by Marcel Rebiai

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We are still committed to bringing the Gospel to the Arab people. However, during the past years our conviction has grown that God is directing us to the Jewish people as well. He has asked us to stand up for his people, to love them and through our life and friendship bring them the hope which became flesh in the Jewish Messiah Jesus. This is the hope of the promise of which the prophets speak: «The time is coming», declares the Lord, «when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,» declares the Lord. «This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time,» declares the Lord. «I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people… For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.» (Jer. 31:31-34) «Comfort, comfort my people,» says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for.» (Is. 40:1-2)
Therefore it is important for us to let you glimpse our understanding of God‘s dealings with and through Israel. Even though much has already been said and taught about Israel, we want to draw you, our friends, into our viewpoint.

Why was Israel chosen?

What is so mysterious and special, what is the completely unusual characteristic of the Jewish people and their history which makes them unavoidably visible, irritating and fascinating for everyone else? No people has for thousands of years continuously and intensively aroused others‘ emotions through its history, through its mere existence. If we look for the reason we will first of all establish that the Jews as a people, as a race, as people are just as good and just as bad as other people and races. The prophet Jeremiah said regarding this, «The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure» (Jer. 17:9). And Paul quotes, «There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one» (Rom. 3:10-12). This is true for all people, whether Jew or non-Jew. In make-up and quality there is no difference.
Then what makes this people so prominent? Why the explicit bond between God and Israel‘s history, which keeps provoking one of two reactions: either sympathy, love respect, even idolization, or hate, contempt, persecution, destruction?

God woos people

The mystery lies in the relationship which the creator of heaven and earth has to Israel. He has revealed himself as the God of Israel. The history of Israel, of the Jewish people, is a history of God‘s striving, suffering, hoping, even wooing of the earth‘s people. In and through Israel, God woos all people and races to turn to him in order to be saved. Abraham‘s calling already had this clear goal. «I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you» (Gen. 12:2-3).
This promise was to be conclusively fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus who became flesh. Through the people who were his brothers the blessing and God‘s care was to flow to the peoples. «All will be blessed through you...» God‘s goal for his people as well as for all other peoples is to free them once and for all. He wants to give them full life on Mount Zion and bring all peoples into the eternal feast and eternal joy. «On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples… On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth» (Is. 25:6-8).
Mount Zion means not only the Mount Zion in Jerusalem or the city of Jerusalem as a whole. «Mount Zion» describes the reality of God‘s intimate relationship to his people. It is a relationship which will one day save, heal and change the heart of his people as well as the hearts of all people and races. It will make everyone who places himself under the Messiah Jesus‘ lordship into citizens of his kingdom, even members of his family.

God‘s presence is the condition for life

In order to understand Israel‘s election we have to go back to the beginnings of God‘s history with creation, specifically with man. «In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep» (Gen. 1:1-2). The earth was formless, empty and dark. Without life and without the possibility of life. «And God said, «Let there be light» and there was light» (1:3). This was not the creation of the sun and moon, which is reported later. This light spoken of here is God‘s presence, his being and reality. This is the condition for every form of life and growth, let alone relationship and fellowship. Therefore he who is the essence of God‘s reality and presence, Jesus the Messiah, said later, «I am the light of the world.» In relation to peoples‘ relationships and fellowship among themselves, John declares, «But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin» (l John 1:7). Walking in the light means nothing other than consciously living in God‘s presence.
Into this revelation of his presence God created man in order to have fellowship with him. God entrusted the creation to man, who – in fellowship with God – would lead it into the fulness of life. In the presence of man who is living in and from God‘s presence, the creation was to unfold its full bloom and fruitfulness.

Life in darkness

Instead of that the immense, incomprehensible and death-bringing tragedy came through man. His break in relationship, resulting from disobedience and rebellion, causes him to fall out of God‘s presence and thus out of fellowship with God. But when man has no fellowship with God, he can have no up-building and life-bringing fellowship with his neighbour. After falling out of God‘s light, man found himself back in darkness, in a desolate, formless, and empty world. «Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples» (Is. 60:2). This again became the reality of the earth and its inhabitants. Paul says it even more clearly. «Their foolish hearts were darkened» (Rom. 1:21). In this darkness, i.e. «no longer living in God‘s presence», all life dies out. God predicted this, not as a threat or punishment, but simply as a consequence. «When you eat of it you will surely die» (Gen. 2:17).

The first thing people realized was that they were naked. Nakedness, fear, and abandonment are realities which destroy life. It is the reign of death. When the Bible speaks of nakedness and shame it means not only physical nakedness, but primarily inner bareness. The person is ashamed of the loss of his dignity and value as a person. He has this only in relationship to and fellowship with the creator and king of the universe. Therefore the lack of value and inferiority feelings influence the consciousness, perception, and behaviour of everyone on earth. Nakedness is basically the loss of identity. I no longer know where I came from, where I‘m going, or why I exist. If I no longer know who my creator is, I don‘t know who I am either, rendering every genuine relationship to myself impossible.

