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If you trace Israel from its roots you can see Abraham circumcised his 300+ soldiers. Among them, Ishmael was his only blood relative. But all became his covenant seed through circumcision (Genesis 17:11–13). They called them Hebrews at this point (Exodus 9:1).
God told Abraham that His seed (Christ, according to Paul Galatians 3:16) would come through Isaac, Abraham’s son after Ishmael (Genesis 21:12). In time Isaac’s son Jacob had twelve sons. These grew into twelve tribes. But they always included others from surrounding nations as in Abraham’s day. A mixed multitude of family and foreigners based on circumcision (Exodus 12:38 Joshua 5:5). All males underwent circumcision or they remained gentiles cut off from Israel (Genesis 17:14). Though no command is given, we might assume girls and women held circumcised status through their husbands or fathers (Ruth 2:12; 1 Corinthians 7:14).
When Abraham excommunicated Ishmael, he lost his covenant membership even though a circumcised son. So covenant membership also meant group membership through circumcision.
When Jesus arrived, God no longer needed the physical unbelieving nation to preserve the true seed. Jesus abolished circumcision on the cross, by it removing the only means of a physical group membership. Only believers remained as biblical Israel under Christ (Colossians 1:18 Galatians 6:16NIV).
Into this Israel, God grafts gentile believers (Romans 11:17). And only in Christ are the broken off reattached by faith (Romans 11:23). God promises this in honor of the patriarchs (Romans 11:28). Paul uses himself as an example of a broken off Jew reattached to Israel through faith in Christ (Romans 11:1).
Paul defines Jesus as Israel today. First, he says he is Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:16), already defined as Israel in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:18; 1 Samuel 13:19). This includes believers in him also called the Church (Galatians 3:29). And Matthew identifies Jesus as Israel. He says “… (Jesus) was there (in Egypt) until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matthew 2:15). Matthew referred to Hosea who said, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1). So Matthew identifies Jesus as the Israel whom the Father loved and called out of Egypt in a double fulfillment. Also agreeing with Paul who says Jesus is Abraham’s seed, and not the physical seed (Romans 9:8).
But those Jews who reject Christ, exist today only because of their hatred of him. The Pharisees who escaped Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70 take credit for today’s brand of Judaism*.
*According to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, the Pharisees are today’s Jews.
“With the destruction of the Temple (70 A.D.) the Sadducees disappeared altogether, leaving the regulation of all Jewish affairs in the hands of the Pharisees. Henceforth, Jewish life was regulated by the Pharisees; the whole history of Judaism was reconstructed from the Pharisaic point of view, and a new aspect was given to the Sanhedrin of the past. A new chain of tradition supplanted the older priestly tradition (Abot 1:1). Pharisaism shaped the character of Judaism and the life and thought of the Jew for all the future.” The 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Edited by Isadore Singer
God told Abraham that His seed (Christ, according to Paul Galatians 3:16) would come through Isaac, Abraham’s son after Ishmael (Genesis 21:12). In time Isaac’s son Jacob had twelve sons. These grew into twelve tribes. But they always included others from surrounding nations as in Abraham’s day. A mixed multitude of family and foreigners based on circumcision (Exodus 12:38 Joshua 5:5). All males underwent circumcision or they remained gentiles cut off from Israel (Genesis 17:14). Though no command is given, we might assume girls and women held circumcised status through their husbands or fathers (Ruth 2:12; 1 Corinthians 7:14).
When Abraham excommunicated Ishmael, he lost his covenant membership even though a circumcised son. So covenant membership also meant group membership through circumcision.
When Jesus arrived, God no longer needed the physical unbelieving nation to preserve the true seed. Jesus abolished circumcision on the cross, by it removing the only means of a physical group membership. Only believers remained as biblical Israel under Christ (Colossians 1:18 Galatians 6:16NIV).
Into this Israel, God grafts gentile believers (Romans 11:17). And only in Christ are the broken off reattached by faith (Romans 11:23). God promises this in honor of the patriarchs (Romans 11:28). Paul uses himself as an example of a broken off Jew reattached to Israel through faith in Christ (Romans 11:1).
Paul defines Jesus as Israel today. First, he says he is Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:16), already defined as Israel in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:18; 1 Samuel 13:19). This includes believers in him also called the Church (Galatians 3:29). And Matthew identifies Jesus as Israel. He says “… (Jesus) was there (in Egypt) until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matthew 2:15). Matthew referred to Hosea who said, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1). So Matthew identifies Jesus as the Israel whom the Father loved and called out of Egypt in a double fulfillment. Also agreeing with Paul who says Jesus is Abraham’s seed, and not the physical seed (Romans 9:8).
But those Jews who reject Christ, exist today only because of their hatred of him. The Pharisees who escaped Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70 take credit for today’s brand of Judaism*.
*According to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, the Pharisees are today’s Jews.
“With the destruction of the Temple (70 A.D.) the Sadducees disappeared altogether, leaving the regulation of all Jewish affairs in the hands of the Pharisees. Henceforth, Jewish life was regulated by the Pharisees; the whole history of Judaism was reconstructed from the Pharisaic point of view, and a new aspect was given to the Sanhedrin of the past. A new chain of tradition supplanted the older priestly tradition (Abot 1:1). Pharisaism shaped the character of Judaism and the life and thought of the Jew for all the future.” The 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Edited by Isadore Singer
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