Israel
Michael Nekora The word "Israel" means many different things in scripture. We cite just a few of these:
It is entirely appropriate that Bible students emphasize this particular use of the word "Israel." When God accepts our consecration, we become new creatures and are accepted as his sons. We become part of the "Israel of God" even though we may not necessarily be natural descendants of Jacob. But what about natural Israel? Jesus said unto them, "Your house is left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23:38). Does this mean they have no place in the outworking of God’s plan? Of course not! Promises to Israel PRIOR to the Kingdom One of the most important promises that Israel received from God has been fulfilled within our lifetime. It is that they will be reconstituted a nation and returned to the land from which they were driven: "The hand of the LORD . . . set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones . . . and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD (Ezek. 37:1-6), . . . And breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel" (vs. 10, 11). "And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God"(Amos 9:14, 15). But even though this regathering has fulfilled the wonderful promise that Israel will once again possess the land of their forefathers, there is one very dark cloud on their horizon. The phrase "Jacob’s trouble" describes it, a phrase that occurs only once in the Bible, in Jeremiah chapter 30: "For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it (v. 7). For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished (v. 11). All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased" (v. 14). Note that the Lord says he is going to make a "full end" of all the other nations. What does this mean? We suggest that it means the arbitrary divisions into nation-states that has produced such rivalry and distress will be dissolved. But interestingly enough, this dissolution is not directed at Israel. This text implies there will be a continued awareness even into the kingdom of those who are part of the nation of Israel. This scripture is not yet fulfilled because Israel still has some "lovers," notably Great Britain and the United States. But this prophecy says that a time will come when these supporters will withdraw their support and Israel will stand alone. It is then that God is able to show his mighty hand and fight for them as he did in days of old as we read in Ezekiel 38: "And thou [Gog] shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. [vs. 11] . . . And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. [vs. 16] . . . And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD" (vs. 21-23). Promises to Israel In the Kingdom The covenants are important to Bible students. We know about the original law covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai. Israel agreed to do certain things, but they failed. What about the new covenant? With whom is it made? The scripture is very clear: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:31-33). In spite of this very clear statement, many of our Christian friends believe that the new covenant is made between God and believers in Christ. They "spiritualize" the word "Israel" [and overlook the word "Judah"]. But that is definitely not the correct thought. It was not the apostle Paul’s thought in Romans when he talked about Israel and the covenant to be made with them. "Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles [definitely Israel,]; how much more their fulness? This is my covenant toward them, when I shall take away their sins" (Rom. 11:12, 27). When does the new covenant go into effect? It happens when God takes away natural Israel’s sins. Has he done that yet? No, he has not. But he will do it when the new covenant arrangement is inaugurated with a "better priesthood" than Aaron, The Christ, head and body. Israel Receives Kingdom Blessings First The Bible uses the word Zion and the word Jerusalem to describe what is to happen in the kingdom. The city of Jerusalem was built on several mountains the highest of which was named Zion. Zion is used as a symbol of the heavenly phase of the kingdom. Jerusalem, however, describes the earthly phase. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:2, 3). The "law" of the kingdom comes from on high—from Zion. It is broadcast to "all nations" from Jerusalem. Whether or not this means the earthly seat of government will be located in the literal city of Jerusalem or not is debatable, but it is hard to find a better place for it. "Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8:22, 23). The number ten in scripture shows human perfection or completion. Examples include the ten camels carrying gifts for the bride of Isaac, ten commandments for God’s chosen people, a ten-stringed harp, ten virgins, ten servants to whom was delivered ten pounds. In this Zechariah text "ten men" represent humanity in the completed sense. "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain" (Zech. 14:16, 17). Most Bible students expect that nations will come up against literal Jerusalem in the final phase of Jacob’s trouble. If Jerusalem is literal in the first part of this scripture, then it follows that it would be literal in the second part of the scripture. It is the place where the "word of the LORD" goes forth, where worship is appropriately rendered. Reasonable students may differ about whether "rain" means literal rainfall or not. Yet people everywhere are concerned about what the lack of rain can do to their economy and life style. When drought seized the land of Israel, the people suffered. Thus the lack of rain is an apt symbol of the lack of blessing. There is even a scripture that implies that Israel itself is this "wetness" from heaven: "Then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass"(Micah 5:3, 7). Thus we see that the blessings of the kingdom