190630 Israel’s Advantages (2)

Romans 9:1-5 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴ They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵ To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

In the very beginning of this letter to the Romans Paul spoke about the advantages enjoyed by the Jewish nation. Romans 3:1-2 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ² Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

What belongs to Israel? This is the question that we come back to today. A question that can only be answered by looking at the advantages granted to the Jews. I include Paul’s statement in Romans 3:9. Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin”.

Before we go forward we need to include the first three advantages attributed to the Jewish nation. Throughout history, God has had people who worship him. During the second generation of mankind, before there was a Bible or any organized religion, men and women called on God (Genesis 4:25-26).

The very first thing that Noah did, as his family left the ark following the flood, was to build an altar and worship God (Genesis 8:20). All of these are examples of individuals who worshiped God.

With Abram God chose to establish a people who would follow him. He adopted them and describes the process in an allegory found in Ezekiel 16:2-5. “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, ³ and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ⁴ And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. ⁵ No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.” A part of that adoption process was bringing the descendants of Abraham into Egypt for a 400-year education. In the process of leading them out of Egypt, he introduced them to his Glory. First, there was the cloud by day that became a pillar of fire at night. Second, the mountain where the law was given was covered by thick cloud with thunder and lightning. Then there was the dedication of the tabernacle. Exodus 40:34-35 tells us the story of the glory of God filling the tent – tabernacle in the wilderness. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

No nation had ever had that kind of manifestation of God. Moses described it this way: For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? ⁸ And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? Deuteronomy 4:7-8. To the Jews belonged the adoption and the glory. Consequently, beginning with Abraham God established a covenant relationship with Israel. That relationship was first described in Genesis 12:1-3  Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  This covenant relationship was repeated to Abram three times — found in Genesis 12; Genesis 15 and Genesis 17. God reaffirmed the covenant with each generation following Abraham. When God called Moses to leave Mount Sinai and take the nation of Israel towards the land of promise God told him that it was the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A part of the process of establishing the covenant included the giving of the Law.  God gave a spoken law even before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

A part of God’s promise to Isaac, Abraham’s son, included these words, “And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Genesis 26:4b-5. Abraham did not have, so far as we know, a written law. So we are told that he obeyed God’s voice. In the process, he followed the law that would later be given to Moses in written form. The stone tablets that contained the Ten Commandments were written by the hand of God himself. So that, with Moses, the adoption, the glory, and the covenants were strengthened by the written law. These advantages over other nations made them able to worship God.

Jesus, in his conversation with the woman at the well, spoke of the worship of Israel. That conversation can be found in John 4 let’s look at verses 19-24. The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” ²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

We do not know her name, John simply refers to her as “a woman from Samaria” she came in the middle of the day to draw water. We believe that the normal pattern would have been women gathering at the well at the beginning of the day. That was a custom that was continued right down to modern times.

When the Israeli army solidified its control on the area around Nazareth they began the process of modernizing. Part of that included piping water to each of the houses so that the women no longer had to go to a central location for their daily supply of water. Rather than being a blessing, the women of the district considered it to be very disturbing. Their gossip chain was broken! They no longer gathered at the well!

The woman who met Jesus that day probably did not expect anyone to be there. We believe that she was an outcast. Jesus had opened his conversation with her by asking for a drink of water. She was amazed that he spoke to her much less asked her to give him a drink from her water pot. Jesus turned the conversation into an opportunity to witness to her. He told her that if she really knew who he was she would have asked him for living water. Immediately, she saw it as an opportunity to not have to come to the well anymore. Jesus then asked her to go call her husband. She confessed that she did not have a husband. Jesus then told her that he knew she had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband.

She immediately tried to change the subject by discussing the right place to worship. In the same manner someone today, when confronted by spiritual truth, might say, “I am a Catholic” or, “I am a fill-in-the-blank” in order to turn the conversation away from a spiritual witness.

In Romans 9 Paul spoke of Israel as having an advantage in “the worship”. The Samaritan woman understood that was a problem. The Samaritans worshiped at a temple on the mountaintop near the well. That temple is still there! There are a few hundred Samaritans today in Israel. The Jews, of course, worshiped in Jerusalem.

Jesus pronounced both to be in need of change. He said that the hour had now come for worship to be directed at the Father in spirit and truth. He added the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

The Jews not only had the advantages of the adoption, the glory, the covenants and the law of God but they also have…

The Promises. Deuteronomy 26:18-19 And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, ¹⁹ and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”

What promises can we expect to find? Too many to include all of them here. I quote:

“Speaking of Old Testament believers such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, the author of Hebrews says, “These all died in faith not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar …” (Heb. 11:13). The same chapter goes on to say that Moses “considered abuse suffered for the Christ (or the Messiah) greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward” (Heb. 11:26). And Jesus can say of Abraham, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). This again apparently refers to Abraham’s joy in looking forward to the day of the promised Messiah. Thus, even Old Testament believers had saving faith in Christ, to whom they looked forward, not with exact knowledge of the historical details of Christ’s life, but with great faith in the absolute reliability of God’s word of promise.” Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, P 117.

Paul wrote to the Galatians about the promises. We can benefit greatly from what he had to say. In Galatians 3:13-14, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— ¹⁴ so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. And also in Galatians 3:16-18 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

The promises given to Abraham are passed on to every believer in Christ Jesus. Not by keeping the law but by faith in God’s word. Praise God, everyone is saved by the same process: by grace through faith and that not of ourselves it is God’s gift!

Moving back to where we started, we are reminded of Paul’s great love for his people. many of us know the same kind of painful love. We pray for them and, when given the opportunity, share the gospel. The least they need is a consistent witness growing out of our lifestyle. They need to be reminded that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our lost loved ones need to be encouraged towards faith. They need to know that God showed his love for us in Christ on the cross. They need to know that if they will confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead they will be saved! But it is essential that we bathe them in prayer! Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? If you sense God pulling you don’t resist it! Today could be your day of salvation.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.

190623 Israel’s Advantages

Romans 9:1-5 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴ They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵ To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

In the very beginning of this letter to the Romans Paul spoke about the advantages enjoyed by the Jewish nation. Romans 3:1-2 tells us: Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ² Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

What belongs to Israel? This is the question that we are led to today. A question that can only be answered by looking at the advantages granted to the Jews. I hasten to include Paul’s statement in Romans 3:9. Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin”. With the great advantage granted to the Jews came a great responsibility as well. Obedience to God overrides all religious symbols such as circumcision — church membership — baptism — or denominational affiliation. All of these are like a wedding ring! They only count if the relationship is right. Baptism without belief has no meaning. Church membership without a faith relationship with Christ counts for nothing. Being a Baptist, Methodist, or Catholic only indicates our social relationships unless it includes the true faith in Christ. A wedding ring without a faithful commitment to the wedding vows is meaningless.

Yet, in our opening passage, Romans 9:1-5, we are given a list of advantages that cannot be ignored and should be able to be applied to our life today. To be recognized as part of the Jewish faith among other things a man must be circumcised. But unless it is accompanied by heart-faith that is meaningless.

Paul added in chapter 2:28-29,  For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹ But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Doctor Donald J. Barnhouse put it this way: “For he is not a Christian who is one outwardly, nor is that “church membership” which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Christian who is one inwardly; and “church membership” is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

With that in mind let’s look at the list Paul gave us in Romans chapter nine. He introduces the subject by stating that he had, personally, very great sorrow for the sake of his brothers. His sorrow was so great, that if it were possible, he would willingly have given up his place in heaven if it would bring them to salvation. Paul knew that he could not make a deal like that with God. He would have if he could. Yet, as he struggled with his great sorrow he gives us a list of advantages they had — and still do!

First of all, they had…

The Adoption. We are given a description from God’s viewpoint in Ezekiel 16:3-5. Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ⁴ And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. ⁵ No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

The descendants of Abraham were in great need. They were not chosen by God because they were somehow worthy of the choice. In fact, this picture that we have drawn for us in the book of Ezekiel describes a child with mixed parentage who was thrown into an open field and left to die. No one took pity on the baby until God came and chose her. God goes on to describe how he watched Israel grow up into a beautiful young lady. God adopted her and gave her everything she would ever need. Then after all that consideration by God, Israel, like Adam and Eve before them, rebelled against God.

You may ask, how does this apply to us? Just as the descendants of Abraham were adopted, so are those of us who have come to faith in him today. Abraham and his descendants need to be adopted by God.  We must also be adopted in order to be part of his family. As God’s children, we are related to one another as family members. In fact, adoption into God’s family makes us part of one family, even with the Old Testament believers. It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, children of the promise are counted as his descendants. The Jews had the adoption.

Next, we see that they had…

The Glory. Looking at Exodus 40:34-35. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Moses had seen the glory of God in ways that we never shall. Beginning with the bush that burned but never burned up and going on to a mountaintop covered with cloud and fire in the presence of God Moses saw God. At one point in his relationship with God when he came out of his meeting with God his face shined! People were afraid of him because his skin was so glorious. Moses had to cover his face so the people would not see the fading. He would then remove the veil when he spoke to God and come away shining proving that he had really been with God.

