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Grafted In - YouTube
When it comes to understanding that Israel today is not all born again - as some are while most aren't - I think it should be noted that there've been many Messianic Jews noting how others in Israel often don't act like the Israel the Lord intended....and personally, I'd go so far as to say that to BE an Israelite, would be for one to make the claim, and then LIVE as an Israelite.
In other words, I could claim to be an astronaut. but until I walked the walk as well as talked the talk, I really wouldn' be one as fully intended. But if I DID walk the walk, as well as talked the talk, would I not be considered to be an astronaut (insert any other profession/adjective you like). I say that in light of how often Jesus spoke of Gentiles having far grander faith than all others in Israel, such as seen in Luke 7:1-10 and Matthew 8:5-13...
I'm also reminded of the Rechabites that God praised over Judah when the nation was in sin. They were the descendants of Rechab through Jonadab or Jehonadab. Jeremiah 35:6 mentions Jonadab...and with Jonadab (Jehonadab), son of Rechab, he had joined Jehu in purging the Northern Kingdom of Baal Worship (II Kings 10:15-28).
The Rechabites belonged to the Kenites who accompanied the children of Israel into the holy land, and dwelt among them ( Numbers 24:20-22 , Numbers 24:21-23 ). Apparently, the Kenities were also descendants of Hobab, Moses's Brother-in-law ( Judges 4:10-12 ), and one who was of Midian---the Land Moses fled to when on the run from the Egyptians. Hobab had children with Jael, the woman who killed Sisera, being one of them since Jael was the wife of "Heber the Kenite ( Judges 4:17 ). Saul was known for having mercy upon them when destroying the Amalekites, as seen in 1 Samuel 15:5-7. There's also reference to them in Genesis 15:18-20, when Abraham made a covenant with God and the Lord said he'd give to his descendants the land of the Kenites. Moses married a Kenite wife ( Judges 1:16 ) later in life. Jehonadab forbade his descendants to drink wine or to live in cities, as seen in Jeremiah 35: 14.
Their code of conduct resembled that of the Nazarites, who took a special vow of dedication to God (Numbers 6). For 200yrs, they had obeyed their ancestors' vow to abstain from wine....and while the rest of the nation was breaking its covenant with God, these people were steadfast in their commitment. As seen in Jeremiah 35, there was a vivid contrast between the Rechabites and the other Israelites, for they kept their vows to a fallible human leader...whereas Israel broke their covenant with their infallible Divine Leader. Jonadab told his family one time not to drink and they obeyed, yet God commanded Israel constantly to turn from sin and they refused.
The Rechabities obeyed laws that dealt with temporal issues...yet Israel refused to obey God's laws that dealt with eternal issues. The Rechabites obeyed laws for hunderds of years, whereas Israel had disobeyed for Hundreds of years......and as Jeremiah 35 makes clear, God would reward the Rechabities for their devotion whle Israel would be punished. As they were noted for their fidelity to the old-established custom of their family in the days of Jeremiah, this feature of their character is referred to by God for the purpose of giving point to his message to Judah.
The Rechabities are also mentioned in Neh. 3:14 and 1 Chr. 2:55.
With the Astronaut analogy, the same can be said of another analogy used in the hood. Many talk about knowing the streets/being "Gangsta"...but until you've LIVED it, its all show
As said earlier, the very concept of "Israel" is a very complicated realitiy...and anyone being honest with the scriptures (IMHO) would have to acknowledge that Israel today is not all born again. Some are. Most aren't - and that's said in regards to the physical descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob today who reject the Messiah.
It is because of this that many other Messianics have felt it necessary to understand that speaking in terms of "Israel" is not simply a matter of referring to one group above the others - for it can either mean those who faithfully serve Messiah or those who reject him and still need to come to him...and in the case of the latter group, Israel would not be part of the Ecclesia, although some members of Israel are also members of the Ecclesia The conversation you involve yourself in will often determine the context - and nuances of conversation so that things can connect/flow easier.
With the part of Israel that is specifically in regards to Gentiles, it is a matter of the Ecclesia being brought near to the commonwealth of Israel. What did commonwealth mean? It is simply the wealth of the state held in common. What is the wealth of Israel? The promise of the Messiah. Israel was promised the Messiah, but one of the so called mysteries revealed in the NT is that Gentiles (not Israel or not Jewish), share in that wealth and are equal partakers of the blessings of the Messiah. Becoming (spiritual) sons of Abraham, sons of God by adoption.
We know that the
ekklesia the community of those saved by trusting in Moshiach - is made up of Jew and Gentile (
Colossians 3:11):
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Whilst we know the Jews who believe in Yeshua belong to the House of Israel, what of the Gentiles? We know that Messianic Jews
are both physically and spiritually descendants of Abraham..but what of those who are not physical descendants of Abraham? Although they're not in a physical sense related, they are related in the spiritual sense.
We read in
Romans 4:9-12:
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abrahams faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
In other words, all believers in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua haMashiach are
bnei Avraham - sons of Abraham through
emuna (faith). This is the special role of Gentiles within the Messianic movement: to fully live lives which show that following Abrahams walk is only possible by knowing Yeshua for Jews and Gentiles alike.
Bnei Avraham are encouraged to share their physical blessings with Jews, as the
bnei Avraham share in the Jews spiritual blessings (
Romans 15:27). Indeed, if you read
Romans 11, you see how God intended the
bnei Avraham Jewish and Gentile followers of Yeshua to complement each other in a chain reaction leading to the full and final
geula: the redemption of the world.
Romans 11:13-16
I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.