Why Should We Think About Israel? (Romans 11:15)

There is hardly a day in which Israel is not mentioned in the news. As a country, she is frequently involved in wars and threatened wars. She is one of the leading countries in distributing the vaccine to her citizens. There are disputes about the suitability of Jerusalem as her capital city. Recently, more Arab countries have made peace treaties with her. Although small in size, she constantly functions above her size or punches above her weight. People either love her or hate her.

Of course, there is more to Israel than the country of that name. Of whom would we use the word Israelite? Those who live in the Middle East are called Israelis. They are Israelites, but then so too are all Jews, most of whom do not live in Israel. Israelite is a broader term and fits in with the Bible’s picture of them. Because in the Bible, when we come to its close and ask where the Israelites are, the answer is that most are in exile away from their homeland. This has been the case since the Babylonian captivity which took place hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, and remains the case today.

 

King Frederick II of Prussia is reported to have asked his chaplain for evidence that the Bible was true. The chaplain responded by pointing to one of the king’s advisers, who was a Jew. This action was sufficient as an answer, because an obvious question is, ‘Why are they still here?’ How many Philistines, Edomites, Babylonians, Amalekites and other peoples from the ancient world have you met recently? Some such as Egyptians also still exist. But still the survival of the Jews, given the animosity that has been shown to them, is remarkable. 

 

We should think of Israel because of their past

The history of all nations is interesting. But no people have a past like the people of Israel. Their origins were unusual because God called their ancestor Abraham out of pagan darkness and promised him a special land for his inheritance. Later he told Abraham that he would have a seed even although he and his wife were old. This was the Lord’s sovereign choice and displayed his power as well as his grace. 

 

The next stage in their past to remind ourselves of was how the Lord delivered them from bondage in Egypt when they were weak and powerless. What other nation had such a method of deliverance as they had when God sent ten plagues on the Egyptians? Even when they had left Egypt, and were pursued by their former masters, they had another exceptional deliverance provided by the Lord at the Red Sea when he made a path for them through the waters. What other country has had such an experience? Then when they began the journey to the Promised Land, the Lord ensured that they received manna daily from heaven and arranged for a stream of water to follow them through the desert. No other nation has had that provision.

 

Then the Israelites met with God in a special way at Mount Sinai. He gave to them the Ten Commandments which showed them how they should live. He provided for them minute details about how they should worship him. They became aware of his holiness in a way that no other nation did. Sadly, many of them engaged in idolatry at Mount Sinai and were punished. But the rest saw the mercy of God as he continued with them for forty years in the desert. Even although it was a punishment, what other nation ever experienced that divine activity.

 

And we can think of how the Lord enabled them to conquer the Promised Land, beginning with Joshua. It was an unusual campaign because they defeated a walled city by marching round it for seven days and then experienced defeat at Ai because one of them chose not to obey the Lord’s clear instructions about the assets. After a long time they conquered the Land when David captured Jerusalem, and his son Solomon was instructed by God to build a great temple there where he could be worshipped. This was his house where he met with his people.

 

Sadly, we know that Israel departed from God and therefore were punished by him with exile, first that of the ten northern tribes by the Assyrians and then the remaining two tribes by the Babylonians a century later. After seventy years, some of them returned to their land, but most chose to remain where they were. Nevertheless, their exile was a means of spreading the knowledge of the true God throughout the nations.

 

What should we recall as we think of Israel’s past? God’s grace, God’s desire to worshipped correctly, God’s longsuffering, God’s promises, and God’s punishments. A lot to think about.

 

We should think about Israel because of their privilege

Israel had many privileges, but her greatest privilege was that the promised Messiah was born there, lived there, died there, rose from the dead there and ascended from there. Who can describe the immensity of that privilege? The Son of God became a man there and lived among them, walking its streets, and talking to its people. There he lived a perfect life even although most of the Israelites had departed from God and practised a religion of self-importance and self-righteousness. As we think about that privilege, what can we highlight from what took place? Here are some details.

 

First, Jesus came to Israel searching for lost sheep. We are told about some of them in the Gospels. Some were fishermen, others were social outcasts, others were traditional religionists who discovered that they did not need to try and work their way to heaven. He searched for those who were not valued, such as lepers, women, and children. He spoke about his mission as seeking for that which was lost.

 

Second, Jesus revealed great sorrow when he saw the intransigence of the Jews to his mission and the inevitable result. What can we say about the tears that he shed over the city of Jerusalem and the pathos expressed in his longings to gather them as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings? Over what other city are we told that Jesus wept? There we can see the heart of the Saviour.

