Join us as we unravel the complex theological themes of rejection, redemption, and jealousy found throughout biblical texts. By examining key passages from both the Old and New Testament, witness how Israel’s narrative evolves from rejection to a promise of eventual salvation, highlighting the grace and inclusive plan of God for all nations. This discourse invites a profound reflection on the interpretation of sacred texts and their continued relevance.
I promised a few days ago to bring those texts to you from the Old Testament that seem to suggest, well, more than seem, they categorically state that Israel was rejected by God. Let’s look at them, and then let’s look at what Paul says in the New Testament, because he says the very opposite. Or so it seems. Are these really opposites? Listen, this is what it says in 2 Kings 16. Beginning, let’s go with verse 16. So we’ve got 16, 16. 2 Kings 16, 16. That shouldn’t be too difficult to remember. “…forsaking every commandment of the Lord their God, they made themselves images of cast metal,” referring to Israel, of course, “…two calves and also a sacred pole. They prostrated themselves to all the host of heaven and worshipped the Baal, and they made their sons and daughters pass through the fire.” They practiced augury and divination. They sold themselves to do what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord and so provoked his anger. Thus it was that the Lord was incensed against Israel and banished them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left. Even Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but followed the practices adopted by Israel. so the lord rejected the whole race of israel and punished them and gave them over to the plunderers and finally flung them out of his sight my goodness The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not give them up until finally the Lord banished the Israelites from his presence as he had threatened through his servants the prophets, and they were carried into exile from their own land to Assyria. That, by the way, as I said, is 2 Kings 16, beginning at verse 16, and I read from the New English Bible. Now, you see where Christians have gone wrong. They have looked, they have failed to integrate passages from the Old and New Testament. They have failed to bring seeming opposites together. They have taken this view of a categorical final rejection, and they’ve said Israel is rejected and God has replaced them by the Christian faith, the Christian church. And that is exactly what is not the case. Because we see in the book of Romans that Paul argues the very opposite. Listen, I quoted to you the verses in regard to God handing them over to blindness and stupor. Verse 8, 11, verse 8. Just as it is written, God has given them a spirit. Well, let’s get the verse before that. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Don’t get fooled by that elect, saying, well, there you go, a certain elect group have received it, but not Israel. No. The whole of Israel is elect. I pointed that out to you from chapter 11, verse 28, concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved. Now, that’s not just a word. That’s a dynamic act of God’s grace and love who is determined to save the whole of Israel, and by extension, to save the whole world. God has given them… So, verse 7 then of chapter 11, what then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Okay, what is this blinding? Well, you heard me speak about this the other day. God hands people over… to the alternatives they choose instead of him. It is their resistance to God. This blindness is parallel to chapter 1, verse 18, where the whole world is talked about as suppressing God. To suppress God is to blind ourselves against him. or to him. And when we do that, and the whole world has done it, of course, what does God do? He gives them over to more blindness. Well, why? In order to bring them to their limits, to bring them to the end of themselves, so that they cannot stand it anymore. They cannot tolerate the void within them that nags for something more. There is something higher that we have missed. God has given them a spirit of stupor, even eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear to this very day. And David says, let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened so that they do not see and bow down their back always. Well, that sounds like the end of the line, doesn’t it? But here’s the juicy part. This is the real juicy part of chapter 11. Chapter 11, verse 11. Now remember, Paul is very familiar with ancient history, with the history of his people, very concerned about it. He’s a rabbi. He is a man of education. He knows the Old Testament. He has studied for sure, without a doubt, 2 Kings 16, beginning at verse 16. He has had to ask himself, does that mean forever? Is this a permanent casting away? Listen. Here’s the juicy stuff, as I said. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Oh, so stumbling isn’t the same as falling in the way he’s using it anyway. They have stumbled in that they have turned away from God and broken His commandments and rejected Christ. They have stumbled, but it is not a final fall. Listen. