4b. ISRAEL MY FRIEND

PAST: ISRAEL’S DIVINE PURPOSE

DR. EARL PARVIN

August 2018

INTRODUCTION

This study prepared originally for six sessions at Campbel Memorial Baptist Church, Smithers, WV, is entitled, “Israel My Friend, Past, Present and Future”. The three main divisions are entitled: A. Past--Israel’s Divine Purpose; B. Present—Israel’s Divine Rejection and C. Future-- Israel’s Divine Regathering.  Each of the three divisions is then divided into two sessions.

The Past: Israel’s Divine Purpose.

God in His infinite wisdom, determined to establish a world in which He placed mankind and told them to be fruitful and multiply. Among all God’s directives, man has been most successful in following this command – what with a world population approaching 8 billion! However, man has not been as faithful in worshipping God and making Him known to current & future generations. Tragically sin soon entered the perfect world God had created in which mankind was to serve and worship Him. The penalty for sin was DEATH [Gen. 2:17] and the curse of death fell on all men in what we call the ‘Adamic Nature’. That means all of mankind is now born with a sinful nature and will fall into sin according to Ro.3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

However, if all sinners were to personally die for their sins, then who would be here to worship God? Therefore, God prepared a way out of this dilemma. He determined that a substitutionary, animal blood sacrifice could be made to atone for man’s sin. A perfect animal could be sacrificed in his stead as a vivid reminder that disobedience exacts a serious consequence. By placing his hand on an innocent animal, he symbolically transferred his sin to the animal. That animal would be a type of Christ, who would later in the fullness of time [Gal.4:4] be born of the Virgin Mary as God incarnate, to pour out His life as the perfect untainted blood sacrifice for all men who would believe in Him as Lord and Savior [Ro 3:23-24]. Thus, man’s relationship with God was restorable. In his redeemed state, he was to share that knowledge so that others too could worship God in Spirit and Truth [Jn. 4:23-4]. How was that to happen?

God’s perfect plan for making redemption known to every one was through the family unit. Realize, that from the Beginning, everyone knew this plan, for God revealed it before sin entered. In Genesis 4:5,7 Cain and Abel were told to worship God with a blood sacrifice. Abel complied, but Cain failed to obey God and deliberately brought a substitute offering which was rejected by god. God told Cain if he would do what was right, he would be accepted, but in his anger he committed murder [Gen 4:7,8]. God had given him opportunity to bring the animal sacrifice, and warned him that sin was crouching at his door, desiring to have you, but you must master it. But he refused and died in his sins, knowing how to escape.

The father in each household was commissioned by God to share the Truth with each of his family members and with his neighbors [Heb 8:11]. This Truth is found in Gen. 3:21 where “God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them”. The Hebrew word for ‘garments’ is next used in Exodus 29:5. “Take the garments and dress Aaron…” Here it clearly implies the garments for a priest. Thus, the origin of the concept of the priesthood of the believer. We do not need to go to an intermediate priest to confess our sins. Our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ has broken down the wall of separation and we can come directly into the presence of God. [Jn 11:51; Heb. 3:1, 4:15-16; 6:19-20].

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have  one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

God’s perfect plan fails however, when a father as a priest is not faithful in assuring that all for whom he is responsible do not hear how to be redeemed from his sin.

With the passage of several generations, sin became exceedingly sinful and God cleansed His creation with a great worldwide flood [Gen. 6:5;7:17]. Only eight souls were saved, again by family units…husband and wife [8:15]. Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth, and their wives became the progenitors of the new families of earth. Generally speaking, the Hamitic peoples are thought of as the peoples of Africa. The Japhetic peoples are considered the Europeans. The Semitics are understood to be the forbears of the Asians.

In the post deluge world, great river valley civilizations soon developed. Our interest is primarily in that of the Fertile Crescent civilizations in the Middle East [M.E.], including the Mesopotamian valley watered by the great Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Jordan River Valley and the Nile River Valley of Egypt. In each of these areas by 3500 BC, flourishing city-state civilizations emerged, complete with their god’s and temples. The most popular god of the M.E. was Nanar the Moon god, whose consort was the Sun goddess, popularized in Egypt.

