Israel and the People of God

What is Israel?
“Israel” was originally the God-given name for Jacob (Genesis 35:10). At the same time, it is the name given to the nation that Jacob was initiating through his faith in God and his children (Genesis 25:23; Exodus 19:6). Israel was consistently used as a name for a political entity that was established by the God of the earth, Yahweh (II Samuel 7:23). Thus, “Israel” is both a political entity, as well as a religious one—the nation established by God.

God’s promises are for Israel
The focus of God’s promises are for his people, whom he calls Israel (Psalm 105:10-11). Israel is the children of Abraham, the descendents of Jacob, who has Yahweh as their God (Exodus 3:15). God has taken these people and delivered them from the nations and established a government through Moses (Exodus 6:6). God also give them a land, called Palestine or Canaan (Psalm 135:10-12). Then he gave Jerusalem (also known as Zion) to be their capital, which was the center of his presence on earth (I Kings 8:1). Then God allowed many other ethnic groups to be a part of his people—and they were all called Israel (Deuteronomy 23:7-8). God has promised this people, Israel, to have a much larger land, to be prosperous, to have justice, to be secure from all the nations surrounding them and to eventually rule the whole world. God’s people, Israel, will receive this freedom, this salvation (Isaiah 14:1-4).

God’s promises are not for all of Israel
Throughout Israel’s history, portions of the population of the political entity, Israel, has been unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3:1-11). God has not taken a blind eye to the false worship of his people, but has rejected anyone who is devoted to another god or those who are rebelliously disobedient to the true God (Jeremiah 5:23-29). God did not give the rebellious Israel his promises, but rather discipline and judgement. Ultimately, God says, those in Israel who are rebellious against him will receive none of the promises. Thus, not all who are a part of the political entity, Israel, are a part of the promised people of God, who is also called Israel (Isaiah 65:11-17).

The leadership of Israel is often rejected by God
Israel’s leadership is not always right before God, and in fact, often they have been so evil that God had them removed (I Samuel 15:26). The standard of God in his law is the basis for upholding or rejecting leadership. If a leader in Israel acts rebelliously against God, then he is punished (I Kings 16:7-13). If he repents, the punishment is limited to just discipline (I Kings 21:20-29). But if he continues in rebellion against God, then he is removed. If he oppresses others, serves other powers or leads his people in disobedience to God, then he is set aside as an unworthy ruler of God.

Modern Judaism is not the background of Christianity
People often confuse the people who are today called “Jews”—both the ethnic group and the religious group—with the biblical concept of “Israel” or ancient Judaism. Ancient Judaism is obedience of God through the law of Moses, and it is centered on the priesthood of the sons of Aaron and sacrifices. When the temple was destroyed in 70AD, not to be rebuilt yet in 2000 years, that Judaism was destroyed. No one was able to strictly obey the law of Moses, for so much of it had to do with a tabernacle or temple, which no longer existed. From this, two kinds of Judaism emerged to determine how God’s people were to live without a temple. One kind is called Rabbinic Judaism, which reinterpreted Mosaic law to be practiced without a temple, and specified certain kinds of interpretations of Moses that was beyond the biblical text. This is the basis of modern Judaism. Those who are called “Jews” today are the children of those who adopted the practices of Rabbinic Judaism—which only became ethnically focused through centuries of separation from other nations. The other form of post-temple Judaism is now called Christianity. The most popular form of Christianity that emerged is the Gentile form, but the original form was deeply connected with Ancient Judaism (Matthew 5:17-18). However, Rabbinic Judaism has little to do with the Judaism that Christianity emerged from.

Modern Israel is not the promised Israel
Ancient Judaism is based on the governmental contract that God made with Israel through Moses, called the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 24:1-12). Christianity is based on the governmental contract that God made with the followers of Jesus called the New Covenant (Luke 22:15-20). Rabbinic Judaism is based on the teachings of Rabbis that followed the Pharisaic governmental assumptions. All three of these have two things in common: they are governmental systems (such as a constitution with a body of laws), and they are based on the faithfulness of every member of the society and government to God. Modern Israel, although it borrows the name of the ancient government, has only this in common with the ancient government—that it assumes that its citizens are mostly made up of children of Abraham. But Modern Israel is established by a modern, secular constitution. It is ruled by people who are not faithful to the living God. And its laws are created by man, not established by God. It allows the breaking of the ten commandments, while it punishes some who are trying to live right before God. If Modern Israel could be called “Israel” at all, it is not the Israel of the promise, and it must be set aside before God will once again rule over the land of promise.

The true Israel of promise
Today, the true Israel are found among those people who are faithful to God (Romans 4:13). Jesus demonstrated this faithfulness through his ministry and through his death on the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2). If anyone is to be faithful to God, they must follow the way of the ancient saints and Jesus—they must be ready to lay down their lives for remaining faithful to God (Hebrews 11:1-12:4). They must not hand themselves over for a political entity that will eventually be set aside for God’s kingdom (Acts 5:1-20). Rather, in every way, in all their lives, with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength, they must be faithful to God (Mark 12:28-34). Then, no matter what nationality they are, no matter what ethnicity, not matter what language they speak, they are a part of the true Israel (Revelation 5:9-10). God has not set aside Israel for the church—rather, he has expanded Israel to include people of every nation and kingdom who, through Jesus, have remained faithful to him (Romans 11:17).

The Israelis are still most important to God—and the true Israelis are those who are faithful to God through Jesus. Not those who just claim God as theirs, not those who just proclaim the name of Jesus, not those who just cry out to God for help, not those who just study God’s word, not those who just rely on Jesus’ death to save them. (Isaiah 1:15-20,29:13-14) Rather, those who have followed the true way of Abraham, the true way of Jesus, the true way of Israel—the way of enduring faithfulness, obedience and love of God no matter what suffering one must endure to get it (Romans 5:1-5). Those people alone will obtain the promised Israel of God.