Joseph's Story part 1

Joseph's Story part 1

Genesis 37-50

God’s word is great! Fully human, fully divine profoundly prophetic! I am sure most of you know that technique in TV shows and movies where you first get presented with one person’s story, then another person’s story etc. till the whole thing starts to make sense, and you grasp the overall story. Well, we are going to try that technique here. And so, in looking at these chapters, today we will start with;

Joseph’s story

This is a profoundly human story. It begins with the verse, “now Joseph brought an evil report about his brothers to their father.”

Joseph is the eldest of the two sons born to Rachel, the wife Jacob loved. This by itself might have been enough to make Joseph feel a bit superior, but Rachel died. All Jacob’s other children have a mum to run to when they get hurt, but Joseph and Benjamin don’t have a mum. And if they are like most children, their very looks remind Jacob of the wife he loved, and had died. You can see Jacob giving these little boys some extra attention. We read; “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.” Its understandable, its natural and its wrong. The other sons soon begin to resent dad’s favourite. Genesis 37:4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

As we will see, Joseph is a Godly boy, but that does not top him thinking a bit too much of himself, he is dad’s favourite, after all. The coat of many colors makes everything worse, as does Joseph dobbing in his elder brothers to their dad in the starting verse. And God also does something very strange here – rather than telling Joseph not to have such a big head, and to be nicer to his brothers, he gives Joseph dreams of grandeur, of his other brothers, and then even his parents, all bowing down to him. Surely this is the last thing Joseph and this family need! Rather than repairing a weakness, it exaggerates it. Why would God do that? All we can say at this stage is that it doesn’t create the problem, the special treatment, the envy and the coat are already in play, but it sure cant have helped the brothers to get along.    

So, Jacob sends Joseph to the brothers, and they sell him into slavery and lie to their father. This is massive. The family is shattered; can you imagine selling your own brother into slavery??

Suddenly, Joseph has lost everything, and is alone in a strange and amazing new world. Its like being captured west of Charleville, and sold as a laborer to the Gold Coast. And it is here that we find out that Joseph really is a good kid. Alone in a strange land, he is offered all the wrong sort of comfort by the boss’s wife. He does not say “life has been unfair, no one is looking, I’ll take what I can get.” Rather he says “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" He knows God, and he knows his character. Like Daniel in a similar situation, he refuses to defile himself.

We sometimes skip over the time in prison because he was promoted there to overseer, but it was still a wretched place, and years and years of grinding hardship and misery. We read in the Psalms of Joseph; “They afflicted his feet with fetters, his soul was laid in irons”; All those years of agony because his own brothers sold him into it.

At the same time, Joseph clearly grows, both in Potiphar’s house and in jail. Precisely because he is manager and overseer, he has to manage and understand people. To his faith and goodness are added, knowledge, self-control, perseverance; and brotherly kindness (to mangle 2Peter 1:5-7). These things are not easily done. There are no short cuts – they take time and suffering. The Godly but shallow and self-centered young boy slowly becomes a Godly, wise and caring man. He starts to think about and understand people and their motivations – this is what much wisdom literature is about, rulers writing about how people work, based on years of judging their cases. The suffering and responsibility grow this young man incredibly.

Hebrews 12:5-15 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

 ⁶ because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

 ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

 ⁸ If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

 ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

 ¹⁰ Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

 ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

 ¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

 ¹³ "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

 ¹⁴ Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

 ¹⁵ See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

It seems that Joseph never allowed that root of bitterness to grow inside him. Even when things are at their worst, he does not blame God, but rather he gives God the glory.

While in jail, opportunity for advancement comes.

Rather than taking the credit, and the rewards he must be desperate for, however, Joseph tells the cupbearer beforehand that it is God who is to be praised, and that he knows this God.  Genesis 40:8 "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." Here, Joseph is living out Jeremiah 9:23-24 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, ²⁴ but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.”

Joseph’s hopes that this might be his ticket out are not realized immediately – it is another two full years before the cup-bearer remembers his words;

Genesis 40:14-15 “when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon."

When Joseph is finally brought out of prison to interpret the Pharaoh’s dreams, once again, Joseph’s first act is to give glory to God. This is again impressive, as he does not try to use the situation for self-advancement, even though he is in prison and must be desperate for it, but rather, up front gives all the glory to God. Genesis 41:16 "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” … Genesis 41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.”

