Israel and the Church

Of all the places I would love to visit, Israel is at the top of my bucket list! My husband and I may never get to take a tour of the Holy Land, but it would be fascinating to see the places where Abraham lived, where David walked, where Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives and taught life-giving truth; to walk in the footsteps of some of the greatest people who ever lived!

The history of the Israelites is one of the most fascinating reads of all time. The story of the Hebrew people is full of love and loss, sin and redemption, slavery and freedom, idolatry and Godly devotion. God gave them the opportunity to know Him, to walk in obedience to Him, to have the best of what He had to offer. Yet, over and over again, they walked away from the Living Water, and chose to swim in the swamp of slavery, idolatry, and debauchery. There are so many similarities between the Israelites’ journey and ours. We too have the opportunity to experience God’s love, redemption, and freedom, in the person of Jesus Christ, and God wants our wholehearted devotion to Him. But sin lurks just one step, one thought, one choice away, and often pulls us into slavery to our sin. We find ourselves serving idols of money, success, pleasure—any glittery trap that lures our hearts away from our devotion to Christ, or a desire to know Him in the first place.

Yes, there are similaries. Israel is God’s chosen people, and Christ came to save all people, whether Jew or Gentile. Through His message, the church was born and the gospel has been carried to Jew and Gentile without distinction. BUT…Israel and the church are NOT one and the same. God still has a very specific plan for Israel, and it is very different from His plan for the church.  The church has not taken Israel’s place or her covenant blessings. The greatest culmination of Israel’s story is still to come, when they will recognize their Messiah, Jesus Christ, and put their faith in Him. Two distinct purposes—rooted in One Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ!