Who Is Israel?

A. There are four questions every person must find the answer to. 1st, Who is God? You need to define your God. 2nd, Who am I? How you answer will put you into perspective with God and all He says in His Word. 3rd, What has God done in Jesus. That will enable you to get rid of your legalism. 4th, What does the Bible mean by the term ISRAEL?
(1) The name Israel is on many pages of the O.T. and the entire N.T. hangs on what God meant by that name. It does not mean “The Nation Of Israel.” If true you can hang it up and go home The Law of Moses was given exclusively to the Jewish Nation as a birthright. You are not part of the nation of Israelite and therefore not one promise in the Law of Moses is made to you. You are a gentile.....a non-Jew.
a. Paul addresses that point in Rom. Ch. 9, That raises an important question? Does the Law of
Moses belong to the physical Nation of Israel or the Church? The answer is neither. It has
been abolished, taken out of existence. Nailed to the cross Col. 2:14.
(1) Paul’s answer is that In Jesus, in these last days, God brought forth a new era. A new age in which God has given a new spokesman. Heb. 1:1-3. Seated on His throne
means that He is ruling over His Kingdom. Kings sit on their thrones and rule their
kingdoms.
(1) An age of righteousness given by God to man. A righteousness that is witnessed by
the law and prophets of the Old Testament. It’s not a new message. Spoken by the
prophet in Jer. 31:31.
(1) All the prophets spoke of this age of righteousness when Messiah would reign in glory. This would be the age of fulfillment when all that was spoken and promised would be fulfilled. 2 Cor. 1:20, speaks of Jesus and says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” All God’s Promises are Fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.
(2) But all those promises are O.T. promises. They were made and given to Israel. The Nation of Israel was the public custodian, guardian of those promises. But because of their sin and legalism they failed. And instead of upholding the righteous promises of God they became enemies of God and of the age of righteousness.
Of all people, they should have been the very ones who embraced the age of righteousness. Rom. 9:3-5, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God.”
(a) Paul lists all of Israel’s honored blessings and advantages. No other nation so blessed. Only Israel witnessed the Shekina glory of Jehovah Himself. The covenant. No other nation had that privilege. Ps. 147:19?20.
Had God’s personal care. Tabernacle, temple. They knew and worshipped God. Had their sins covered. What Honor, privilege, potential for greatness! They had the promises. Ones from whom came the Messiah. Blood kin to Messiah! They literally had God in their midst. Why? We are told why in Ex. 19:1-6. But they blew it. Why? Because they rejected the spiritual glory for the material glitter. Finally, after 2000 years of rejecting God, worshiping their own lusts, idols and bowing at the shrine of the tangable. God turned away from them.
In Acts the Gentiles walk in and glean the harvest of 2000 years of God planting, watering and nurturing the literal, physical, unspiritual nation of Israel. The Jews start to complain again, “God made the promises to us and has not fulfilled them.” Not true. Josh. 21:43-45. “All came to pass.” 1 Kgs. 8:56, "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.” God gave ALL His promises to them. Why? You never understand why until you ask the question, “Who is Israel?”

(1) Find the answer in Rom. 9:6. Vs. 6a, “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect....” You cannot say that God’s Word has Failed or that His Promises have not been Kept, the Word of God has not failed. Look at the last part of Vs. 6b-7, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children just because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." Isaac was the miracle child, the child of promise, The promised seed.
That’s the key to understanding the meaning of the noun Israel. Not physical Israel. Lk. 3:8-9, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Jno. 3:3, 5-6; 4:24.
Jews thought they had merit with God because they were physical descendants of Abraham. They believed they deserved salvation. God owed salvation to them, but that was never true. Yes, Israel is the spiritual name of God’s people, The salvation name of God’s people. But it was true only because it was a matter of spiritual dependancy NOT physical descendancy.
Rom. 4:13, Gal. 3:26-29. Have you become a true Israelite, a true child of God by your faith that moves you to obey His desires?
(2) If not, why not?
(3) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 05/11/03 pm