GOD’S CALL TO ISRAEL

WHAT IS A CALL?

A call is to summon to oneself; to appoint someone to service; to name something someone or to make someone one’s own. Here God is summoning His rebellious and backsliding Israel to return back to Him for He will not cause His anger to fall on them as He is a merciful God and He will not remain angry forever. God’s calling takes place in three different levels. (a). God, through Christ, commands all human to believe His Good News of salvation;  His invitation comes through His Word and His Spirit. He calls, equips and sends messengers with the joyful news of what Christ has done, calling sinners to repentance and faith. (b). God accompanies this call to some individuals with the inner ability to respond in faith. In this sense calling becomes a link in the chain that begins with God’s love for us from all eternity and ends with our being with Christ in the new heaven and the new earth. (c). Finally Christians receive a calling to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Specifically this means being patient in suffering, working for peace, serving one another in freedom and love, and working to spread the kingdom. Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans states, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called; these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:30).

ISRAEL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

When Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed his name no longer became Jacob but Israel (Gen.32:28).Israel first appeared as the name God gave Jacob after he wrestled with Him. Each of Jacob’s sons had descendants who formed a separate tribe, and together these twelve tribes became known as the Israelites, or the house of Israel or simply Israel. When the nation was divided, the ten northern tribes retained the name Israel, and the southern tribe took the name Judah. After destruction of Samaria, which had been the capital of Israel, Judah carried on the name Israel. “Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. And the priest killed them and they presented their blood on the alter as a sin offering to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel” (2 Chr. 29:23-24) The author of the book of second Chronicles emphasizes that Judah is the true Israel of God. He ignores the history of the northern kingdom, and he frequently describes occasions in which people from the ten tribes migrate to Judah to join the true worship of God in Jerusalem. After the division between the northern and the southern kingdoms, Judah alone is sometimes called “all Israel.” But this theme foreshadows the New Testament teaching that God’s people are not an ethnic nation but a community of people who believe in Jesus and engage in true worship of God. With regard to Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel, some think they apply to the Jews and the nation of Israel today; others believe that those prophecies are fulfilled in Christ and the Church. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” (Zech. 8:23).

ISRAEL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Apostle Paul states that not all Israel are Israel; “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are for Israel” (Rom. 9:6). All New Testament references to “Israelites” speak either about events in the Old Testament or about the Jews. The same can be said for many of its references to “Israel.” But in the New Testament “Israel” also takes on a spiritual meaning. Belonging to physical Israel does not necessarily mean that one belongs to the true Israel. One must be a child of promise made to Abraham, not just his physical descendant. We today can have Abraham as our father if we believe in Jesus. Thus some today understand the church to be the true Israel of God. “Nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but. “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise. “At this time I will come and Sarah will have a son” (Rom. 9: 7-9).

HOW DID GOD’S CALL TO ISRAEL

In the book of Jeremiah chapter four, God is calling the backsliding Israel to return back to Him. “If you will return O Israel, “says the Lord, “Return to Me; and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, “The Lord lives,’ in truth, in judgment and in righteousness; the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory” (Jer. 4:1-2). A faithless Israel, who had forsaken the Lord and turned to detestable idol worship, had been urged by the Lord to return to Him. No warnings or judgments moved Israel to turn back to God  just like our world today, idolatry, fornication, adultery lust of money and self has taken control of our generation today that they are not willing to seek God but the things that are perishing and that’s why; many are perishing with the worldly things and instead of blessings, curses. My You have mercy O God. Beloved brethren, let us seek and pursue the knowledge of God lest we perish from God’s wrath.  Prophet Isaiah in Isa. 5:13 and Prophet Hosea in Hos. 4:6 each respectively says that, “My people perish, or are taken to captivity for lack of knowledge.” Analyze this brethren, it is my humble plea! As Jeremiah the prophet reiterates that, to swear by the Lord would be to worship Him, and such an oath held the swearers responsible to fulfill it. Failure to be willing to awe God their faithfulness and worship brought terrible consequences to Israel, the northern kingdom and then to Judah, and resulted in failure of the nations to be converted as well. Because Israel would not give glory to God, the rest of the world could not. But let this not to be an excuse to us for not honoring God today because the Helper the Holy Spirit is with us today and God’s grace is indeed sufficient. Beloved, did you know, failure not to worship God, not to give Him allegiance, not to abandon false gods including man himself, science, power, money and pleasure brings emptiness of life, sorrow and even calamity to us (tsunami, earthquakes, HIV-AIDS, cancer, floods, locusts, pestilences,  famine, covid-19?) just to mention but a few! The effect however, reaches those around us, even to society and the world. Beloved, God is still seeking men and women who will vow their trust and obedience, and in Him they and others will glory and be blessed. We can do it brethren. It is never too late. Titus affirms this, “Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deeds and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

THE CALL TO BECOME GOD’S CHILDREN

What is its nature?

1.       Calling is heavenly reward: Paul the apostle says, “I press towards the goal the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). And also, “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and the High Priest of Our confession, Christ Jesus” (Heb. 3:1).

2.       God’s calling is irrevocable:  “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29)

3.       God’s calling is linked to our election: “But we were bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 2:13-14).

4.       More are called than chosen: “For many are called but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14).

What must we do for our calling?

1.       We must repent: Jesus said, “ I have not  came to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32); “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2: 38-39); “Truly these kind of ignorance God overlook, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).

2.       We must call on God’s name:  : “Then those who heard were amazed and said, “Is this not the one who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for the same purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests” (Acts 9:21).

3.       We must confirm God’s call by our lives: “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self- control, to self-knowledge perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lucks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Pet. 1:5-10).

I give You praise, I give You the entire honor Lord. My humble plea is that, may we be found worthy of Your calling O Lord.

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”