 

Third, we know that the greatest sight in Israel as far as the Son of God was concerned was when he was hanging on a tree, put there by the authorities because he was betrayed and conspired against. Yet the suffering Saviour was not there by mistake; rather it was why he had come, to pay the penalty of sin and ensure that his people would be delivered from their sins. It had all been arranged by God. There Jesus suffered like no other has ever done because he endured the wrath of God against our sins. Included among those whose penalty he paid were all the Israelites who down the centuries had looked ahead in faith to the coming of the Messiah as well as those who followed him when he was here. He also paid the penalty for the Israelites who would yet believe in him as well as for all the Gentiles who have trusted in him since the beginning of time.

 

Fourth, in Israel, the God of Israel died. We know that the Son’s divine nature did not die, but we also know that, as far as the Son of God is concerned as a divine person, his human nature experienced death. Paul told the Ephesian elders that the blood that was shed on the cross was the blood of God. As Wesley sang, ‘Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?’

 

Fifth, in Israel, the Son of God rose from the dead. What an extraordinary location where such an amazing event took place! There, beside the public execution spot that spoke of death, life appeared in triumph (the garden of Joseph was in the same location as Calvary). Here, in a sense was the onset of the new humanity. Another privilege given in the land of promise. 

 

Sixth, a few weeks later, the village of Bethany was the location from where the Lord, who had humbled himself and descended so far down, ascended to the heights of glory. Ten days later, he sent the Holy Spirit having received him from the Father and began the building of his church. It began among the Israelites gathered for a Passover feast, as thousands of them were converted.  And the building work continues until this day.

 

We should think of Israel because of their prospects

Today, we see Israel as a people far from their God, although we gladly know that many Jews have been converted. But Paul assures us in Romans 11 that the day will yet come when they as a race will be converted. They will yet again become part of the olive tree that the apostle uses to illustrate the people of God. Their restoration will be a stupendous moment in the history of the world – a sinful race embracing the Saviour that they have despised for centuries. Paul says that their conversion will be like life from the dead for the rest of the world. That will certainly be a wonderful day when true Christianity will become global.

 

This was the outlook that strengthened the faith of our forefathers. Samuel Rutherford once stated: ‘I shall be glad to be a witness, to behold the kingdoms of the world become Christ’s. I could stay out of heaven many years to see that victorious triumphing Lord act that prophesied part of his soul-conquering love, in taking into his kingdom the greater sister, that kirk of the Jews, who sometime courted our Well-beloved for her little sister (Song 8.8); to behold him set up as an ensign and banner of love, to the ends of the world.’

 

Rutherford also described the occasion with these words: ‘O to see the sight, next to Christ’s Coming in the clouds, the most joyful! Our elder brethren the Jews and Christ fall upon one another’s necks and kiss each other! They have been long asunder; they will be kind to one another when they meet. O day! O longed-for and lovely day-dawn! O sweet Jesus, let me see that sight which will be as life from the dead, Thee and Thy ancient people in mutual embraces.’

 

Thomas Boston once preached a sermon to his congregation after the country had experienced a difficult war followed by a widespread ferocious storm. He regarded those matters as indicating that God was calling the people to repentance for their sins. But he also wanted to encourage his listeners. So he decided to preach to them about the future conversion of the Jews, explaining that what Zechariah said would mark the Jews on that day should mark his hearers (Zech. 12:10). The mark was them mourning at the One their sins had pierced.

 

We should think about Israel because of their spiritual poverty

It should sadden us to see that millions of them are back in the land without faith in their Messiah. Paul was in anguish in his day over their rejection of Jesus to the extent that he was willing to be banished from heaven should they be saved. An accurate assessment of a person’s spiritual state should never be clinical. It is true that we should lament over every place where unbelief reigns. But since we know about the spiritual riches that the Israelites could possess, we should think about them and wonder.

 

We should think about Israel and pray

After all they prayed for us. We have an example of their prayer for us in the words of Psalm 67. In the psalm, the Israelites ask God to bless them by using them to be a means of divine blessing to the nations of the world. They do not say how that would happen, but still they prayed that it would. Who can tell how often they made this petition! Now it is our turn. Robert Leighton noted that ‘they forget a main point of the Church’s glory, who pray not daily for the salvation of the Jews.’ McCheyne prayed for an hour every day for the conversion of the Jews. John Owen mentioned that their recovery would be ‘in answer to millions of prayers put up at the throne of grace for this very glory, in all generations.’ 

 

It is good to know that such people saw the importance of praying in this way. A long time ago, in Scotland, special days of prayer were held often, and one of the reasons was to hasten the promised salvation of God’s ancient people. We should resolve to give God no rest until he brings about their recovery.

 

So there are five basic reasons for thinking about Israel – their past in Old Testament times, their privilege in having the Saviour live and die and rise among them, their prospects of future recovery, their current spiritual poverty, and their centuries-long prayers for us. But the main reason for thinking about them is to consider the Saviour and his gospel. Are we like the Israelites who trusted in Jesus or are we like those who don’t?