When the Tabernacle was constructed in the wilderness we have the account at the end of Exodus. The glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Even Moses could not enter it because the glory filled the tent.

Later, when Solomon erected the new temple God’s glory again filled it to the point that men could not enter it — neither the king nor a priest could do so!

In the year that King Uzziah died Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple. The response is pretty much the same. They fell on their face and worshiped God! “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles  16:34b

There are many accounts of the glory of the Lord throughout the Bible. Once, near the little village of Bethlehem, the angels appeared to shepherds at Jesus’ birth, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

Also among Israel’s advantages are the covenants. For example, we can look at God’s covenant with Abram.

The Covenants. Genesis 12:1-3. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Perhaps we need a definition of a Biblical covenant. A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely imposed legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship. Please note that there are some important provisions in this definition. One, it is unchangeable! Two, it is imposed by God! Three, it is a legal agreement! Four, it sets the parameters of the relationship between God and man. Let’s look at a couple of the covenants presented in the Bible.

First, we have the covenant between God and mankind set in the Garden of Eden. The word “covenant” does not appear in the narrative. However, in Hosea 6:7, we find this: “like Adam they transgressed the covenant.” When we read the Genesis account we see that Adam lived in a covenant relationship that he transgressed. Let’s go back to Genesis 12 because the covenant with Adam covered all mankind and we are concerned primarily about the covenants between God and Israel!

Let’s look at the conditions: one, God initiated the circumstances that established the covenant relationship. Two, God dictated the terms. Abram was instructed to go to a land God would show him. Three, God promised to make Abram a great nation. Not, Abram would become a great nation but God would make him into a great nation. Four, God would make Abram’s name great! Five, God would make Abram a blessing and through him bless all the families on the earth!

A third covenant is usually referred to as the Covenant of Grace. Mankind failed to obtain the blessing offered in the covenant with Abram, or Abraham, as he was later called. It became necessary for God to establish another covenant whereby man could be saved. This Covenant of Grace is what the Bible is all about. God clearly defines the conditions that worked out the relationship between himself and the people he would redeem. Be careful, don’t let it get into your head that God needed us somehow. God specifies the conditions and the essential elements of any covenant he is involved with.

The parties to this Covenant of Grace are God and the people he would redeem. Throughout the history of the world, it is very clear that man needs a mediator. Job recognized that fact. We find his testimony in Job 9:33 and 19:25-27. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.  and…  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. ²⁶ And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, ²⁷ whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

The need for a mediator is pictured early the biblical account. Repeatedly, Moses mediated between God and Israel. His mediation rose to the point of telling God to take Moses’ name out of the book if God did not bring Israel through the wilderness. At another point, God offered to make Moses into a great nation to replace sinning Israel. Moses’ response was to remind God that if he did so the nations around them would say that God could not deliver his people in the wilderness. Such an arrangement would dishonor God! It is absolutely mind-blowing to think about telling God that he would be making a mistake.

What about this Covenant of Grace? Jesus is the mediator that was missing in the Covenant of Works. In order to participate in the Grace Covenant, it is essential to have faith in the finished work of Christ. That faith is not only the essential beginning of the relationship. Faith is the condition of continuing in that covenant. If our faith is genuine it will produce obedient results. Obedience to Christ is the necessary evidence that we are true believers. John put it this way, Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:4-6.

 The promise in this covenant is one of eternal life with God. This promise is repeated frequently throughout the Old Testament and the New. God repeatedly said that he would be their God and they would be his people. This blessing finds its fulfillment in the church. And ultimately, in the new heaven and new earth. As John said in his vision of the age to come: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Revelation 21:3

Moving back to where we started, we are reminded of Paul’s great love for his people. Many of us know the same kind of painful love. To have lost loved ones is indeed painful. Luther put it this way: “Love is not only pure joy, and delight, but also great and deep heaviness of heart and sorrow.” We pray for them and when given the opportunity we share the gospel. Their least need is a consistent witness growing out of our lifestyle. They need to be reminded that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our lost loved ones need to be encouraged towards faith. They need to know that God showed his love for us in Christ on the cross. They need to know that if they will confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead they will be saved! But it is essential that we bathe them in prayer! Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? If you sense God pulling you don’t resist it! Today could be your day of salvation.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.