Tikkun Global
Jerusalem, Israel
Did you know that one of the names of God is “Jealous”?!
Exodus 34:14 says, “… you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Paul knew it; and received pivotal revelation in Romans 11 regarding how the history of Israel and the nations involves … jealousy!
It turns out that long before Paul revealed to the Gentile church their calling to provoke un-saved Israel to jealousy, this was all part of an epic saga in which Israel provokes the jealousy of God by our idolatry and unfaithfulness. Then the faithful God promises to provoke us back to Himself by extending His covenantal love to millions of non-Jews. It’s an amazing covenantal-love story that we all get to be part of and play a part in – by faith in the gospel of Yeshua as revealed in the Holy Scriptures!
Paul begins Romans 11 by asking rhetorically, “Has God rejected his people?” And then “Have they stumbled so as to fall beyond recovery?” It’s a very serious stumble, yet... “May it never be; but by their transgression salvation has come to the Nations to make them jealous.”
Now remember, according to Romans 1:1-3, everything Paul writes in Romans is part of setting forth the gospel. It's about His son and everything “promised beforehand in the Holy scriptures.” One of the scriptures Paul is referring to, is Moses’ prophecy in Deuteronomy 32 which foretells this provoking to jealousy. This is Moses’ culminating recounting and prophecy:
“… a God of faithfulness and without Injustice; righteous and upright is He … and there was no foreign god with him… and he made them ride on the high places of the earth … honey from The Rock … the best of wheat …” (v. 4,12-14)
So much blessing! But things changed pretty quickly in verse 15 when Israel “… grew fat and kicked.” All the blessing is wonderful, except it can make you chubby and you are liable to forget the source of the blessing:
“He forsook God who made him and scorned the rock of his salvation. They made him JEALOUS with strange gods; With Abominations they provoked him to anger they sacrificed to Demons …” (v. 15-17)
“I will see what their end shall be for they are a perverse generation sons in whom is no faithfulness they have made me JEALOUS with what is not God; They have provoked me to anger with their Idols. SO I WILL MAKE THEM JEALOUS with those who are not a people …” (v. 20-21)
There it is! Israel would start in worship but then fall into idolatry and be unfaithful. Read Hosea 1-4 and Ezekiel 16. God is passionate about His relationship with His people, like a man is for his bride. God’s not a passive school principal looking down upon wayward students. He’s like a jealous husband. This jealousy may be the most passionate of all emotions, because it's about keeping the covenant; adultery and unfaithfulness in marriage destroy families, destroy generations. This jealous, passionate God is married to his bride made up of Jews and Gentiles who trust in him. The word jealousy in Hebrew is KIN’AH. It's also translated as zeal. God is zealously passionate for us. Are we passionate for Him?
God says, “I married you and you’ve been unfaithful. You’ve played the harlot and provoked me to jealousy and anger.” And then you know what God said? That He is going to make Israel jealous by inviting the nations into covenant with Him!
Today, with millions of Gentiles around the world passionate for the God of Israel and even visiting us here, many Israelis are asking, “Who are they and where did they all come from?” God says in effect, “They’re my people. They’re also part of my bride now, and look how they love me. Look how devoted they are to me. Look how faithful they are to me. Look how they get up and pray. Look how they read My Word.”
Paul saw it, and it’s happening in front of our eyes today. His plan is working. Moses prophesied it. Paul was living it out, and now we are too. Paul got passion from these verses in Deuteronomy, from the zeal of God. He was the Apostle to the Gentiles, but he also sought to bring something back to Israel, to stir them to jealousy (Romans 11:13-14) and remove the veil that hid their face and prevented them from seeing God.
Hallelujah there it is – the jealous, fiery love of God wooing both Israel and the nations. That should give us a lot of “oomph-passion” to keep on going. Amen?