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not. And that is the word God forbid again. But, wow, listen to this. But through their fall… Their rejection of God, their suppression of God, their disobedience to the commandments, their walking away from him and taking idols and even burning their children in the fire to offer their children a sacrifice to Baal and Molech. All of this, and finally the rejection of Jesus Christ through that fall to provoke them to jealousy. Salvation has come to the Gentiles. By their fall, they led to… Their fall led to the sacrifice… No, let me say it again. Their fall led to the murder of the Son of God. Their fall led to the murder of Jesus. They did not defend this innocent one, this lamb, who they knew… did not deserve punishment and death. They could not believe yet that he was the Messiah, but at least they knew he was an innocent man and they were putting or handing him over to the Romans as an innocent man who did not deserve death. But that action, which is described here as a fall, led to the salvation of the Gentiles. How? Because the fall, the murder of the Son of God, was also the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world. And thus, when Jesus rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples and the apostles, they spread this news all over the world and simply millions of people became believers. Now, wait a minute. That’s not the end of the story. Their fall was not simply and only Their fall did not simply and only lead to the salvation of the Gentiles because their fall led to the murder of the Son of God, which was the crucifixion, the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world, but their fall led to the salvation of the Gentiles, which would boomerang back upon Israel and make them jealous. Think of it. This jealousy that I have talked about before is monumental. We have not seen its full outworking yet by any means, but through the ages, many Jewish people have come to Christ seeing jealously the blessings and favor of God upon Christians. But there is a massive jealousy awakening to come, and it will come in the judgment. How do I know that? Read Revelation. The whole of Gog and Magog, the whole world, will be so jealous of the people of God, they will march against the city. This is all part of the judgment. And then God will reveal his glory upon the people who are saved. And that jealousy will fall upon everyone. both the Jewish people and the Gentiles, the rest of them. You have to see then the detail that Paul is going into here, into. He knows that God’s people, Israel, were meant to represent him, but they failed. So does God throw them out? Finally, a final flinging out? It would appear so in 2 Kings 16, 16 onwards, but it isn’t so. We do not get the full story until we get the account of Jesus Christ the Messiah. But I tell you this, we do get the full story, in a way, in the book of Ezekiel. There’s another chapter, 16, when God says that he will make it an atonement for Israel and forgive the whole house of Israel for all that they have done. So here we have 2 Kings telling of the same time period, and here we have Ezekiel, same time period, stating that God will forgive Israel for all that they have done, and he will, by evidence of that forgiveness, raise the whole house of Israel from the dead. How about that then? That is the atonement, that is the gospel in the Old Testament and in the book of Ezekiel. And this is what draws Paul to these massive conclusions. The issue of whether Israel will be saved or not is massive. It is absolutely massive because it hangs upon the gospel. When Paul realized and saw and it was revealed to him the significance of the sacrifice of Jesus, he knew that he had to reinterpret all Jewish history. because Christ atoned for the sins of all Israel, and thereby, by extension, atoned for all the sins of the world. And so thus, as Israel will be raised from the dead, so will all the world. So he says, again, I repeat this juicy bit, Romans 11, verse 11, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not, God forbid. But through their fall… to provoke them to jealousy. Salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now, if God is provoking Israel to jealousy, it means he hasn’t finished with them yet. And if you are provoked to jealousy by Christians you know and long and wish you had their peace and joy, then God hasn’t finished with you yet either. Thank you for listening in, everyone. Colin Cook here, and you’ve been listening to my broadcast, How It Happens, which you can hear on the radio at 10 o’clock in the evening, repeated at four in the morning in the Denver and Colorado and surrounding states areas on KLTT AM 670. You can also hear the program, though, any time of the day or night on your smartphone. Simply key in How It Happens with Colin Cook. That is, go to soundcloud.com or podbean.com or Spotify or wherever or Apple and key in How It Happens with Colin Cook when you get there. If you’d like to make a donation, it’s very well and much needed at the moment. We’ve had heavy demands on us in the last few days. Send your donation to Faith Quest, P.O. Box 366, Littleton, Colorado 80160, or make your donation online at faithquestradio.com. Thanks so much. See you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