Even when things are hard in our own lives, are we quick to tell others the goodness of our God? Do we only praise him when things are going well for us personally, or do we praise him at all times, because he is worthy? Like Joseph, the little Israelite girl who was taken captive in 2 Kings 5 spoke to her master about the God of Israel. Even in captivity, she was more than victor. Joseph proves that even in the hard places, God was to be trusted and praised. He grew in faith, and he also grew in wisdom. These things cannot be rushed, and he was right to humble himself under God’s hand, knowing that God was trustworthy.

Now, while Joseph was in jail, he presumably did not have access to a messenger service, but once he is raised to being number 2 in all of Egypt, why doesn’t he contact his father to tell him he is still alive? We know he loves his father, the tears, the desperate first question, “tell me, does my father still live?” Why did he make no attempt to find out I the previous ten years?  Precisely because he has gained wisdom, learnt about human nature, and no doubt thought long and hard about how he came to be in such a situation. “Why did my brothers sell me??” He will not repeat his error from the first verse of the story, he refuses to bring his father a second evil report about his brothers. He cannot contact his father without damning his brothers who sold him into slavery. So for twelve years he waits in hope for their sake, trusting that somehow he will be given an opportunity. During his time of favour, he has two children. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

And then we read;

Genesis 42:5-9 So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

 ⁶ Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

 ⁷ As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food."

 ⁸ Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

 ⁹ Then he remembered his dreams about them

Joseph still calls Egypt the land of my suffering, where his feet were in fetters and his soul in iron, and now suddenly, here are the ones, his own brothers, who did all this to him.  They are unknowing, and at his mercy. What will he do?? Revenge, hatred, fury, who knows what emotions rushed unchecked through his heart? “Then he remembered his dreams about them.” Suddenly, he remembers, and understands that this is of God, and everything changes. Suddenly, he is standing on holy ground, and he cannot take revenge. Suddenly, when he most desperately needs it, when he is unexpectedly confronted by his brothers in the flesh, with no warning or time to consider and pull himself together, suddenly, the gift of God, given decades ago at an inopportune time, is fulfilled and imparts the grace and knowledge he so desperately needs. Our God, his ways are perfect!

1Corinthians 10:13; And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Joseph now acts in a seemingly very strange way towards his brothers. He does not reveal who he is. He has changed in the past years, have they also?  

Genesis 42:21-24 They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us."

 ²² Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."

 ²³ They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. ²⁴ He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

What is going on here? The first thing to note is that Joseph is not acting here for revenge, to inflict pain on those who had caused him pain. At each significant stage (42:24, 43:30, 45:1-2), Joseph turns aside to weep, but is careful that his brothers do not him doing this. What Joseph is doing is causing him pain, and as you look at what he is doing, you come to see that he is acting not for himself but for the sake of his brothers. He is both testing them and at the same time leading them through the stages of repentance. Without this, genuine reconciliation between the brothers will be impossible.

Stage 1, confession and remorse. When the brothers are accused of a crime they did not commit, their hearts immediately go back the 20 or more years to the crime they did commit – they have always believed they deserved punishment for what they did, they never got over it; "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."

They have finally confessed what has been eating away at them.

The next step, which Joseph goes to great lengths to arrange, is for the brothers to show that they have truly repented and turned from their sin is for the brothers to refuse to repeat it, given the same circumstances. This step takes some time. Firstly, Simeon (the eldest of the brothers who had refused Reuben’s pleas to save the boy) is taken, and they are told they will not see him again until Joseph’s full brother, Benjamin, is brought to Egypt. They don’t want to do this, but hunger finally compels them. There is a reason for the famine.

Now, Benjamin is brought to Joseph, and he gives all the brothers a feast. Here, just as God had done earlier with the dreams, Joseph exaggerates any remaining jealousies between the brothers – Joseph’s father favoured him, so Joseph outrageously favours Benjamin in front of them all. Benjamin gets 5 times the food everyone else gets. Are the brothers also bitter towards Rachel’s remaining son? Benjamin is then accused of theft, and the brothers are given a way out – they can simply leave spoilt Benjamin in Egypt, and go home free. Just as they had earlier sold that other favoured son into Egypt to free themselves. But here, everything changes. Judah, the very one who had sold Joseph, comes forward and offers himself if only Benjamin can go free.

Genesis 45:1-3 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

 ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.