The Biblical line of Shem gave rise to the Semitic peoples who settled in Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers. In lower Mesopotamia the Chaldean culture developed with Ur, the largest city in the M.E. at this time. In that city lived Terah and his wife, who had three sons. Terah was a religious man [the Talmud claims he worshipped 12 gods], but he probably followed the Moon God Nanar, which was the most popular god of the entire region and was no doubt the leading deity in the Ziggurat of Ur. In fact, the name Ur, is one of the names for Nanar. Yet in this devout household carefully schooled in Patriarchal lore, Abraham, the eldest brother, did not choose to follow his father’s religious convictions, for God made Himself known to him  [Josh. 24:2].

For whatever reason, according to Genesis11:31, Terah decided to move the family to Canaan. However, when they came to Haran in northern Mesopotamia, which was another center of Nanar worship, Terah decided to settle down and ultimately died there [v.32]. God had spoken to Abraham while in Ur and told him “to leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” Gen 12:1; Acts 7:2-4. Then God communicated what we call the ‘Abrahamic Covenant’, vs.2-3, which is quoted in Acts 3:25:

² "I will make you into a great nation
       and I will bless you;
       I will make your name great,
       and you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you,
       and whoever curses you I will curse;
       and all peoples on earth
       will be blessed through you."

This COVENANT  is the first part of the Divine origin of ‘Israel My Friend, Past, for Abraham was chosen by God to come out of a pagan family to be the father of Israel, God’s chosen nation.

GOD’S DIVINE INTERVENTION IN ABRAHAM’S LIFE

First, God reached down into a devout, although pagan society and family, called Abraham, then promised that he would be made into a great nation [17:6]. However, Sarah, his wife was barren. Therefore, Abraham had to believe that not only had God saved him out of a pagan family and culture, and led him to a new land, but now would provide a miracle for his wife to have a son. That son was Isaac according to Gen.15:4 and 17:16 & 19; 21:3. Later Abraham had to accept God’s choice between his firstborn son of the flesh, Ishmael [Gen. 17:17; 21:10-11] and the son of promise Isaac. God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to be willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham believed that God would provide a miraculous animal to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead. And He Did! Later the Abrahamic Covenant was given to son Isaac Gen 26;4.

It is recorded that when God spoke to Abraham, “he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” Gen. 15;6. This salvation experience was so important that it is recorded three more times in the New Testament: Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6 and James 2:23.

GOD’S DIVINE PROMISE OF THE LAND OF CANAAN

Contained within God’s Covenant with Abraham was the promise, “to give you this land to take possession of it” 15:7. Then He continued, “To  your descendents I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates” v. 18. Again God said, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendents after you…the whole land of Canaan…as an everlasting possession to you and your descendents…and I will be their God”  17:7-8. The covenant was repeated to son Isaac 26;4 and grandson Jacob 28;13

Isaac was blessed with a son Jacob, [25:26] whose name was later changed to Israel 32:28. To Him were born 12 sons who became the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

GOD’S DIVINE DELIVERANCES OF THE NASCIENT NATION OF ISREAL

Famine came upon the Land of Canaan 41:56, but God had allowed Joseph to be sent to Egypt, through the hatred of his brothers, to make preparations for the coming famine. As an interesting sidelight, notice that it was an Ishmaelite who took Joseph to Egypt. In the midst of the famine, Jacob moved the family to Egypt where they grew in numbers [Ex 1:9]. Then God provided Moses to lead the twelve tribes back to the land of Canaan. It took a Divine experience [the burning bush Ex 3:10] to convince Moses to undertake this expedition. Then it took a series of miracles to convince Pharaoh to let the Jews whom he had made slaves, leave Egypt. The final miracle was the Death Angel destroying the firstborn of the Egyptians but Passing Over the homes of the Jews where blood was placed on the door posts as ordered by God [Ex 12:23].

God continued to provide miracle after Divine intervention by directing the Israelites with a Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night as they traveled toward Canaan [13:21]; He parted the Red Sea so they could cross over on dry land escaping the pursuing Egyptians [14:16]; He sustained them for forty years in the wilderness under Moses leadership and directed them in conquering the land of Canaan as they entered under Joshua’s leadership [Du 31:3; Josh 1:6].

