The Jewish Lens

The scriptures are crystal clear about what God's prophetic calling and plan of redemption are for the Jewish people, and once you see it, you can't unsee it.

I usually liken this to a stereogram; the 2D image that appears to be a random collection of colors and squiggly lines, but when you focus at the right distance, you can actually make out a 3D image. They were once popular in dentists' offices back in the '80s and '90s (ah, the good old days).

Once you saw the hidden 3D image, you couldn't unsee it.

The same applies when reading God's Word: the scriptures reveal to us a biblical lens regarding the Jewish people, which should be applied when interpreting Scripture. If not applied, it can lead to accepting false doctrines and distorting God's word.

The Jewish Lens is made up of the following three God-ordained truths regarding the physical descendants of Abraham that are still in effect today:

1. The irrevocable gifts and calling of the Jewish people

2. The separate and distinctive identity of the Jewish people

3. Israel’s continuing “Firstborn” status among the nations

---

"The Jewish lens sharpens scriptural interpretation, providing a strong basis for discovering biblical identity and destiny in regards to Israel and the Jewish people, as well as the Gentile nations."

---

Let me explain in detail each component of the Jewish Lens:

The irrevocable gifts and calling of the Jewish people

Romans 11:28-29

“As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

What gifts and what calling are irrevocable?

THE GIFTS and THE CALLING that were given to the beloved forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The gift of divine blessing (Genesis 12:3 "I will bless those that bless you") and an earthly inheritance: the Promised Land (Genesis 12:6-7 "To your offspring I give this land"), and the calling for them to be bearers of God's name (Numbers 6:24-27 "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel"), to proclaim His righteousness throughout the earth (Exodus 19:5-6 "you will be for me a Kingdom of Preists"), and to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6 "I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations").

Paul says these things are irrevocable!

Some have argued that the promises were to Abraham alone, but as you read through scripture, it's unmistakable - God made the covenant with Abraham and his physical offspring (in hebrew, the word for offspirng is Zerah - 'physical seed').

In Genesis 26 God promises Isaac the exact same gifts as he did to Araham:

Genesis 26:2-5

"...I will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father."

In Genesis 28 God promises Jacob the exact same gifts that he promised Abraham and Isaac:

Genesis 28:12-15

“...I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie, I will give to you and to your offspring.

This covenant with the forefathers extends to all of Abraham's lineage throughout scripture, FOREVER!

Psalm 105:8-11

"He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”

There is no other way to interpret Paul's words; the gifts and calling are irrevocable, passed on to the physical descendants of Abraham.

The separate and distinct identity of the Jewish people

Number 23:8-9

“How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!”

These words come from the first oracle of the prophet Balaam, who was paid to prophesy against the Israelites, but all he could speak were blessings:

"How can I curse what God has not cursed?"

"How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?"

Throughout history, despite being scattered across the globe, Jewish people have remained devoted to one true God and to the laws of Moses.

This has separated them from the rest and has allowed them to keep their Jewish identity intact. It's true, modern-day Judaism has veered off course from God's word, being heavily influenced by post-temple rabbinic interpretation, but its separate and distinct characteristics still exist.

Some argue that modern Jews and Israelis aren't the same as "God's chosen people" of the Bible. I will write about this in more detail in coming posts, but in short, this comment shows a lack of historical knowledge about Jewish history and culture.

Briefly, even with intermarriage and population drift, modern-day Jews are synonymous with the Judeans, with the Israelites, with the Hebrews, and with the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This claim can be supported by genealogical records, DNA tracing, and anthropological study of Jewish migration throughout history.

From the time of captivity in Egypt to the ghettos of Warsaw, to the streets of Jerusalem, the Children of Abraham have always been set apart. The very nature of them being “Chosen” by God means they are set apart for something else (consecrated, holy). This doesn't mean they are better than, holier than, or liked more. This means they are set apart for service.

Their dedication to one true God, and to the covenant of God has always been the root of hatred among their enemies.

Daniel abstained from eating like the rest of the Babylonians because of biblical dietary law, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fire because they wouldn't bow to an idol. Haman in the book of Esther said this about the Jews:

Esther 3:8-9

"Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed."

God didn't just choose them and make them a separate and distinct nation because of a technicallity or temporarty purpose, He says He did it out of love for them and thier forefathers:

Deuteronomy 7:6-9

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations”

God loves the Jewish people and has carved out a unique roll and purpose for them.

Israel's "Firstborn" status among the nations

Exodus 4:22-23

“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” 

God calls the Israelites, His Firstborn Son.

The biblical 'Firstborn' status often gets confused with being better or favored; However, in the correct context, the Firstborn is consecrated to the Lord.

Based on God's law, the Firstborn are set apart for service. They assume the responsibility of leadership and carrying on the family legacy. The firstborn receives a double portion of everything: Double the inheritance, double the responsibility, and double the discipline.

Deuteronomy 21:15

"If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his."

Listen to what Isaiah says over the Jerusalem (due to the disobedience of the Jewish leadership):

Isaiah 40:1-2

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.”

Amos gives a similar message:

Amos 3:1-2

“...You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."

Divine discipline is unique to Gods Firstborn nation. God repeats Himself loud and clear throughout the old testament, "obey my commands and I will bless you. Disobey my commands and you will be divinely disciplined". But make no mistake, he never completely destroys them, or abandons them, or fully cuts them off.

With the divine discipline that comes with being the 'Firstborn', there is also divine restoration.

If you're ever tempted to think that God has fully cut off the Jewish people, or fully rejected them or replaced them, just keep reading. God alwyas offers a way for His lost Firstborn (the older Jewish brother), to make it back into the warm embrace of a loveing God.

---

When you read scripture without 'The Jewish Lens', you strip away God's prophetic identity and destiny for the Jewish people (and the gentile nations), which means the bible gets over-allegorized and spiritualized, causing Gods word to be diluted, and produces shallow disciples.

Whatever God has ordained as Good, Holy, and Chosen, the Devil will try to distort and destroy. The devil is working overtime to destroy biblical identity. It's the same tactic from the Garden of Eden: The enemy is making us question God's ordained truths. "Are the Jews really still God's Chosen people? Do they really have a God given claim to the land of Israel?". The devil thinks that if he can get the Church to assume the Jewish people have been cut off and replaced, then God's prophetic destiny for them will remain unfulfilled.

Fortunately for us, God is in the business of restoration. God is above our human ways and comprehension. By God's calculation, and for the sake of His great name, it is more beneficial to restore the Jewish people according to their prophetic calling so that the world will behold His greatness.

(More on Gods strategic plan of restoration for the Jewish people in the land of Israel another time).