ISRAEL BIBLICAL
What is God's relationship with Israel?
God loves Israel as a father loves his son
God is unshakable and unchanging in his love for Israel: In Exodus 4:22-23 it says that Israel is God's "firstborn son." Just as a father always loves his son, so God has never ceased to love Israel.
God loves Israel as a husband loves
God “married” Israel and will always love and remain faithful to Israel (Hosea 2). Although Israel’s rebellion is compared to fornication, God remains faithful to his (marital) covenant. This is what distinguishes God from humans.
God made an everlasting covenant with Israel.
And he swore an oath with the Jewish people that these covenants would be kept by him. God swore by the sanctity of his own name, and he will never break an oath.
The Bible is Israel-centric from beginning to end
Why is the focus on Israel and not on other nations?
Which biblical prophecies about Israel are being fulfilled in our time?
The most significant promise being fulfilled before our very eyes is the beginning of the restoration of Israel: the return of the Jewish people from all corners of the earth to the promised land of Israel (see Isaiah 62; Jeremiah 30-33; Ezekiel 36-39). This has been taking place for approximately 150 years. After the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE, Israel disappeared from the map for centuries. Now, God is gathering his people and bringing them home. Jews from all over the world, from more than 120 nations—from Russia, Ukraine, India, China, Ethiopia, Yemen, the USA, and many other countries—are returning to Israel.
The great theologian Karl Barth said that one can read in the newspapers today that God keeps his promises. However, this is only the beginning. For the external restoration must be supported by an inner, spiritual renewal. The Bible states this very clearly (cf. Jeremiah 30-33). Israel therefore still has a long way to go. But we believe that it is already on this path and will ultimately be led to its destination by Jesus, the Messiah.
Karl Barth: “Now we can read it in the newspaper: God keeps his promise.” (Busch, Curriculum Vitae, 510). Source
Where do the Jews come from?
The name Jew derives from Judah, one of Jacob's twelve sons. After the return from the Babylonian exile, the word Jew no longer referred only to people from the tribe of Judah, but to all Israelites. In short: The returnees understood themselves as the people of Israel, whose homeland is Israel, and were henceforth collectively referred to as Jews.
Where are the borders of the promised land?
Abraham was promised the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1-7). The most detailed description of Canaan's borders is found in Numbers 34:1-12. Despite these clear boundary specifications, the Bible makes it difficult to define a precise territory for the promised land. This is because other texts in the Bible define the borders differently, and some texts do not mention the borders at all. The first definition of the promised land's boundaries, however, is found in Genesis 13:14-15, where God says to Abraham:
"Lift up your eyes. Look from where you are standing north, toward the Negev, east, and out toward the sea. All the land you see I will give to you and your descendants."
The text leaves the reader uncertain about Abram's exact location when God made this promise, and how far he could see, even though these would have been crucial factors in determining the borders. What is clear, however, is the core territory of Israel: the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The land stretches from its southernmost point (Beer Sheva, at the southern end of the Dead Sea) to Syria in the north. The western border is the Mediterranean Sea, the eastern border the Jordan River. This is the land that was called Canaan in the 2nd century BCE and was promised to Israel.
Why was Israel chosen by God and not the other nations?
The reasons for the election are clearly stated in Deuteronomy 7: 6-8. There it is explained why God chose Israel and why he did not.
“The Lord your God has chosen you to be his treasured possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples—for you were the fewest of all peoples—but because he loved you and to keep the oath he swore to your ancestors.”
The fact that Israel is God's covenant people and was chosen from among all the nations of the earth does not mean that God has rejected the rest of the world. God intends to bless humanity through Israel, his covenant people. Israel was chosen for a specific purpose: to be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:1-3).
Why does God refer to himself as "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob"?
God calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because this lineage clearly demonstrates that he is the God of Israel. God's promises are given to Israel—as are those for the nations. Therefore, God placed his Son (Jesus) within this lineage.
Exodus 3:15 states:
“And God spoke further to Moses: ‘This is what you are to say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, by which I am to be called throughout all generations.’”
If this is the name of God forever, then we Christians should also call and worship God by this name – as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.