 ³ Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?"

The brothers are truly reconciled, the dream has come true (three times in his speech, Judah refers to all the brothers as Joseph’s slaves) at last, he can let his father know he is alive.

Interestingly, the brothers also needed to know that all this was of God. This did not excuse them, but opened their eyes to a larger reality. They had repented, and they were forgiven.

Genesis 50:15-21 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?"

 ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:

 ¹⁷ 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

 ¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.

 ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

 ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

 ²¹ So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

This is the story of Joseph, sold by his brothers, faithful to God, tested and refined through years of slavery. Through God’s pre-emptive grace, enabled to see beyond himself and to redeem the very brothers who had so terribly wronged him. United at last with his family and father, through what God had accomplished in him able to save many lives.

I should note here that God’s ways are not our ways. It is right that we do try to fix things Philippians 4:2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. We try our best from our limited perspective, and at the same time trust in a God who is greater than us.

Our God is not afraid to take time to achieve what is best. He is not into quick fixes or Band-Aids. We need to know that God is in control, that nothing can reach us that his loving hand does not permit. This is not easy. Joseph’s feet were in fetters and his soul laid in irons. He spent years in brutal captivity, just as our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church of today. But he did not lose faith, and looking back, he could say; “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."

Israel in the Plan of God - A beginners guide

Israel in the Plan of God - A beginners guide

Why should a Christian consider Israel? What is its relationship to me as a Christian living in Australia? If true religion is helping widows and orphans, why bother about a small country in the Eastern Mediterranean? How does it affect my walk with Jesus? How should Christians respond to the re-established nation of Israel?

Well, we look at Israel because God has chosen to record his love for them in the Bible, and as Paul and Peter note, all that is in the Bible was written for our instruction. We look at Israel because Israel leads us to God. This is important. What is our response when we meet with God? It is awe and worship. If our studies on Israel do not lead us to Jesus (and we will see later that He is the beginning and end and center of their history), if we do not know and love Him more as a result, then we have not studied correctly. Theology is not about stringing together proof texts to prove a theoretical point – it is about drawing close to the heart beat of the Father!

How do we look at Israel? Jesus gives a prophecy about Jerusalem in Luke 19, and often we rush past the introductory verses to get to the details of it. But how is it introduced? “as He came near and saw the city, He wept over it”. If we desire a Godly understanding of Israel, then we must look through the tears of our savior. The first and second Commandments begin; “thou shalt love ...” Paul also does this. Romans 8 ends; “what can separate us from the love of God?” And his wonderful answer; Nothing! Romans 9-11 then answers the question, ‘but Paul, what about Israel?’ They were in God’s love, then they killed his own son – (I know this is a problematic statement, please see the comment on it below) surely they are now rejected and prove that we can be separated from God’s love. They are the ultimate practical challenge to what Paul has just written. They present a problem that needs to be answered.  But see how he starts this discussion! Romans 9:1-3. “I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race.”

Paul is answering the question, but first he needs to establish some priorities, and in a sense, calls “time out” while he does so. He cannot discus them as an abstract theological point, but first declares; “they are my people and I love them!” (Romans 9), from here he moves on to “They need the Gospel” (Romans 10), and only then, to his triumphant conclusion “All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11). The worst possible case against Romans 8 is turned on its head, and affirms the truth of it. Israel do not represent the limit of God’s love, but rather are the final proof of it. No wonder Paul then simply breaks into a hymn of praise! “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! … For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

How often do we find people who look at Israel without love skipping Romans 9, or, if they do love, then they do not want to witness to them, skipping Romans 10. But the promises of Romans 11 can only be entered through 9 and 10. See also that Paul’s reasons for his love of those “of his own race, the people of Israel” are not earthly reasons (‘we like the same food, jokes, etc.,’- which may well be the case in Colossians 4:11) but rather his reasons for loving Israel are God’s reasons; “Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” We also, regardless of our race, should love Israel for God’s reasons (Romans 15:27). And so, if we open wide our hearts, and ask God to share His love and His tears with us, if we desire their salvation, and if, like Daniel, we humble ourselves to learn, how would the Lord instruct us through His word concerning His everlasting people?

1. Their history
The Bible shows us the history of Israel from beginning to end. From Abraham to Jerusalem filled with the knowledge and glory of God.

Their beginning. 