flow to the world of mankind through the nation of Israel. They are the first to receive kingdom blessings. Although there is no scripture that uses the phrase "blesser nation" to describe Israel’s role in the kingdom, we believe that this is exactly the role Israel will have. Of course real earthly power will be vested in the leaders of restored Israel, the "princes in all the earth." Israel is shown favor so that it may flow to everyone else: "And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong" (Zech. 8:13). The word translated "blessing" is Strong’s #1293 and means benediction or prosperity. "In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land" (Isa. 19:24). This text contrasts the state of Israel and Egypt/Assyria (who jointly picture the other nations of the earth). But notice that it is Israel that is to be the blessing, not Egypt, not Assyria. Here is how Knox translates the Hebrew: "There will be a high-road, then, between Egypt and the Assyrians; either shall visit other, and Egypt under Assyria be at peace. And with these a third people shall be matched; who but Israel, source of the whole world’s happiness? Such blessing the Lord of hosts has pronounced upon it, Blessed be my people in Egypt, and the home I have made for the Assyrian to dwell in; but Israel is the land of my choice." In Genesis, God speaks to Jacob (not Isaac) and says: "Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 28:14). Notice that all the families of the earth are to be blessed in Jacob and Jacob’s seed. Bible students generally agree that Isaac pictures The Christ, head and body. Whom does Jacob picture? He does not picture a heavenly seed as does Isaac. God’s promise to Isaac was that his seed would be like the numberless "stars of heaven," a picture of the Church and the Great Company "which no man could number." But the numberless "dust of the earth" is different. Jacob pictures the earthly phase of the kingdom. He himself pictures the resurrected leaders of Israel; his "seed" pictures the nation of Israel itself, Jacob’s literal descendants. This promise says that it will be through Jacob and Jacob’s seed—the Isaac seed is of course, directing the blessing from heaven—that all the families of the earth will be blessed. This is what makes Israel a blesser nation. God is regathering Israel to her land. He does this to fulfill the promise he made to Abraham—that he would give him the land—a promise that had not been fulfilled when Abraham died. Nations come against her with the intent of wiping her off the face of the earth and God fights for her so that his name may be glorified. Is that the end? Not at all. The blessings flow first to Israel, and through Israel to all the families of the earth. The objective is that the entire world joins itself to Israel, becomes part of Israel, and constitutes the numberless earthly seed. All other nations disappear as nations. Only the nation of Israel remains. The idea that the Gentiles actually become Israelites is well supported in scripture: " For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob" (Isa. 14:1). It should not be surprising that everyone must give up their own nationality and become an Israelite. That is, after all, exactly what has happened to Christians today. Paul used the analogy of taking branches out of a "wild" tree [referring to Gentiles] and making them a part of a "good" olive tree [Abraham’s promises]: "For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, 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. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer [The Christ, head and body], and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob [Israel]" (Rom. 11:24-26). Why Israel? Why has God designed his plan this way? Why should he work exclusively with this one nation instead of with all mankind collectively? One reason is his love for their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the faithful prophets): "As concerning the gospel, they [Israel—the Jews] are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes" (Rom. 11:28). His original relationship with Israel was not because they were so much better than others. We know from the record that most were unfaithful to him; they were "stiff-necked." But Israel became the instrumentality God used to deal with the wickedness of the other nations: "Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiff-necked people" ( Deut. 9:5, 6). For over 3000 years the Jews have maintained their uniqueness, their separateness based on their law covenant relationship with God. This is probably what non-Jews find so irritating. They want others to conform to their own standard, their personal mode of behavior. Even when Jews try to accommodate to this pressure, they have failed. They are different as Balaam predicted: "For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9). Think of the prejudice that rages around the world: in Northern Ireland the Catholics hate the Protestants; Turks hate the Greeks; Serbs hate the Croats; Azerbijanis hate the Armenians; and almost everyone hates the Jews! Prejudice against the Jews exists even in the United States. One of the first lessons to be taught to all nations will be to confront and overcome their prejudice of the Jew. It will be hard. Initially some will not conform, will not come to Jerusalem. And upon those, there will be no "rain." Eventually they will learn that prejudice has no place in a perfected human heart. The Lord is developing the footstep followers of Jesus now, in advance of the world. There is no place for prejudice in such characters, whether it be prejudice of Jews or non-Jews, whether it be of anyone in the world or among Christian fellowship. If we see evidence of prejudice in our characters, let us cut it off. Otherwise it may keep us from reaching the prize for which we run. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins" (Isa. 40:1, 2). |