I

s God Jewish?

That's funny, but since Christianity has a common background with the ancient Jewish religion, and since much of our Bible is about the Jews, and since our Saviour Jesus Christ was a Jew, you might wonder about the relationship between God, the Jews, and Christians.  This article summarizes the background.

All Mankind's Roots

To begin with, we're told in Genesis 1:1-28 that God created everything, and lastly He created a man and a woman named Adam and Eve. He gave them a beautiful garden to live in and He blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:28 (NKJV). In the beginning there were no nations or ethnic groups.

God gave the man a single rule and warned him that the consequence of breaking the rule was death. Then an evil being named Satan came into the garden and was successful in tempting and causing mankind to disobey God and receive the death sentence. God cursed Satan for this, sentenced mankind to death (as He said He would), and the earth was cursed. However, even in the curse, there was also a prophecy of one who would come who would ultimately crush Satan. This coming one would later be known as "Messiah", or "Christ".

Jewish Roots

 

EasyTip: The word "Jew", for most purposes, is interchangable with the word "Israelite". 

 

A long time later mankind had multiplied and spread out over the earth. Then God, in His own timing, chose a man named Abram (later renamed Abraham), a Chaldean man, to father the line from which the Messiah would eventually come. We are not told why God chose this particular man. There is no evidence that Abram was chosen because of any merit he possessed. It doesn't really matter. The fact is that God chose a man through who's line would come the Messiah and He began to establish His name and identity with this people. He chose to bless them, be their God, and gave them a special land to inhabit. A couple of generations later one of Abraham's descendents (Jacob) was renamed "Israel" by God Himself. Jacob then had twelve sons and from these sons were established the twelve tribes of Israel. They became known as "the children of Israel", or "Israelites".

In the couple of thousand years that followed, God was intimately involved with the children of Israel. We are told repeatedly that God loved them. He worked amazing miracles for and through them. He protected them with such spectacular demontrations of power that they became famous and feared by the nations around them. He gave them laws to live right with God and man. He sent them special prophets so the people would know His will. God spoke to these prophets to direct the nation, prophesy of coming events, and answer certain petitions of the people through them. The prophets also spoke hundreds of prophecies regarding the coming Messiah, including when and where He would be born. God also established a priesthood. The priests were to represent God to the people and represent the people to God.

The people had good kings and bad kings. Down through the centuries they had times that they did right in God's sight, and times that they did  evil in His sight. They would turn away from God, then turn back to Him when they got into trouble. They would pollute themselves with idol worship and every kind of sin to provoke God's wrath. He would often use other nations to bring judgement upon them when they turned away from Him. They were conquered, captured, and carried away to other nations. They repented of their sin and turned back toward God for a time and He would bring them back to their promised land. Then, sadly, they repeated this cycle. 

Rejection of Jesus the Messiah

As prophesied, Jesus Christ, the Son of God was born of the Israelite tribe of Judah, in the town of Bethlehem. He was born of them and came to them, the children of Israel, and they rejected Him. Nevertheless He accomplished God's ultimate goal, the redemption of mankind, by sacrificing Himself for all sin. He bore the death sentence that transferred to all of mankind by Adam's disobedience. Although the Jews rejected the Son of God as their Messiah at His first coming, God will not abandon them forever.

Scattering & Regathering

Within a hundred years of the rejection and crucifixtion of Jesus Christ, Israel and it's people were nearly unrecognizable. The temple was destroyed, the people were sold into slavery, Judea was renamed Palestina, and the Jews were banned from Jerusalem. They were scattered into all the world and were without a homeland for thousands of years. Nevertheless they are still His chosen people and He made them permanent unconditional promises including, as He spoke in Genesis 17:6-8, "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

 

EasyTip: While reading the Bible, watch for references to the Messiah, like here in God's promise to Abram;  "all the families of the earth shall be blessed". That's a prophesy that all of mankind will be blessed by Abram's seed, not only the Jews

 

In the eleventh chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet records God's promise of a regathering of the people to the land that He had given to them. Today there is an Israel and they do inhabit the land again.  In Genesis 12:2-3 God promised Abram, "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Today Israel is a great nation and they continue to grow and thrive.

Why the Jew?

One might ask questions like, "Why did God choose the Jews and treat them so special?" and, "Why did He choose only one people to work His purposes through?". The Bible doesn't say.  It's possible and, since it's what God chose to do, likely that it was the best way to deal with mankind in the long-run. We are told that it wasn't because of their number that God chose them.

Now, forget about what nation He chose for a moment. Think of it this way: God chose a people. He loved them, raised them up, and prospered them. He provided for them, protected them from their enemies, fellowshipped with them, and gave them His laws. And yet, despite all this divine attention and unmerrited favor, the majority disobeyed Him and turned away from Him. They repeated the error of Adam and Eve. They turned away from God and disobeyed Him.

Then God's Son came to them, as promised. He demonstrated God's love to them, provided for them, healed them, fellowshipped with them and taught them truth. And again, they corporately rejected Him. They repeated the error of Adam and Eve. They turned away from God and disobeyed Him. So even though God gave them everything, they still rejected Him. 

Do you see the pattern in God's dealing with man? He created mankind and placed them in a beautiful garden in fellowship with Himself. He chose the Jews and promised to be their God. He sent Jesus Christ to them. He repeatedly puts man in fellowship with Himself. Do you see the pattern in man's dealing with God? Adam & Eve turned from God, the Jews repeatedly turned from God through their history, and the Messiah was rejected. Man repeatedly disobeys God and chooses to break the fellowship. 

It is said that hind-site has 20/20 vision. It's easy to look back on history and spot mistakes others have made and judge others as being foolish. Many have done so regarding the Jews. Be honest and consider well, would another people or nation have done better? How about on an individual level. Will you?

What about the Christian?

Why God chose, for a period of time, to work through one nation is something we'll learn when we get to Heaven. It was a special period of God's dealing with mankind. However, once Jesus died for all sin, the rules changed. Now it is not necessary to be a Jew or to follow their traditions or laws. What is necessary for salvation now, is that you believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. As Jesus Himself said, "so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life." - John 3:16 (NLT)

 

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26 (NKJV)

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