Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
It’s not a contradiction but a dichotomy that the same man who said “rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice” could also say “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.” It would be good for modern believers to develop their spirit better in both realms.
The Apostle’s heaviness was occasioned by his desire for his brethren, the Israelites, to be saved. They had so many advantages, but they had missed the fulcrum that turned those advantages from death unto life - Jesus Christ.
I wish to explore for a moment the advantages the Apostle lays out:
Adoption - Israel as a whole people had been set aside by God as the apple of His eye.
Glory - probably a reference to the presence of God in the pillar of fire and cloud and in the Shekinah in the Tabernacle and Temple
Covenants - could this be circumcision, that sign which made them physically unique from the rest of the world?
The Law - not the law itself but the giving of it. God delivered the Word of God to the world through Israel.
The service of God - God gave to Israel the pattern from acceptable worship, which pattern points to Christ as Saviour.
The promises - all the promises God made to Israel, but especially those related to the coming Messiah.
The fathers - Through whom God identifies Himself, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
The most precious of those promises, and the one the Apostle hones in on is,
The Christ - “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came.”
Notice what the Word of God says of this Christ. “who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
I can hear the naysayers, Christ deniers, cultists and especially Muslims arguing that this passage says Christ is blessed by God. What it says is that:
· Christ is over all
· Christ is God and
· Christ is blessed for ever
#LifeInChrist #SpiritualRenewal #ResurrectionPower #EternalHope #FaithAndVictory
Divine Advantages: The Fulfillment of God's Promises to Israel
Call to Action
- How do you see the promises given to Israel fulfilled in your own walk with Christ?
👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
No comments:
Post a Comment