by God bringing Israel into the promised land under Joshua, but Abraham and his children have not as yet gained eternal possession. So here we see that not all of Abraham's descendants receive the promises. From the very outset, God made the promises and He reserves the right to say which children of Abraham will receive them. This promise was passed on to the nation of Israel, as revealed by Balaam: So we find the theme of "I will bless those who bless you" expressed in many ways throughout Scripture (e.g., Rahab receiving the spies [Jos 2,6]; the rewards for receiving a prophet [Mt 10:40-42]; the curse for rejecting the apostles [Mt 10:14-15]; the blessing for caring for the saints [Mt 25:34-45]; eternal life for receiving Jesus Christ [Jn 3:16; 5:24]; the aroma of the gospel [2Co 2:15-16]). How could Israel become such a blessing? This likewise is God's continued will for those whom He calls now. As Peter tells us, we are called to be a royal priesthood (1Pe 2:9). This is how Israel could become a blessing to the world—by becoming leaders and intermediaries between man and God. This is one of the central purposes of the promise God made to Abraham and his children—or perhaps, it could be seen as the central promise: to be made righteous so we can become a blessing to others (Ro 1:11-12; 5:16-17; 6:16). The purpose of the promises is to build a home where each person's thoughts and deeds are a blessing to others. To view the promises without this context is to misunderstand them. They were not given so that Abraham's children could bathe self-indulgently in milk and honey. The purpose of all the promises that God gave to Abraham and his children was that they could become a blessing to others. This is not a hidden theme in Scripture: BECOMING A BLESSING: BEGOTTEN OF THE WORD
We thus see this continuity of calling and purpose for the patriarchs and the people of Israel. God wants to bless them, so that they can bring blessings to others. But again I ask, how were they to become such a blessing? It is receiving and believing the Word of God that transforms us into something new, a blessing rather than a curse. Here is how a man or woman becomes a child of Abraham, and a blessing to others. He or she is begotten by the Word of God. Abraham was begotten of God's Word. Believing the words of God leads us into a relationship that eventually results in becoming righteous before God. The same is true for those who hear and believe the words of Christ today (Jn 3:36; 5:24; 6:47). This is what made Israel the chosen people of God. They were chosen to receive, and to prosper, in God's Word. This is also what makes us heirs of God, along with Abraham.

THE GOSPEL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
But do we really believe that OT Israel was called to the same Gospel as we are? Heb 4:2 says that the Gospel was preached to Israel in the wilderness. But I know that I personally found it quite difficult for some time to actually believe that it really was the same Gospel. They were only physical, that's why they failed! They were only physical, so how could they receive a spiritual message? We are spiritual and so we understand and won't fail!

In so separating ourselves from them, we also cut ourselves off from the relevance of the lessons of OT Israel. Let's read how David preached the gospel to Israel when the ark was brought to Jerusalem:

Here we have an awesome preaching of the Gospel to Israel in David's time. This was, or should have been, their hope. All the prophets bore witness to the true source of the hope of Israel's blessing. Their hope and expectation lay in the Messiah. This was all part of the heritage and hope of OT Israel.

Let us now proceed to NT times.

THE PROPHETS' HOPE FOR ISRAEL: THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH
With the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the same Gospel could be preached more completely, because the central event through which the promises were to come had now taken place.

So the prophets understood what was to happen to the Messiah. If the prophets understood this, then surely they would have tried to teach it to those who were willing to listen. Isaiah had a small following of disciples (Isa 8:16-18), but his predominant experience was that few were willing to believe his teaching (Isa 53:1). With Christ's life, death and resurrection, the way and means of Israel's blessing could now more fully be explained. But it was the same message that Israel was given by the prophets. He is the long-awaited king of the Jews (Mt 27:11; Mk 15:2; Lk 23:3; Jn 18:33-37). He is the one who would bring the Kingdom of God (Mk 1:15).

THE DILEMMA OF THE JEWS
Here was the good news of the promises of God, more fully revealed, thus enabling the Gospel to be more completely preached. But how did the beneficiaries of the promises now feel about what had been revealed, and was being revealed? Let's read Peter's message on Pentecost in the light of this topic.

Through this preaching by Peter, many believed what he was saying, repented of their sins and were empowered with the promised Holy Spirit, so they could indeed become partakers of the promises (Act 2:41). Let's compare Paul's preaching. The promises made to the patriarchs of the nation, which were—or which should have been—the nation's hope, were now being clarified, confirmed and brought near for them to grasp hold of. It was extended to both the Jews and the Gentiles who feared God.

What effect did Paul's message have?

So we see that the promises to the fathers, the hope of Israel as expressed through what the prophets had taught from the very beginning, were to be fulfilled for both faithful Jew and Gentile through this Jesus Christ whom Paul preached. When this was revealed to the Jews, many were none too happy. Notice that this is a hot issue, one which strikes at the heart of all who claim to believe in the God of the Bible: Who receives the promises to Abraham? Who is righteous before God? Men are willing to kill to squash any threat to their perceived place of blessing before God. THE GOSPEL, REJECTED BY THE JEWS, GOES TO THE GENTILES
Therefore, through the apostle Paul, the Gospel went to the Gentiles. Let's consider the position of the Gentiles in all this. As they come to recognise Christ, the Jews will be brought back into the promises (Mt 23:39). There is thus one, inclusive plan of God being worked out throughout man's history—not one for Jews and one for Gentiles, not one for OT Israel and a different one for NT Israel.

One of the OT symbols for Israel was the olive tree (Isa 17:6; 24:13; Jer 11:16; Hos 14:6), i.e., God's servants (Zec 4:3,11,12; Rev 11:4). Paul takes us through this imagery to explain the relationship of converted Gentiles to Israel.