GOD’S SPIRITUAL PLANS FOR ISRAEL

God’s purpose for Israel’s national statehood was that He would be their Theocractic Leader, and lead through human instrumentality as a unique nation. Moses set up a ‘Tent of Meeting’ outside the camp where he would meet with God for His directions for the people. When God would cover the tent with a cloud, all the people would worship at the entrance to their own tents [Ex 33:7, 10]. Later, God directed the building of a Tabernacle which was built according to a heavenly design revealed to Moses [Heb 8:5]. God gave a clear cut set of rules for them to live by, called the Ten Commandments which He wrote in stone [Ex 34:28]. He established the Aaronic Priesthood to lead in national worship [Ex. 40:12]. Remember, personal worship was to be led by the head of the household, the father in the home.

Whenever the Tabernacle was set up, “the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” [Ex 40:34]. When the Tabernacle moved, God led Israel throughout their travels to Canaan. The Priests, under strict orders, kept the Tabernacle in order by trimming the furniture in the Holy Place, offered the burnt offerings necessary and once a year the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the national sins of Israel [Heb 9:7].

Israel’s tribes encamped outside the fence surrounding the Tabernacle, three Tribes on each side. The configuration of the Tabernacle encampment and it’s furniture was a continual reminder to Israel that God dwelled in their midst. He communed with the High Priest in the Holy of Holies where He dwelt between the two cherubim attached to the Mercy Seat, the golden lid to the Ark of the Covenant [Ex 25:22], the only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies.

When an individual penitent came to the Tabernacle to meet a priest with his animal sacrifice, just inside the gateway in the fence was the Altar of Burnt Offering. It was a continual reminder that death is the consequence of sin [Gen 2:17]. By God’s grace, an animal could die in the penitent’s stead. This is as far as any non-Levite ever went. The Laver which stood between the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Tabernacle proper was a reminder that cleansing was necessary before even the priests representing the individual could enter the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle contained two rooms, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. On the north side of the Holy Place before the Holy of Holies stood the Candlestick which was a reminder that God is the Light of this world, and across the room was the Table of Showbread, a reminder that God is the source of the staff of life. In front of the Veil between the two rooms stood the Altar of Incense which represented prayer being offered to God. This was a reminder that prayer is the way to God…not good works.

The entire layout of the Tabernacle encampment was in the form of a Cross, which although not understood in the Old Testament, represented the death of Christ on a Roman cross which would be fully explained in the New Testament. Because it is ‘impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin [Heb 10:4] The blood of animals was but a type of the pure blood of Christ to be shed.

The Tabernacle was not only the place of atonement for the Jewish sinner, and thus a place where he and the nation could get right with God, but also a testimony to the nations that God loves all of His creation and they too could get right with God by conforming to the Law of God [Ro 3].

²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 All the way to Canaan, they passed through nations who needed to know the Grace of God.

[second part]

IN GOD’S COVENANT LAND

Moses led the People of Israel all the way up to Canaan. God showed him the land, but because he disobeyed God at one point [Nu 20:8,11-12], he was not permitted to enter the Land. He died and was buried in Moab, having commissioned Joshua to lead Israel in the taking of the Land.[Du 34:9].

God led Joshua and Israel in this exercise of obedience, while ‘God drove out all the nations before them” [Josh 24:18]. Then the land was divided among the Tribes [Josh 14]. The Scriptures reveal that “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him” v31. But during the period of the Judges, Israel tragically rejected their God [I S 10:19].Their ultimate contempt came when they rejected God’s divine leadership and demanded a king ‘to be like the nations’ [I Sam. 8:19]. God told Samuel to give them their king, who was Saul [I S 1:9]. Saul started out well with God [I S 10:9], but soon abandoned God and failed Israel. God rejected Saul [I S 16;1] and chose David to be king [I S16:13]. David led Israel to its largest borders [II S 5:1].

GOD’S TEMPLE IS BUILT

David wanted to build God’s temple, but since he was a ‘man of war’, his son Solomon who became king [I K 1:30] built the Temple [I K 6]. “The Glory of the Lord filled the Temple” [II Chron 7:1]. The Lord appeared to Solomon and warned him that “if they go off to serve other gods and worship them, I will cut off Israel from the land … and reject this Temple” [I K 9:6-7]. Solomon soon rejected God and the kingdom was divided into Israel and Judah. Then we read, “The glory of the Lord departed…the temple” Ez 10-11:

⁴ Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD.

¹⁸ Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.

¹⁹ While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the LORD's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

²³ The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.

