Has God Rejected His People the Israelites?
Some people believe in Replacement Theology that the church has replaced the Jews as his chosen people. I don’t know what they base their theology on but I base my belief on the Holy Bible.. I am using the NIV version of the Bible as it is much easier to read and understand.
Romans 11:1 clearly says that God has not rejected His people, the Jews. Verse 2 also clearly says that “God did not reject his people whom he foreknew.” He foreknew them as God called Abraham out of his country, Ur of the Chaldeans which is southwest of Babylon, to go to a country that He would show him, Genesis 12:1. In Romans 4:1, Abraham is called “our forefather”, confirming that the Jews are his chosen people, as the whole Bible is about the Jews.
The “mystery” may be what confuses people as to why God did abandon the Jews for a season for his purpose in Romans 11. To my way of thinking God should have abandoned them as they are described as a stiff-necked people in many places in the Old Testament, and they have generally gone their own way of doing their own thing. You and I do the same thing, go our own way but they saw the miracles of them being delivered from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and the Red Sea parting on their journey to the promised land, etc. They were told not to mingle with the people of the surrounding nations when they entered Israel. What did they do? They mingled with them, inquired of their religion and took wives of them. They wanted a king which God allowed them to have. They were ok if the king was a good king. But if the king was a bad king, did not follow God’s laws, they did the same. The Book of Judges tells about these sad days when they came even worse each time a bad king came on the scene.
Back to Romans 11, verse 11 is the crux of his purpose: “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.” Verse 12 says: “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!” In order for the Jews to have greater riches, then they must surely have not been abandoned. Verse 29 says “For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” God called the Jews, people descended from Abraham to be his people. We Gentiles, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted into God’s family, so we do not have anything to boast about that we are God’s special people. Branches, the Jews, were broken off because of unbelief so we Gentiles could be grafted in. In verses 25 and 26 the “mystery” is further explained: “ . . . I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you nay 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.”
This is the scripture that no commentator mentions when talking about the last days known as “in that day” in the Bible. I think it is so important as it tells what the Jewish Nation will do right after Armageddon. It is from Zechariah 12:9-13:1; On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. 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 the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves; the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of the house of Shimel and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives. 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.”
The Lord will pour out on the nation of Israel grace {unmerited favor}, and supplication (a humble request, prayer, petition, etc.). And they will weep bitterly as they realize they put Him to death. But the Lord will provide a cleansing for their sin and impurity.
Hallelujah! God did not abandon His people, the Jews. In His Sovereign Plan He planned for the Jews’s transgression to bring about the salvation of we the Gentiles.
Good Day to you From the Merry Heart.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
peace that passes all understanding
PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
Recently my hubby and I became aware of a situation in our family that really disturbed us. Usually my hubby will say it will turn out ok or he is not really concerned about it. But this time he was concerned so I knew it was really important and needed to be addressed. So we prayed about it and I felt like the Lord said it would turn out ok. That made me feel better but I still did not have peace about the situation. So that evening when I was up for my nightly quiet time with the Lord, I looked up some scriptures that address that situation and typed them up. Then I sat and read them and prayed to God. Since there is no way that I can change the situation, I had to turn it over to God completely and allow Him to work it out. Why should I think that I can change the situation? I am only human and do not know the best way to remedy it. God wants to change lives and get the glory for it.
Finding scriptures and praying gives me peace that I have never known before. Usually I stew about it and get myself in a dither and can’t think straight and have not energy. If I think about this situation, I would get myself in that place again but since I turned it over completely to God, I have peace. I only think about how God it working it out for good and not for bad like satan would like. I know people who proclaim victory at the beginning of a bad situation and I never could understand how they could do that. Now I know. They turned the problem over completely to God and allow Him to work on it. Then you have peace that passes all understanding, Philippians 4:7; And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heart and minds, through Christ Jesus.
A good day to you from The Merry Heart
Recently my hubby and I became aware of a situation in our family that really disturbed us. Usually my hubby will say it will turn out ok or he is not really concerned about it. But this time he was concerned so I knew it was really important and needed to be addressed. So we prayed about it and I felt like the Lord said it would turn out ok. That made me feel better but I still did not have peace about the situation. So that evening when I was up for my nightly quiet time with the Lord, I looked up some scriptures that address that situation and typed them up. Then I sat and read them and prayed to God. Since there is no way that I can change the situation, I had to turn it over to God completely and allow Him to work it out. Why should I think that I can change the situation? I am only human and do not know the best way to remedy it. God wants to change lives and get the glory for it.
Finding scriptures and praying gives me peace that I have never known before. Usually I stew about it and get myself in a dither and can’t think straight and have not energy. If I think about this situation, I would get myself in that place again but since I turned it over completely to God, I have peace. I only think about how God it working it out for good and not for bad like satan would like. I know people who proclaim victory at the beginning of a bad situation and I never could understand how they could do that. Now I know. They turned the problem over completely to God and allow Him to work on it. Then you have peace that passes all understanding, Philippians 4:7; And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heart and minds, through Christ Jesus.
A good day to you from The Merry Heart
my earth-shaking renewal
MY EARTH -- SHAKING RENEWAL!
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, Romans 12-2. That is a very very important verse to me as God has really been renewing my mind this last year or two. But this “renewing” is the most important to me and shall always be classified as the most important as it involves someone who was and is still important to me; my twin sister. Of course we were very close growing up but we did argue a lot like most siblings. But our upbringing was not the best so we each developed bad habits of wrong thinking. She was the favorite one so I developed an inferiority complex and she thought she was something. She controlled me even after I was married. Even as a grade school girl, I began to have “stinky thinking”. Since she was getting all the attention I would not give her my attention by laughing at her cute antics, etc. That did me more harm than it did her which is always the case. This continued even into adulthood. We communicated a lot over the phone as we usually lived quite a ways apart. I know her so well that I can tell by the tone of her voice what she is thinking. She put me down a lot so when I got the chance I would jab back at her intentionally. But it was always me that would scream or hang up on her.
