Bible Studies

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And You Shall be My People
By David Wiseman
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.” Bereshit (Genesis) 17:7 (LITV)
The Church today often teaches that they have replaced Israel. Theologians like to point out that Israel violated her covenant with YHWH, and that because of that, He divorced her. What does Scripture teach?
Genesis 17:7 says, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.” (LITV) YHWH said He established an everlasting covenant, not a temporary one. Theologians argue that Israel broke this covenant, so it was made void. Deuteronomy 30:1 says, “And it shall be when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you; and among all the nations where Jehovah your God shall drive you, you shall bring back to your heart these things,” (LITV)
In the previous chapter YHWH tells them that the curse will come if they disobey the covenant. Then in verse 1 of chapter 30 He says when the curse comes on Israel. He knows that they are going to break the covenant. He doesn’t say “if” but “when.” Many will want to argue over whether He knew this because He saw the future, or simply because He knew Israel well enough to know how they would act. In fact, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that He knew. Throughout the rest of the chapter He goes on to talk about when Israel will return to the Torah, and He will again accept Israel as His people. Again, it is not “if” but “when.”
Jeremiah 31:36 says, “So says Jehovah, ‘If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be searched out, I will also reject the seed of Israel for all that they have done,’ declares Jehovah.” (LITV)
He says He will not reject the seed of Israel for what they have done. This does two things. First it shows that the very premise that He would reject Israel for breaking the covenant is not Scriptural, for another, it says “the seed of Israel” which is a literal, physical thing.
Romans 11:17 is often quoted to show that Israel has been cut off. “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree,” (KJV)
Verse 21 should show what this is really talking about, “For if God spared not the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.” (Murdock) This is talking about individuals, as Paul shows here. Not Gentile verses Israel, but individual versus individual. As Paul says in Galatians 3:7, “Know ye, therefore, that those who are of faith, they are the children of Abraham.” (Murdock)
This does not mean that Israel as a nation is done away with.
In Matthew 15:24, the Messiah shows that Israel is still the chosen people, “But He answered and said to them, ‘Not have I been sent except to the sheep which went astray from the house of Israel.” (Younan)
Messiah only came to the lost of the Children of Israel. He did not come for the Gentiles. Then why did Paul say, “life has come to the Gentiles,” in Romans 11:11? The Gentiles are able to be grafted into the vine that the branches of Israel grew in naturally. They are able to do this through the Messiah, who came to redeem Israel, but not all of Israel was willing to come back. So the Gentile believers actually become a part of Israel, just as Paul said in Galatians 3:7, “Know ye, therefore, that those who are of faith, they are the children of Abraham.” (Murdock)
This is not to say that the Gentiles are literally, physically, part of Israel, but spiritually, Gentile believers have all of the spiritual blessings and responsibilities of native-born Israelites. Often Gentile believers like to take the blessings without the responsibilities. But the blessings only come as the responsibilities are taken. As Leviticus 26:3-4 says, “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and do them, then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the tree of the field shall give its fruit.” (LITV)
In this passage it seems that the word “if” ought to be stressed. “If you will walk in My statutes…I will give you rains in their season.”
But, the blessing and the responsibility only comes to the house of Israel. Romans 3:28-29, “We therefore conclude, that it is by faith a man is justified, and not by the works of the law. For, is he the God of the Jews only, and not of the Gentiles? Nay: of the Gentiles also.”
Yes, He is indeed the God of the Gentiles, but Paul says here that He is the God of the Gentiles through faith. In Galatians 3:7 He says that those who have faith are sons of Abraham, and in Romans 11:20 he says, “Very true. They were plucked off, because they believed not; and thou standest by faith. Be not exalted in thy mind, but fear.” (Murdock)
Everyone, Israelite and Gentile, is justified by faith, and those Gentiles who have faith are made to become a part of Israel.
“Ye worship, ye know not what; but we worship what we know; for life is from the Jews.” Yukhanan (John) 4:22 (Murdock)
Amein!

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