Did God reject the Jewish people?
“This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; rather, the children of the promise are counted as descendants.” Romans 9:8, NET. God called Abraham, not because of who he was at the time of calling, but because of whom he would become. Abraham and his family manufactured, sold, and worshiped idols when God called Abraham. God called Abraham based on his Divine Sovereign knowledge. God knew who Abraham would become before he created the universe and humankind. The Jews deceived themselves by thinking that Abraham’s descendants were the only people that God favored. However, Abraham had other children, not only Isaac. Yet, the descendants of Abrahams’s other sons were not chosen as the people through whom the Messiah would come. The descendants of Isaac did not recognize the descendants of Abraham’s other sons as the Jews.
Because of self-deception, Jews did not realize they were not chosen through Abraham but Isaac. “Nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” Romans 9:7, NET. The Jewish people failed to understand the significance of being descendants of the promised son, Isaac. As the promised son, Isaac was a shadow pointing to the Messiah through whom the children of God are counted. The children of God through Jesus Christ are from all nations and peoples, not only from the Jews. The Jews rejected the idea that non-Jews have the same place of honor as they have with God. When Jesus reminded Jews in Nazareth that God does not favor them over other nations, they threw him out of the Synagogue and attempted to kill him.
Another point of self-deception was the Temple in Jerusalem, with its law, the priesthood, and the rituals. The law of Moses and the Temple were viewed as the only way to God. The Jews forgot that the Temple and its priesthood were a shadow pointing to the Messiah. Messiah, Jesus Christ, fulfilled everything that the shadow portrayed. The Jews also forgot that the Messiah would be the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron. Therefore, the shadow consisting of the Temple, Aaron’s order of priesthood, and the rituals were superseded by the Messiah. The mosaic law, the written code, was superseded by a new law, the principle of selfless love. The Jews could not accept selfless love because of their national pride. “For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well.” Hebrews 7:12, NET.
Continued in the next blog.