There aren't two trees of life (Jn 15:1-6; Ge 2:9;16-17)! OT Israel and the Church from the time of Christ are not separate entities. Israel was called, and so are we, to the same hope, the same relationship with God (Eph 4:4-5), the same law, the same faith, the same obedience (Ro 16:25-26), the same promises and the same consequences for disobedience (Heb 3:7-4:11). We have been brought into their heritage.

The rejection of the promises by many of the Jews when the Messiah was revealed to them was a tragedy for them, but works for the good of the rest of the world. Their temporary rejection allows for the inclusion of the world (Ro 11:11-16; Acts 13:48).

Timothy is an interesting example of this point. He was brought up in a Jewish home. His grandmother and his mother were both faithful women. He was brought up on the Scriptures (2Ti 1:5; 3:15). Why then wasn't Timothy circumcised? He was only circumcised as an act of expediency by Paul (Acts 16:1-3). So, according to these scriptures, physical circumcision was not necessary in order for Timothy, a Jew, to be saved.

CALLED TO THE SAME HOPE
The message of the Gospel is that the Gentiles may become part of the commonwealth of Israel, which is the household of God.

The message of the prophets was and is one of the grace available to all men (1Pe 1:10-12). The promise is received through faith and patience (Heb 6:12; 11:39-40; Ro 4:13-14; Gal 3:29), and love for God (Jas 2:5). It is not something divided into a portion for a physical people, and one for a spiritual people. This was part of the promise God gave Abraham. The promise began its fulfilment by the inclusion of Ephraim and Manasseh in it, showing that those from Egypt could share fully in the heritage of Israel. So these two Gentiles became full participants in the promises to Abraham. Peter also confirms that the fullness of the promise belongs to all the descendants of Abraham—Jew and Gentile: I was far off. I believe that I am being called, therefore I too hope to share in God's promise to Abraham, along with all the faithful Jews and faithful Gentiles throughout the ages.

AMOS 9:9-15 & ACTS 15:13-18
Let's see further how the prophets provided the foundational teaching for the Church.
Amos 7-9 predicted the removal of the wicked from Israel (e.g., Am 9:7-8,10), and that the remnant of Israel would also be scattered, but not lost (Am 9:9). He then goes on to talk about the restoration of Israel.

The ruined dynasty of David was promised restoration (Acts 2:24-28,31-33). The breaches in the kingdom (the division of the people and sin [Ezk 22:29-30]) would be repaired. Amos also foretells that, through this rebuilding, Israel would possess the remnant of Edom, meaning that Gentiles would become part of God's people (Am 9:12). If even a remnant from hostile Edom could be gleaned (Am 1:11; 9:12), then people from every nation could indeed be grafted into Israel and become God's people. They would be called by the name of God, just as Israel was called by the name of God (Dt 28:10; Jer 14:9; Isa 63:19; Joel 2:32). This is what Amos taught his people.

Let's go to Acts 15, because these scriptures in Amos were used to settle a major controversy in the Church. Here we read of the argument that for Gentiles to become part of the commonwealth of Israel, God's blessed people, they had to conform to the rituals of the Jews.

And now, to resolve the disagreement, James uses the verses from Amos that we have just read. God would rebuild the dwelling place of David (15:16), which has now happened in Jesus Christ, and all who seek the Lord may be called by His name and dwell under that dynasty (Acts 15:17). So the image we are presented with is of one plan of blessing for all mankind. Past, present and future. Jews and Gentiles are called to be one people, in one kingdom under the one Messiah (Ps 2:8). This is what the prophets continually taught their people, yet only a relative few believed it.

THE PRICE IS OFFENSIVE
The Jews of Christ's day were rattled, in part, because their place of blessing before God suddenly came under serious threat. Do Christians likewise need to be rattled? As the Jews separated themselves from the sufferings of Jesus Christ, because it was offensive to them (1Co 1:18,23), do Christians similarly reject the heritage of the suffering of OT Israel as being offensive to them? It is as if God holds up a mirror for us. We look into it and yet deny that it is our reflection that we see. Or, as James tells us:

"We are not like OT Israel. They were physical, but we are spiritual!"

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that there is no distinction between Israel in the flesh and Israel in spirit. My point is that the division between the OT and NT isn't the line that separates physical Israel from spiritual Israel. Neither is it defined by national boundaries. The heritage of Israel has always been that the wheat grows with the tares.

Christians, by separating themselves from the heritage of OT Israel, inevitably make up their own terms for and their own version of the promises to Abraham, just as the Jews did by rejecting Christ. The Messiah had to suffer to make possible the fulfilment of the promises. So too must Israel suffer to enter into the promises. Those who reject the suffering are rejected from the promises. Those who reject the traumatic heritage of OT Israel cannot learn the lessons that that heritage can teach us, and consequently also reject their promises. Why do people do this? Why do people deceive themselves, or allow themselves to be deceived, into separating themselves from the heritage through which the promises come? Because the calling of God is offensive to the carnal mind.

Men will take the blessings but will refuse to acknowledge the true cost necessary to participate in them, because the price is offensive to the carnal mind. Enter by the narrow gate, because broad is the way that leads to destruction (Mt 7:13-14). We are also told to take up our cross and follow Christ (Mt 16:24-25), and that we enter the kingdom through many tribulations (Acts 14:22): So, in conclusion, let it be restated that we have been called into the heritage of Israel—which is the Gospel, the eternal Word of God, the promises of Abraham—with all its accompanying grief and suffering, and its promised joy for those who are faithful and endure.

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