One theological movement goes under the title of "Replacement Theology". It's basis is a belief that the church has replaced the Children of Israel in the plans and purposes of Almighty God. So, have the Chosen People been replaced?
The ministry of Yeshua to the House of Israel led to the missionary work of the first Jewish belivers, who spread the message of God's love, and God's Kingdom, to the Gentiles. That message resulted in an explosive - even exponential - growth in the number of Gentile believers in the early centuries, A.D. However, possibly from a feeling of superiority , or of jealousy, or of religiosity, members of the early church claimed to be the "true Israel", effectively evicting El Shaddai from His established identity as the God of Avraham, Yitzak, and Yacov. This loveless condemnation of the nation of Israel for rejecting Yeshua as HaMashiach led, ironically, to much of the church discounting El Shaddai as Israel's God!
However, in spite of what some who claim to be disciples of Yeshua claim, even today, El Shaddai has not disassociated Israel from His promises, or abandoned His covenants with His Chosen People. He is a covenant-keeping God, true to His Word. That, of course, is good news for those of us who claim to be the followers of Yeshua because if God was willing to break His unconditional covenants, or any of His promises, to the Children of Israel, then He might break them with us as well! We may be grateful, therefore, that "God is not a human who lies, or a mortal who changes his mind. When He says something, He will do it; when He makes a promise, He will fulfil it." (Num.23:19; CJB)
Those who claim that God is done with the Children of Israel point to the covenant at Mt. Sinai, when God said: "Now, if you will pay careful attention to what I say, and keep my covenant, then you will be My own treasure from among the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you will be a kingdom of 'cohanim' [priests] for me, a nation set apart." (Ex.19:5-6; CJB). Of course, as history records, the Chosen people broke their promise to El Shaddai, to do everything that He had told them to do.
This leads some to claim that it is patently obvious that the Children of Israel forfeited their right to be a holy nation! What they forget - or ignore! - is that God also promised that however disobedient Israel became, and no matter how cursed they were because of it, He would not forget the other covenant that He made - to Avraham, Yitzac, and Yacob.: "... in spite of all that, I will not reject them when they are in the lands of their enemies, nor will I loathe them to the point of utterly destroying them and thus break My covenant with them, because I am YHWH their God. Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt - with the nations watching - so that I might be their God; I am YHWH." (Lev.26:44-45; emphasis added).
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| Avram guarding his sacrifice. (Gen.15) by James Tissot |
The covenant with Avraham was unconditional. No "if ... then" aspects. In fact, Avram was asleep when God 'cut the covenant' (Gen.15:7 ff). Many other promises involve ownership of the land, and its heirs. Regardless of anything else, YHWH assured the Children of Israel that He will keep His covenant that He made with Avraham, and that continued through Yitzak and Yacov. Paul dealt with the same question in Romans 11 - a chapter well worth reading, and studying|!
Of course, if the Creator God has chosen a people to be His ambassadors and, ultimately, to bring forth the salvation of mankind, then we may be certain that the enemy of our souls is working overtime to make God appear to be a liar, and to make His people appear to be racists who want to conquer mankind, and rule the world. As we watch the demonising of the modern State of Israel (which is not synonymous with the Children of Israel!), and the open claims of a desire to annihilate the Jewish people, by the modern media, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the 'Palestinian' Authority, and organisations such as the United Nations, we need to realise that, whether or not they realise it, they are but pawns in the hand of the satan - the adversary.
If people would but open their hearts wide enough to see that YHWH, El Shaddai, used Israel to bring monotheism to the world, along with an enduring system of ethics and morals that influences many cultures worldwide, the sooner they would understand what a great debt of gratitude they owe the Jewish people. The world has clearly been impacted through God's choosing of Israel, and continues to do so through Yeshua, and the promise - the unconditional promise! - to bless those who bless His Chosen People. (Gen.12:3).
Well, that's all for now. Next month, D.V., we'll look at another character from the Tanakh. I wonder if you can guess who it might be?!
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