SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/11/2018
1:35 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Israel’s
Rejection
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
28:25-29
Message of the verses: “25 And when they
did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken
one parting word, "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the
prophet to your fathers, 26 saying, ’GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, "YOU WILL
KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL
NOT PERCEIVE; 27 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR
EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT
SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART
AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM."’ 28 “Therefore let it be known to you
that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen."”
There
are times when I read from the Old Testament and wonder why it was that many of
the children of Israel did not desire to know the truth, and live for their God
like Abraham, Moses, David, and others did.
I have made up my mind not to be hard on these people who Paul is
talking about in this section, for I am not God, and it is up to God to handle
these kinds of situations. As I
understand salvation I was chosen by God the Father in eternity past, and then
Jesus Christ came to earth to die for my sins, and then the Holy Spirit of God
gave an effectual call to me, and then I accepted that call and became a
born-again believer in Jesus Christ. I
know that I still sin, for I still have the flesh that causes me troubles along
with the world system, and the devil, and so as I live out my walk with the
Lord there are some things that I don’t want to get too much involved in,
things like being hard on the Jewish people for not coming to the Lord.
Let
us move on and look at some other section of Scripture to see this pattern we are
talking about: “25 “Since the day that
your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all
My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. 26 “Yet
they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck;
they did more evil than their fathers (Jer. 7:25-26).” “because they have not listened to My words,’
declares the LORD, ’which I sent to them again and again by My servants the
prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the LORD (Jer. 29:19).” “Also I have sent to you all My servants the
prophets, sending them again and again, saying: ’Turn now every man from
his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to worship
them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your
forefathers; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me (Jer. 35:15).” “’Yet I sent you all My servants the
prophets, again and again, saying, "Oh, do not do this abominable thing
which I hate (Jer. 44:4).”
Israel
continued to reject the Lord and we saw in our OT studies that first of all the
Northern Kingdom fell to Assyria, and then the Southern kingdom fell to
Babylon. After 70 years the Southern
nation came back to Israel, but did not possess the land. They stayed in the land until 70 A. D. when
the Romans destroyed the temple and also the city of Jerusalem. This was done because they had rejected their
Messiah. They came back to their Land as
Ezekiel prophesied in chapters 38-39, and this happened in May of 1946, yet to
this day they still do not recognize their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
It
was because the Jews were unable to agree with what Paul was telling them that
they left Paul and then that is why he quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 to them which was a
great rebuke when it was written by Isaiah and still is to this day.
As
I read this quotation that Paul gave to the Jews it seemed to me that it was on
that our Lord used when talking to the Jews and we can see that He used it
because of their rejection of the gospel.
Compare Matthew 13:14-15 and also John 12:39-40. Let us look at John 12:37-40 “37 But though
He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing
in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he
spoke: "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE
LORD BEEN REVEALED?" 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah
said again, 40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT
THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE
CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM."” I have
to say that this is a very sad commentary indeed.
Paul
then tells these Jews from Rome that the Lord has sent this message to the
Gentiles, something that he has said to Jews in other cities. The truth of this can be seen in his letter
to the Gentile Christians in Rome where he wrote in Romans 11:17, 19-22 “17 But
if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were
grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the
olive tree.” 19 You will say then,
"Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20 Quite right,
they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be
conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will
not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to
those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His
kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”
I
have gone over what we are looking at in earlier SD’s as the question has come
up as to whether or not God is finished with Israel, and have stated that God
is not finished with Israel as some think, for they say that because of Israel’s
unbelief that God has given all of the promises that were for Israel to the
Church. This is a great lie promoted by
Satan. People who believe that have a
difficult time with the book of Revelation.
I have a fairly long paper that was written by a former Pastor that I
sat under that goes over this and perhaps I will quote it in a future SD.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Bells and pomegranates”
(Exodus 28:33-34).
Today’s Bible question: “What should dwell in you richly in all
wisdom?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/11/2018 2:26 PM
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