Genesis 12:1-3; The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "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." Note that God’s call is always generous. David was called to be a shepherd of God’s people, Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations, Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Election, if you will, is not God’s way of abandoning the rest, but his way of rescuing them! So here, Abraham is chosen so that through him, all the peoples on earth will be blessed. God’s love for Israel is not a side quirk, it is the first expression of his love for all of us. The national and universal promises to Abraham are not separate, but are expressions of the same love - the two are inseparably linked in God’s plan of redemption. Interestingly, Hebrews says that the anchor of our souls is not the Cross, or even Jesus himself, but is this promise given to Abraham. Likewise, Romans 15:8 says that Jesus came to confirm the promises to the Patriarchs (“for in him all God’s promises find their yes”). If we attack or dismiss God’s promises to Abraham and the Jewish people, we attack the anchor of our own souls.

Their end. Romans 11:26; “and so all Israel shall be saved.”

2. Israel’s calling

Israel were called to be a nation of priests (Exodus 19:6), to show the ways of God to the world.

Israel shows us the ways of the Lord for in His love for them we see the nature of His unchangeable love, and so are included. God and Israel are a love story. See Ezekiel 16, Hosea, and Jeremiah where we read “the beloved of the Lord is taken captive.” So, let us look at this history and be blessed.

Why was Israel chosen? We read in Deuteronomy 7:7-8; “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery.” It is like marriage; my wife didn’t choose me because I was the richest or best looking. If she had, I would have no security, as she would meet other guys who are richer and better looking all the time (!). But if her choice for me was based in love, then she can meet all the rich, handsome guys around, because her choice of me was not based on those things – I therefore have total security. It is the same with God - He didn’t choose me because I was the best teacher or speaker, and what a joy that is- if I lose my abilities, or someone else has more, He doesn’t love me any the less. Israel shows me that God’s choice is based in love, and that I am secure in it. It also reminds me that because God didn’t choose me for my abilities, He wants my love first, not my work.

How did Israel become a nation?

In Egypt. God chose to have the nation born in slavery. It was God who sent Jacob to Egypt (Genesis 46; 2-4), not as a result of sin, but of his plan (Genesis 15:13). Being chosen can easily lead to pride, and God hates it when we look down on others. Proverbs reminds us that; “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:” and the top of the list are “haughty eyes.” Israel were chosen to be a blessing to others, and God took the threat of pride so seriously that he was prepared to have them spend 400 years in slavery, and to commemorate this every year to guard against this. Because you were slaves in Egypt be humble! Because you were strangers, care for the alien (Deuteronomy 24: 18-22). Clearly, this is a problem Christians also face. Do we look down on drunks and others, or do we love them with the love of Jesus?

Israel’s national history

We like to think that we can run our own lives, that with just a bit more money or a bit more luck, that all would be perfect. A few years ago there was talk of updating our constitution, and we establish Royal Commissions to point out where we are going wrong. 

Israel had their constitution written by God. They had rulers chosen by God, and prophets to show them where they were going wrong. Given these perfect conditions, what happened? They failed. They killed God’s own Son (clearly, this is not intended in an anti-Semitic sense – Jesus prayed on the cross for his Father to forgive them, and of all prayers every offered, surely God would answer that of his own dying son! Likewise Paul also affirms that God has NOT rejected his people). Israel do however show us the impossibility of reaching God. Were our constitution written by God himself, if he chose our leaders rather than us electing them, still we would fail. Even with every divine help, we cannot make it to God in our own strength/ by our own works. Israel represented humanities’ best chance, and they failed.

Consequences

What are the wages of sin? Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death.” And Israel has had a living death among the nations for the past 2000 years (Deuteronomy 28:64-68).  But is that the end of the story? Is our sin greater than God’s love? Praise God that is not the end of the story, or of that verse; “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”    

Jeremiah 31:35-37 This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name: "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me." This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD.

Romans 11:25-36. I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Here, in the heart of the New, we have a total reaffirmation of the promises of the Old. And who did God choose to write these words to us? Paul, our Apostle, the Apostle to the Gentiles. He who had sacrificed everything so that we might have the Gospel and all its freedoms, he is the one God chose to tell us that he still loves the Jewish people, and will save them.