GOD NO LONGER PROTECTS THE JEWISH NATION

The northern 10 tribes of Israel are taken into captivity by Assyria in 722 BC. The southern two tribes of Judah are taken captive to Babylon in 586 BC and the temple was utterly destroyed. The Babylonian Captivity lasted 70 years before they were permitted by Cyrus the Great, of Medo-Persia to return and rebuild the Temple in 515. However Alexander the Great soon conquered the world and Palestine came under Greek control in 333 BC. Rome then came into power and Palestine came under the boot of Rome in 63 AD. The Temple was rebuilt by Herod in 40 AD to be destroyed again by Titus in 70 AD. Following the final destruction of the Temple, the Jewish people are scattered all over the world in the Diaspora. The Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Jerusalem ‘Aelia Capitolina’ and had a temple to Jupiter built on the temple site. Jerusalem became off-limits to the Jews.

GOD PROVIDES THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE OF HIS SON

An angel visits a young lady of Israel by the name of Mary and tells her that she is to become pregnant with a Son of the Holy Spirit. This Son will not have an Adamic Nature, because he will not have a human father. [The Roman Catholic idea of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is not Biblical.] In fact that Son would be God Incarnate. Then the angel visits Mary’s fiancé and tells him the same message. Joseph being the Godly man he was, by guidance from God, takes Mary into his home and marries her. Caught up in the affairs of this world, they had to go to Bethlehem for a census matter, where the Son was born. His name was determined by God, it would be Jesus, not Joseph after his adopted father. Then, to preserve this miraculous Son from possible harm by an angry Herod, they fled to Egypt. After a time of sojourn in Egypt, they return to Nazareth where Jesus grew to manhood.

As Jesus grew to manhood He was careful to fulfill the purpose of His incarnation, although there were those who would seek to deter that purpose. He gathered 12 disciples and taught them to faithfully serve the Lord, because when the purpose of His incarnation was finished, that is His death and resurrection, He would return to be seated on the right hand of His Father in Heaven, and the disciples would be commissioned to carry on the ministry of being the light in a darkened world.

Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation among the people antagonized the religious leaders, who unwittingly helped Him fulfill the Father’s will. One of the 12, who misunderstood Jesus’ ministry, betrayed him to the religious leaders who demanded that Pilate put Jesus to death for claiming to be Who He really was, the Son of God. Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate price He paid for your sins and mine, for He became sin for us .

However, death and the grave could not hold Him Who had freely given His life. He arose and is currently seated at the Right Hand of the Throne of God, interceding for whosoever will believe.

The price of discipleship soon became all too obvious, for even Peter found it difficult to be honest about his relationship to the Lord and denied him three times as predicted. But it was another believer, Stephen who stood up to the Sanhedrin and gave a thumbnail sketch of Israel’s history and paid with his life saying, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do” [Acts 7].

Following this act of ignominy on the part of the Jewish leaders, matters quickly deteriorated and Titus the Roman destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Future Roman rulers further decimated the land by having a heathen temple built where the Jewish temples once stood and renamed the city.

The Jews have literally been scattered all over the world where they have fled from pandemic persecution. The HOLOCAUST is perhaps the most notorious and heinous recent historic example, however, the Muslim Intifadas and Jihads are continuing examples of hate mongering.

Israel My Friend Past has really lost their privileged place at this time only, in God’s Divine Purpose. That is-- their place of blessing in the Land, their Temple and God’s protective presence in their midst. However, don’t think that God has transferred any of His promises to Israel to the church which is called Replacement Theology. Nor is Preterism, the concept that the prophesies have already been fulfilled. Nowhere are these false ideas to be found in the Word of God.

We leave the Jews scattered all over the world where they have been treated like pariah. Not having any place to offer sacrifices to God Who has turned His back on them because of sin, they established a Synagoguel form of bloodless religion. But God, who is not willing that any should perish and honoring His eternal promise to Abraham, will indeed gather them again to that Land of Promise and hear their prayers of repentance. They will look on Him whom they pierced and grieve [Zech 12:10]. Hosea declares: “they will come trembling…in the last days” [3:5]

“The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess, says the Lord.”

Jer 31:10, “Hear the Word of the Lord, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over His flock like a shepherd.”

Ez 1116-17 “the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone… I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.”

Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”

What is another purpose for the punishment of Israel? God says: “Then the nations will know that I am the Lord. [Ez 36:23]. This is repeated 24 times… for it was always God’s purpose for Israel.