Things began to turn around in our relationship when I began to change toward her as is always the case. We cannot change another person, we can only change ourselves with God’s help. Things definitely began to change when I took the Cleansing Streams Seminar at our church and learned how to deal with forgiveness. It is not a feeling but an act of your will to forgive as sometimes you do not feel like forgiving. I began by releasing all those hurt feelings to God and letting Him heal me and asking forgiveness for the many times that I have offended her and she me. Then I began to notice that when talking to her over the phone that I was not so offended by what she said or when she put me down. She does have a problem sometimes with understanding things, or rather I would think, she is trying to get my goat. But I didn’t want to understand her problem, I wanted to take advantage of it and get back at her! This had been going on for years. But with God transforming me these last few months I have been able to talk to her without getting offended. I also sensed that she is changing also. Then the other night when I was giving her some technical information for something she wants to get, I was not the impatient person that I usually am with her. I could be patient and understanding with her! I did not jab her for not understanding something or taking so long to understand like I used to do. The Lord has really transformed me by the renewing of my mind!
A good day to you from the Merry Heart
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, Romans 12-2. That is a very very important verse to me as God has really been renewing my mind this last year or two. But this “renewing” is the most important to me and shall always be classified as the most important as it involves someone who was and is still important to me; my twin sister. Of course we were very close growing up but we did argue a lot like most siblings. But our upbringing was not the best so we each developed bad habits of wrong thinking. She was the favorite one so I developed an inferiority complex and she thought she was something. She controlled me even after I was married. Even as a grade school girl, I began to have “stinky thinking”. Since she was getting all the attention I would not give her my attention by laughing at her cute antics, etc. That did me more harm than it did her which is always the case. This continued even into adulthood. We communicated a lot over the phone as we usually lived quite a ways apart. I know her so well that I can tell by the tone of her voice what she is thinking. She put me down a lot so when I got the chance I would jab back at her intentionally. But it was always me that would scream or hang up on her.
Things began to turn around in our relationship when I began to change toward her as is always the case. We cannot change another person, we can only change ourselves with God’s help. Things definitely began to change when I took the Cleansing Streams Seminar at our church and learned how to deal with forgiveness. It is not a feeling but an act of your will to forgive as sometimes you do not feel like forgiving. I began by releasing all those hurt feelings to God and letting Him heal me and asking forgiveness for the many times that I have offended her and she me. Then I began to notice that when talking to her over the phone that I was not so offended by what she said or when she put me down. She does have a problem sometimes with understanding things, or rather I would think, she is trying to get my goat. But I didn’t want to understand her problem, I wanted to take advantage of it and get back at her! This had been going on for years. But with God transforming me these last few months I have been able to talk to her without getting offended. I also sensed that she is changing also. Then the other night when I was giving her some technical information for something she wants to get, I was not the impatient person that I usually am with her. I could be patient and understanding with her! I did not jab her for not understanding something or taking so long to understand like I used to do. The Lord has really transformed me by the renewing of my mind!
A good day to you from the Merry Heart
our lovingly heavenly father
OUR LOVINGLY HEAVENLY FATHER
I have read Psalm 139 many many times but tonight it has taken on a totally different meaning. Tonight my Heavenly Father revealed even more how much He loves me. The words took on a much deeper meaning of how much HE loves me! Because he is so awesome, He knows where I am at all times, even in the depth of the earth! He knows my thoughts and what I will say even before I say them! The knowledge that He knows all this, that He cares for me and is concerned about me all the time and what I will say and do is too awesome for me to grasp. I probably am not conveying the awesomeness of all this, as I feel the words that I use are not enough for me to express how I feel. The words that I can use are not high enough for me to express how I feel, only when I get to heaven can I find the words to express my thoughts.
God designed us fearfully and wonderfully in a loving way as His thoughts are only precious of us! Fear in the bible means to be in awe of so He designed us awesomely! Precious means of great value or costly, held in high esteem, beloved and dear.
God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, he wrote down every moment of our lives in His Book even before our birth. In Psalm 138:8 it says that He will fulfill His purpose for my life. Even at my old age He still has a purpose for my life and I know that He will fulfill it!
All this is too wonderful for me to grasp, how my Heavenly Father has such thoughts of me!
A Good Day to you from the Merry Heart
I have read Psalm 139 many many times but tonight it has taken on a totally different meaning. Tonight my Heavenly Father revealed even more how much He loves me. The words took on a much deeper meaning of how much HE loves me! Because he is so awesome, He knows where I am at all times, even in the depth of the earth! He knows my thoughts and what I will say even before I say them! The knowledge that He knows all this, that He cares for me and is concerned about me all the time and what I will say and do is too awesome for me to grasp. I probably am not conveying the awesomeness of all this, as I feel the words that I use are not enough for me to express how I feel. The words that I can use are not high enough for me to express how I feel, only when I get to heaven can I find the words to express my thoughts.
God designed us fearfully and wonderfully in a loving way as His thoughts are only precious of us! Fear in the bible means to be in awe of so He designed us awesomely! Precious means of great value or costly, held in high esteem, beloved and dear.
God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, he wrote down every moment of our lives in His Book even before our birth. In Psalm 138:8 it says that He will fulfill His purpose for my life. Even at my old age He still has a purpose for my life and I know that He will fulfill it!
All this is too wonderful for me to grasp, how my Heavenly Father has such thoughts of me!
A Good Day to you from the Merry Heart
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