Jeremiah 31:31-33 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
As I traveled across the U.S., I occasionally came across individuals who didn’t believe that Israel and the Jewish people were relevant to God’s redemptive plan. Amazed, I would show them this passage in Jeremiah foretelling how God would make a ‘New Covenant’ with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah! This scripture, an Old Testament foundation for our entire New Testament, was addressed to the two houses of Israel, yet its fulfillment in the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) was received by only a (significant) remnant of them, at His first coming.
The apostle Paul, however, unequivocally affirms that this initial remnant of saved Israel carried the Messianic revelation to the entire world and that revelation would eventually be returned to the Jewish people in full measure;
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” [Romans 11:25-27]
And interestingly, Israel’s future inheritance in the New Covenant is highlighted as well by ancient rabbinical commentary on Jeremiah 31:31-32;
“When the time of the advent of the Messiah will be near, then the blessed God will say to him: ‘With him I will make a new covenant. And this is the time I will acknowledge Him as my son, saying ‘This day have I begotten thee.’ [Midrash Tehelim, 3:4]
Indeed ancient rabbis saw in this scripture that the new covenant was connected to Psalm 2 and would be ushered in by the Messiah, who would be God’s own son…..hmmm.
Another ancient rabbinical commentary on Jeremiah 31:31,32 says, “He will sit and expound the new Torah (teaching or instruction) which He will give through the Messiah.” [Midrash Talpiot 58a]
So the testimony of Yeshua, the Son of God, came through the Tenach (Old Testament), Moses, the Prophets and Psalms, which are the scriptures of the Jewish people, and is even supported by rabbinical commentaries. In addition, the entire New Testament (with the possible exception of Luke) was written by Jews. This people, blessed of God in so many ways, and chastened accordingly for their disobedience, is still quite relevant to God’s plans. His “gifts and callings are irrevocable” [Romans 11:29].
God is not finished with Israel or the Jewish people. And thank and praise Him for the faithfulness of that promise, because if He remains faithful to such a disobedient nation, He will also remain faithful to all those called and chosen through the revelation of Israel’s Messiah…you and me.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Yesterday was a big day for us, but especially for baby Obi. He was circumcised in the presence of our friends and family (many of them not believers) at our congregation in Tel Aviv. We had the chance to share about the false report we got concerning Obi's health and how the doctors told us to abort him early on. I tied in the faith that Abraham must have had, especially concerning circumcision. There may not have been a dry eye in the house. Thank you, God!
What a week we've been having! We're getting ready to fly to the States for a much needed time, to see our families and to share what's going on here in the Land. Along with all the hustle and bustle of packing, running loads of errands and training a new volunteer, we just got word that the airport employees have begun a strike and customers have not been able to get on their flights all day. Not only that, we've been having computer problems galore! As the saying goes -- when it rains it pours!
I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot?
Many times, our unbelieving family and coworkers -- society in general, can make us feel small and inferior -- like second class citizens -- because we are Christians. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, somehow, we begin to believe it! We become what I like to call "mopey Christians," just moping around, keeping our faith hidden under a bushel, feeling afraid to say a word about Jesus, in fear that we might offend someone! And that's precisely what the enemy wants us to feel!
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; "Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus."
We have a Christian friend who constantly talks about her problems. Every single time we talk to her she tells us how bad things are going in her life and how much she is lacking. Interestingly, in all the years we've known her and prayed for her, things have only gotten worse. Though she has come to believe in the God of victory, she is not living a victorious life. How many of us are in this boat?
During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays.