You’re back…and I’m so glad you are a part of our circle of Bible students anxious to understand how we (Christians) rightly relate to Israel.  We are on a roll and I hope you have caught the first three parts of this particular lesson.  If not, you will want to review these thoughts that lead up to today’s installment:

• Israel: God’s Love Story for the World
• Abrahamic Covenant: The Backbone of God’s Promises to Us
• Abraham: God’s Man

Oh, what a blessed covenant it is that God made with Abraham…and oh what grace God bestowed on us as when He gave the mandate that all families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham and his descendants!  That blessing is eternal salvation, and it was made possible when God preached the gospel of salvation to Abraham, then gave him the command to bless all the families of the earth.  We are SO blessed!

Understand, my friends, that the Abrahamic Covenant is not just for Jews.  Yes, it has a tremendous purpose for the Jews, but it is also God’s method of bringing salvation to Gentiles.  As Galatians 3:7, 9 and 29 so clearly state, if we are Christ’s (people of faith), then we are Abraham’s offspring!  Thus, we are heirs to the promise of salvation, and Genesis 17:7 (among others) promises that the covenant is everlasting!  We are safe!

As the study progresses, we will find that the Abrahamic Covenant is:

• An inheritance  (Canaan is the Jews’ everlasting possession.)
• A 3-fold call  (Birthing call, suffering call, priestly call – we’ll take a look at these soon!)
• A warning (Those who curse Israel will be cursed.)
• A blessing (Those who bless Israel will be blessed.)

Thus, the Covenant has implications for us!  We must stand on the right side of blessings and curses.  It is also important to understand that standing with Israel is not popular, but it increases our Christian maturity.  We must stand when the world opposes us.  Standing with Israel is also important to the health of the church.

Next we will examine God’s choosing of Israel.  Do you ever wonder why He did that?  We’ll talk about it the next time we meet.  Hang in there with us!