Israel will be restored because of the grace, the faithfulness and the mercy of God, because that is how God treats those he loves. He did not call them, rescue them, care for them (Isaiah 63:9 “In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”), send them into exile and then bring them back all so they could kill Jesus and then be dismissed from redemption history! That is not how God treats his servants! God promised to redeem them, and our sin is not greater than his word. Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

Interestingly both James and Paul, in Acts 15 and Romans 15, declare that God will restore Israel so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.’ Again, it says, ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.’" We get a taste of this in Romans 11, in verses woefully under-valued my many; “Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! … For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”

Conclusion

Israel were called to be a nation of priests, to show the ways of God to the world. Given every blessing, still they sinned, for we cannot make it to God in our own strength, even with divine help. They sinned, but their sin is not the end of the story, for God’s love is greater than our sin. God’s love, which cannot let us go, but which bears all things, hopes all things, and ultimately triumphs. Having failed in their own strength, Israel are saved when (according to Zechariah 12 and 13), they look on him who they have pierced (conviction of sin), mourn for him (repentance), and are washed in the fountain opened for them (baptism). That is, they are saved just as you and I were. And it happens in the sight of all the nations, because the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable!

And so, by their 4,000 year history, they declare to the world; “Salvation is of God, of ourselves we are nothing - it is by grace and grace alone, by God’s power and might and unto His eternal praise and glory that we exist. We are monuments to His grace. In our own strength, we failed, we pierced the son of God. Yet he never stopped loving us. Indeed, as Peter tells the men of Israel; ‘When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you.’ In every generation, there were a remnant saved by grace, and finally, all Israel have been saved! Our sin abounded unto death, but His love abounded unto life. That which was lost is found, he who was dead is alive. Praise our God who is indeed mighty to save!”

“The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable ... .” I fail, I let God down, and I can sometimes think, “after all I’ve done, surely God can’t still be interested in me”, but when that happens God turns my eyes to Israel and says, “I haven’t given up on Israel, I wont give up on you”. Just as Paul gloried in his position as the chief of sinners, and was thus able to help others in need, so Israel is the final proof of God’s love, the final test of Rom 8. God’s love triumphs, as indeed, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Equally, just as Paul, the miraculously converted Jew, was then to become the Apostle to the Gentiles, so the miraculously converted Israel will fulfill their call to take the Gospel to all lands; Romans 11:15, Zechariah 8:32.

We have looked at the beginning of Israel, at Abraham, and towards their final consummation and ending, but in the middle is Jesus Christ. In Him God’s promises find their yes, and He is the center of Israel’s history, and the center of His history is the Cross. From the very Cross where we see Israel’s guilt and unbelief, comes conformation of the promises given to the fathers.

Adolph Saphir[i] wrote; “After Jesus had uttered His last word, after He was already dead, John still stayed and watched, and when the soldier thrust his spear into His side, he saw the blood and water flow out, and wrote; ‘these things occurred so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘none of his bones shall be broken.’ And again, another passage of Scripture says, ‘they will look on the one whom they have pierced.”  Thus, in the thrust of the spear, John saw the whole history of Israel, from its beginning to end. What is the commencement of their national history? It is the Exodus. Now it is fulfilled. Here is the Paschal Lamb, and not a bone of His body has been broken. And what is the end of their history? The Prophet Zechariah has told us, ‘they shall look on Him who they have pierced’. In the Crucifixion, John sees the whole history of Israel, ending in their final repentance and conversion, for ‘all Israel shall be saved’. In a similar way, on Patmos, John, looking to the end of history, looks to see the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and sees, ‘between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, a Lamb, standing as if it had been slaughtered.’ Jesus truly is the center of Israel’s history, its commencement and consummation.”

In Zechariah 12-14, it is prophesied that just prior to Jesus’ return half of Jerusalem will be captured and plundered by all the nations of the world. It seems to be the ultimate nightmare for that already traumatized people. Then God Himself stands on the Mt of Olives and delivers them. How will their emotions cope, going from utter despair to the greatest victory in history? And we read, “and they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him.” The greatest human tragedy, the greatest human victory, and all they can see is Jesus, their long lost brother, and they fall on his neck and weep. Truly, when we look on Jesus, “the things of this world grow strangely dim.” Loving Israel has brought me to the Cross, and showed me anew how precious is my savior.

In summary, Israel teaches me;

That our call is based in God’s love, not our merits,

That we are kept by His grace,

That His love is stronger than my sin, and, above all,

The surpassing beauty and worth of Jesus.