As well as inferiority feelings and loss of identity, fear is also the reality of darkness. Fear means no longer knowing who God is, what God is like, and what he is like with me. A person who does not know God and has no access to him is defenselessly abandoned to evil powers and to circumstances. «Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples…» Man no longer knows who God is. People are given over to death because they live under the reign of darkness. Death, cold, and darkness is the only alternative to relationship to and fellowship with God, to obedience.

Back to the promised land

However, God did not give up his creation because he, the creator of heaven and earth, is love in person. «For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life» (John 3:16).  «I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, o house of Israel?» (Ez. 33:11). God takes no pleasure in the death of the Godless, the person ruled by darkness.

In this darkness God looked for a person who was willing to give him room to reveal himself, willing to care for his creation again and make him known to all peoples. What qualified Abraham as this person after God‘s heart was his unconditional will to have fellowship with and be obedient to God. This is impressively shown to us in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham, who was not yet a Jew but according to his own testimony an Aramean, became a Hebrew under God‘s guidance, i.e. one who crosses over. He crosses over from the reign of darkness to the land of promise, under God‘s rule. Abraham and his descendants according to Jacob‘s line became channels of blessing and of God‘s care for the peoples. «All peoples will be blessed through you.» They became the place of revelation of God‘s presence, his reality, his being. God decided, as he had promised Abraham, to show the peoples that he was the living, holy, true, just, but also the loving and merciful God. He did this through his dealings with Abraham and his descendants. Through Israel God calls to the peoples, «Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow» (Is. 1:18).

God‘s people

As we have already said, the people Israel is morally and ethically no better than any other people. It is solely God‘s dealings with Israel and the presence of the Holy Spirit in Israel which has made this people a holy people, which has separated this people from all other peoples living under the reign of darkness. A people visibly different from all other peoples. Unique in its history and its faith. We must not forget that the peoples all around Israel were ruled by the powers of darkness and death. These powers demanded worship and service, expressed in human sacrifice, licentiousness, and perversion.

It was solely God‘s relationship to Israel which made Israel different from all other peoples. The election of Israel, the prominence, separation, and sanctification of Israel is not a question of merit or special character, as often thought. The prominence given Israel is due simply to the fact that the sole living and true God revealed himself to Israel and bound his name once and for all with this people. As the God of this people he wanted to once again make himself known to his creation.

As creator he wants to demonstrate his fatherhood in Israel so that the peoples see it and begin longing for him. Israel is the place of God‘s revelation in this world. The people worldwide should see and experience that there is no God like the God of Israel, who loves, protects, and cares; who frees his people from distress and misery, protecting it like the apple of his eye; but who is also a father who instructs, punishes, and puts in order, who forgives and restores. There is no God like the God of Israel who strives for his people and stands up for them, who has thoughts of salvation and peace for them. Israel is to be a witness that there is no God other than the living God, the creator of heaven and earth.

Israel: where God reveals himself

This recognition that the God of Israel is different from all other gods gradually penetrates the darkness and lights up in the hearts of individual persons and people. For example the Hittites recognized that Abraham was a prince of God and had a special relationship to the living God (Gen. 23:6ff). In Gen. 26:27ff it is testified that God was obviously with him like he was with no other.

In Ex. 18:11 the Midianite Jethro testifies admiringly and worshipfully, «Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods» because he is overwhelmed by God‘s dealings with Israel. Later the prostitute Rahab, who took in the spies, testifies that no one can withstand the God of Israel because he is different from all other gods (Joshua 2:11). The queen of Sheba recognized God‘s character in his dealings with Israel. «Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you» (1 kings 10:9). What a testimony from the mouth of people who lived in fear of their gods. During the centuries God revealed himself for example to the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar, who had to confess before Daniel, «Your God is truly the God of gods.» The testimony continued. God had begun to penetrate the darkness of the peoples through his dealings with Israel.

Israel is a witness

But Israel is not only the place where God reveals himself. Israel is also to be a witness to this revelation. «You are my witnesses», declares the Lord, «and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me» (Is. 43:10). In chapter 44, verse 8, God repeats this commission, «You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other rock, I know not one.»

It is not because Israel is stronger or better that the peoples come to him and fall down before him, but because God dwells with him. «This is what the Lord says: «The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans – they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you in chains. They will bow before you and plead with you, saying, «Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.» «Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Saviour of Israel» (Is 45:14-15). God repeatedly challenges Israel not to keep his revelation to themselves but to carry it out to other peoples. One day it will even come to the point where ten men will hold on to the hem of one Jew‘s robe, saying, «Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you» (Zach. 8:23).

The people Israel is the place where God reveals himself. Israel is commissioned by God to testify to him among the peoples.

©Community of Reconciliation-COR