“When your people Israel sin against you and in consequence are defeated by an enemy; then if they turn back to you, acknowledge your name, and pray and make their plea to you in this house; hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.” – 1 Kings 8:33-34
Solomon’s 2nd prayer request deals with what happens when Israel rebels as a nation.
The consequences are clear.
The Lord will send oppression from a Gentile enemy, and Israel will be exiled.
The idea is that when Adonai executes His furious judgment by exiling a good portion of His people to a foreign land…
Those remaining will witness the sins their people committed.
Then go to the Temple to pray for forgiveness.
As a result, Adonai will hear their prayers and show mercy.
This pattern shouldn’t surprise you.
Why?
Because that’s precisely what Scripture tells us will happen.
Here are the Torah references:
“I will turn my face against you,
and enemies defeat you.
Those who hate you will pursue you relentlessly.
You will flee even when nobody pursues you.”
Leviticus 26:17 CJB
“ADONAI your God will cause your enemies to defeat you.
You will attack them one way,
then flee seven ways.
You will become a terrifying sight throughout every kingdom.“
Deuteronomy 28:25 CJB
Tragically, history tells us that’s exactly what happened.
And we have the Scripture record to prove it.
There’s an important takeaway we can extract from this.
Here’s what’s coming to me.
Don’t make the theological mistake of thinking that God judging His people means He has cast them away forever.
That’s the mistake the gentile church has made with their idiotic replacement theology.
The Lord is disciplining His People so that they will return to Him.
It is severe discipline for sure.
But discipline nonetheless.
So for the billionth time already…
Never forget that…
The Lord has made an eternal covenant with His people that will never be broken…
Despite all of their sins.
And I betcha if you take a good, honest look at your life…
I think you’ll find it never quite measured up to the Lord’s holy standard either.
Ya feel me here?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“…and in this way all Israel will be saved.
As it is written:
‘The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.'”
Romans 11:26
Good one, Rich. I agree with your pushback against the idea that YHWH simply rejected the Jewish people and moved on. I have a hard time seeing how that works with Romans 11.
The olive-tree illustration is particularly helpful. Some natural branches were broken off because of unbelief, Gentiles were grafted in, and Paul says those natural branches can be grafted back in if they don’t remain in unbelief. (Romans 11:17-24)
But there’s a verse a couple of chapters earlier that keeps coming to mind:
“For not everyone from Isra’el is truly part of Isra’el.” Romans 9:6, CJB
Paul obviously hasn’t stopped caring about ethnic Israel. Romans 9-11 makes that abundantly clear. Yet he also seems to be drawing some kind of distinction within Israel itself. Then in Romans 11, whether a branch remains in the tree seems to turn on faith or unbelief.
I also agree with you that Gentiles being grafted in doesn’t make them some superior people who displaced the Jews. Paul specifically warns them against becoming arrogant toward the natural branches.
So I’d be interested in your take on something, since you’ve obviously spent a lot of time thinking about this:
When Paul says “all Isra’el will be saved” in Romans 11:26, how do you understand that in light of his earlier statement that “not everyone from Isra’el is truly part of Isra’el”?
I’d genuinely be interested in hearing how you understand those two verses together.
Good article, my friend.
Hi Steven,
I don’t find reconciling these 2 verses difficult.
“For not everyone from Isra’el is truly part of Isra’el.” Romans 9:6, CJB
This could simply mean those who falsely claim to be Jews or Hebrews and are not.
Or it could be referring to those Jews who persist in denying Yeshua is the Messiah until the very end, despite all the evidence (prophetic or otherwise).
Regarding the “All Israel will be saved” statement, I can’t be 100% dogmatic with this, and I don’t think anyone else can be either.
But I think it can mean that all members of Israel who come to faith in the Messiah will be saved.
Or it can mean, as some say, that eventually, in His perfect timing, God will cause national Israel to officially recognize Yeshua as Messiah in the end days.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” – Zechariah 12:10