An Analogy

The story of Joseph and his brothers provides a Godly analogy of these truths. It is instructive to read it together with Romans 11. Joseph’s brothers rejected him even though God had shown that Joseph would lead them. They believed him to be enslaved in Egypt or dead. Joseph meanwhile had, through God’s grace become ruler over the Gentile Egyptians. In many ways, this resembles the situation in the world today. Jesus ruling over a largely Gentile church, his brothers of the flesh estranged and distant from him. So, the brothers’ evil actions resulted in Joseph saving Egypt from famine.

Romans 11:11 “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” The same famine that affected the Egyptians also affected the brothers, the sons of Israel. While they did not know his identity, they knew that they needed what the Egyptians had if they were to live. They envied the food of the Egyptians. We should live so that others wish they had the blessings we experience! Romans 11:14; in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Romans 11: 16, Genesis 50:20. Israel did not wonderfully lay down their life for the Gentiles, and on one level we see the crowd crying “crucify”, yet on a higher level, as Isaiah reminds us, “it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him”.

Genesis 45:16; “When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.” Hearing that Joseph’s physical family have arrived, the Egyptians are not jealous (maybe Joseph won’t love us any more), but rejoice - because they love Joseph, they are thrilled for him. They are so unlike much of the church today, which cannot see that Jesus still loves his brothers of the flesh, are offended by the very thought.

Finally, Romans 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." Joseph sends out the interpreter, and speaks in Hebrew, “I am your brother.” Zechariah 12:10-13:1 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. … On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Clearly, this is the longed for return of our Lord, to the Mt of Olives just as the angels said; Zechariah 14 “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, … Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem.” This is what Paul meant by “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Are we thrilled that God is restoring Israel? Thrilled because we love Jesus and are glad his brothers are drawing closer, thrilled because we long for the “greater riches will their fullness bring”? (But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!) Or would we end the story of Joseph when he rules Egypt, and his brothers are estranged from him? Do we realize that Jesus still loves Israel, do his tears mean nothing to us? Genesis 43:30 “Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.” If we love Jesus, we will long for the salvation of Israel.

God’s own holy name is at stake

Jesus came not only to be a light to the Gentiles, but also to be the glory of his people Israel! Gabriel told Mary; “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." If Israel is not restored with Jesus ruling it, then not only did Israel fail, but it is God the Father who failed, for this verse says that it is the Lord God (not the Jewish people) who will give him the throne of David. We see this clearly in Ezekiel 36: 18-38, 37: 11-24 and 37: 21-28. See also Jeremiah 31 2-14.

Applications

So far I have looked at the big picture, spanning millennia. This is vital as it places the present into its God breathed context. Looking (very!) briefly at the present, what do we see?

Israel re-established in unbelief, the first-fruits of redemption, and a miracle to be celebrated. While not always comfortable with Greek concepts, their idea of justice being blind and holding the scales is a good one. To exaggerate Israel’s faults while white-washing those of the Palestinians is unjust. Concerning the events leading up to the return of Jesus, Zechariah 12:9 notes that God will judge the nations who fight against Israel “On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.” They will be judged, not because they have not read Zechariah (they are pagan, after all) but because of the utter injustice of what they are doing. These chapters and many others clearly show that God has judged that justice is on the side of the as yet unconverted Jewish state! While not called to get involved in Israeli politics, Christians should rejoice in and affirm the re-establishment of Israel. Luke 21:28 “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

We also see Israelis sinning (like the rest of us) and needing the Gospel. Christians, born again and filled with God’s Holy Spirit still (to their shame) sin. Clearly Israel is not perfect either. Romans 10:1; “Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” They need Jesus! Israelis today are isolated, vulnerable, surrounded by cruel enemies and need Jesus. As Christians, our task is to preach the Gospel to all, both Jew and Gentile. We need to remember that God loves Arabs and Jews equally, Jesus died for Palestinians as much as for Israelis. The church is not simply a cheer squad for unconverted Israel. Having said that, we do need to be careful not to buy into the anti-Israeli narrative spreading throughout the world. Satan hates the Jewish people and the Jewish nation. We should not be deceived, or ignorant of this mystery. Israel’s borders and future are in God’s hands-Israel’s souls are in ours.

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[i] Saphir, A. Christ and Israel. 1911. Morgan and Scott, London, 40.