Has God cast aside Israel?
There is a whole raft of people out that that have been taught that Christians replace Israel as God’s chosen people. Those who teach this do so primarily so that they can apply the rules and laws pressed upon Israel onto Christians, and so that their teachers can take the authority and position of priests. Pastors are not priests (well at least not any more than any other saved person is a priest), but that is for another time.
This teaching, which takes several different forms and names, but which is called usually “replacement theology” or sometimes “covenant theology” seeks to divorce Israel from the Lord and have the Lord remarry another bride, Christianity. They usually talk about “the church” replacing Israel, but that is an erroneous understanding of the church.
The easiest way to see whether or not this idea is true is to see if the promises given to Israel are transferable to another. With that in mind, let’s look at the first of the promises made to the nation of Israel, before they wre
Let’s set a precedent:
Gen_9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
The “law of first mention” (which is not actually a law by the way) indicates that the first mention of something sets the primary meaning, and unless the context indicates otherwise, this primary meaning is the standard.
In Genesis 9:16Genesis 9:16
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
WP-Bible plugin we have the first mention of an “everlasting covenant”.
I think we all understand that this particular everlasting covenant is not dependent upon this sinful and sin affected world in any way.
If it were, then we would have had at least one judgement flood since that time.
So, with the understanding that an everlasting covenant is indeed everlasting – otherwise it is not an everlasting covenant (Is that too simple a concept?), let’s look at another everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:2Gen 17:2
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
WP-Bible plugin And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3Gen 17:3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
WP-Bible plugin And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4Gen 17:4
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. many...: Heb. multitude of nations
WP-Bible plugin As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5Gen 17:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Abraham: that is, Father of a great multitude
WP-Bible plugin Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 17:6Gen 17:6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
WP-Bible plugin And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
Gen 17:7Gen 17:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
WP-Bible plugin And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
Gen 17:8Gen 17:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. wherein...: Heb. of thy sojournings
WP-Bible plugin And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Gen 17:9Gen 17:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
WP-Bible plugin And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
Gen 17:10Gen 17:10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
WP-Bible plugin This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
Gen 17:11Gen 17:11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
WP-Bible plugin And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Gen 17:12Gen 17:12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. he that is eight...: Heb. a son of eight days
WP-Bible plugin And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
Gen 17:13Gen 17:13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
WP-Bible plugin He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:14Gen 17:14
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
WP-Bible plugin And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
OK then, here we have an everlasting covenant that is given to Abram and to his children (thy seed after thee).
The sign of this covenant on the side of the people was circumcision.
Note however that as this is an everlasting covenant to Abram and to his seed after him, that the covenant is made to this group of people – IF AN INDIVIDUAL person refuses to be circumcised, then he has no part of the covenant.
That does not break the covenant for all those people but for the individual only.
Note also that there is NO OTHER CONDITION placed upon the people subject to this covenant.
Note also that this everlasting covenant is to a specific people and for a specific LAND.
This can not be an everlasting covenant if the Lord then takes it away from this particular group of people and transfers it to any other group of people, and in any case the removal of this covenant can only be upon individuals and only if they refuse to be circumcised.
This brings up two points:
- Do the Jews still circumcise?
If the answer to that is “Yes”, then the covenant has not been taken from them, and still applies. It will always apply to the nation in any case, as the removal was only possible for individuals – hence it can be removed from an individual and still remain an EVERLASTING covenant.
Even with circumcision, can this covenant be transferred to another people?
- The Bible does not talk about this covenant being transferable. The possibility is never even mentioned. And if it was, there is still no provision in the making of the covenant that it can be taken away from the original subjects of the covenant.
The claim that this promise was taken from them because of disobedience is CLEARLY UNBIBLICAL. Only one form of disobedience was relevant to this covenant, and that only applied on an individual level, not a national level.
The land is the physical land that they were standing on, and it was promised under an EVERLASTING COVENANT to the actual physical seed of Abram.
To somehow make it apply in a spiritual sense to Christians today is an outrageous abuse of Scripture and an attempt to deceive by false teaching.
This should put to rest any idea that God has fully and finally forsaken His chosen nation. The concept of an Everlasting Covenant is certain an irrefutable, and it applies clearly to the Nation of Israel. To remove it from them is to break God’s Promise.