Israel’s continuing development demonstrates at least two
components, the spiritual and the political; yet they are combined. After Joshua there were a series of “judges”
who led Israel (politically), with priests exercising priestly/spiritual
responsibilities. This type of leadership
was unique among all her neighbors with God actually Israel’s King. Perhaps Israel felt “politically incorrect”
without a physical king. Over time the
people were able to bring pressure on Samuel, last of the judges and first of
the prophets, to anoint a king.
In this case “the Peoples’ Choice” was Saul, standing “head
and shoulders above the people”. Starting
well enough, in time certain of his issues disqualified him as king. Now Samuel had the ticklish job of anointing
another to be king with a sitting king—had King Saul found this out it could
have cost Samuel his life. The man he anoints is David, a worship-warrior-king,
“a man after God’s own heart”.
The transition takes place, David becomes king and though
his issues were a disappointment, his reign, on balance, was such as to mark it
the proto-type for all time in Israel.
After the reign of David’s son, Solomon, Israel splits into
two kingdoms: the northern kingdom,
comprised of 10 tribes, known as Israel; and the southern kingdom, with the
remaining two tribes, called Judah.
Both kingdoms play out the principles of Covenant,
experiencing mostly the “curses” (outlined in Deuteronomy 28), which led
Israel, the northern kingdom, into captivity and dispersion among the nations—just
as Moses prophesied. Later, the Southern
Kingdom, Judah, was taken into captivity for 70 years for “land management
issues”. Because the land was to rest
one year for every 7 years tilled, and Judah had not done this for 490 years,
God Himself enforced this provision by having them taken into captivity in
Babylon. After this period of forced
inactivity of the land, God allowed the people of Judah to go back home and
rebuild the city of Jerusalem. God
raised up King Cyrus, a non-Jew, to finance and oversee the return of the
people.
Prior to dispersion (in Israel’s case) and captivity (in
Judah’s case), prophets were raised up calling both nations to repentance, back
to an observance of “Covenant” which was foundational to their existence. Even
after Israel was “caught away”, prophets still continued to call Judah to
repentance to no avail, at the same time speaking of a day when Israel/Judah’s
rebellion would end, they would be restored to their homeland, and their
Messiah (“deliverer”) would come.
The prophet Daniel said when Messiah would come. The prophet Micah (5:2) said where he would
be born (Bethlehem). And the prophet Isaiah (7:14) said he would be born of a
virgin.
Messiah comes, has a ministry like none other in Israel’s
history (actually as a prophet-priest-king) but is not “recognized” (in an
official way by Jewish leadership).
Leadership conspires with local Roman authorities to crucify this man
whom we know as Jesus. For Israel, now
Judah, this was the biggest mistake of her 2,000 year history to that point—and
2,000 years later it is still the biggest mistake Judah/Israel ever made.
But it was necessary!
Why? In order that
provisions of Covenant might be extended to all non-Jews, gentiles. Had the "Christian Church” remained within the
confines of Judaism, it would have become a Jewish sect, precluding its
acceptance by the gentile world. This
way, by virtue of a “new covenant”, made available by the shed blood of Jesus,
the Jewish Messiah, all who would, Jew or Gentile, could enter into this new
relationship with God. THIS IS WHAT GOD
WAS AFTER IN ESTABLISHING COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM!!!
This transaction is so sublime we must hear what the Apostle
has to say about this. “For I do not desire, brethren, that you
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own
estimation, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness
of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is
written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away
ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them when I take away
their sins.’ Paul continues, “Concerning the gospel they are enemies for
your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the
fathers. For the gifts and the calling of
God are irrevocable.
“For as you were once
disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they
also may obtain mercy. For God has
committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out” (Romans
11:25-33).
Sadly, the Jews still await the coming of Messiah—and He
will come, again. Thankfully, even today, there
are Jews embracing Jesus as Messiah, but the focus is still on bringing the
Gentile world to Messiah (or, their Savior).
Then the time of the gentiles will draw to a close and Israel will
become the focus of God and the entire world.
We are coming ever closer to that moment of transition.
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