2S15-21: A Gentile in Messiah Remains a Gentile, Not a Spiritual Israelite

“Then the king said to Ittai the Gitti, ‘You too? Why are you going with us? Go back, and stay with your king, since you are both a foreigner and in exile from your own place. You arrived only yesterday; should I ask you to wander around with us? There’s no telling where I may go. Return, and take your kinsmen back with you. Grace and truth be with you.'”-2 Samuel 15:19-20

So David and his followers are fleeing eastward.

They traveled down through the Kidron Valley, up the Mount of Olives, and headed east into the wilderness.

As David’s men marched by, a group of 600 personal bodyguards passed in front of him.

They were led by a man named Ittai.

Now, here’s what’s interesting.

This leader, who decided to join David, was a foreigner.

Most likely, he was of Philistine descent.

And let’s not forget the Greek word for “Philistine” is Palestinian.

Ya feeling me here?

Okay, onward.

So David stops this faithful gentile leader and basically tells him…

“Hey homie, you don’t have to come with us.

You just joined us not long ago.

And you’re not even a Hebrew man!

So you don’t owe me anything.

Go back and serve the new king if you want.”

David’s essentially telling him he has no obligation to stick around.

He ain’t Jewish, and it probably ain’t worth the risk for him to be involved with a ruler on the run who has such an uncertain future.

David also reminds him that he just recently joined Israel.

Let’s look at a couple of Hebrew words that pop up here.

First, the word used for “yesterday” is TEMOL.

That ain’t quite right.

I doubt it means “yesterday.”

In this context, I’d say TEMOL means “a short while ago.”

Next, David refers to this Palestinian leader as a NOKRI and a GOLEH.

NOKRI means an “alien” or “stranger.”

GOLEH means an “exile.”

So this Ittai fellow was in an interesting position.

He was living in a land that wasn’t his own.

He hadn’t become part of Israel.

Yet he had still chosen to follow God’s ordained king…EVEN IF it meant leaving his old country behind.

Are you seeing the picture beginning to emerge here concerning gentile believers who pledge allegiance to the Jewish Messiah?

Ittai had NOT become a national member of Israel.

He chose to keep his gentile identity and NOT become an official Hebrew.

Yet as a Palestinian who had pledged loyalty to Israel’s Messiah…

Not only was he now an enemy of his former government…

But he was also an exile from his homeland.

David was cool beans receiving this gentile’s loyalty even if he didn’t officially become circumcised and become a Jew.

Hmm…ain’t that interesting?

God’s son, David, at this time, didn’t require a gentile to convert to serve him.

And that’s your takeaway for today.

And something Paul preached on as well.

You do NOT need to officially convert to Judaism to be grafted into the commonwealth of Israel.

Through your faith in the Jewish Messiah, who is a son of David, you can still join and serve with God’s people.

Heck, in Ittai’s case, you can even serve as a top leader in the House of Israel.

Are you feeling me here?

This also reminds me of another thing.

A lot of gentile believers, because of their faith in the Jewish Messiah, refer to themselves as spiritual Jews or spiritual Hebrews.

That ain’t exactly right.

A Jew is a person descended from Jacob through the tribe of Judah, period.

A Hebrew is a person descended from one of the 12 tribes of Israel (of course, this includes Jews).

A spiritual Jew is a Jew who has returned to HaShem through his or her faith in the Jewish Messiah.

A gentile who comes to faith in the God of Israel by accepting Yeshua is NOT a spiritual Jew, or any kind of Jew for that matter.

That person doesn’t suddenly have his or her DNA structure transformed and become Jewish.

Ya feeling me here, homie?

That person is like Ittai.

He or she is, I guess, a “spiritual gentile” for lack of a better expression.

And if you’re a gentile believer, don’t feel inferior because of your ethnic background.

Because in the body of Messiah, your spiritual status is on a fully EQUAL level with everyone else…

Regardless of whether you’re a spiritual Jew or a spiritual gentile…

Or a spiritual green alien from the planet Mars.

Ya feel me?

Done.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“Only let each person lead the life
that the Lord has assigned to him,
and to which God has called him…
Was anyone at the time of his
call already circumcised?
Let him not seek to remove
the marks of circumcision.
Was anyone at the time of
his call uncircumcised?
Let him not seek circumcision. …
Each one should remain in the
condition in which he was called.”
— 1 Corinthians 7:17–20

“For in Messiah Yeshua neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision means anything,
but faith working through love.”
Galatians 5:6

“Circumcision is nothing
and uncircumcision is nothing,
but keeping the commandments
of God is what matters.”
1 Corinthians 7:19

“For neither is circumcision anything,
nor uncircumcision,
but a new creation.”
Galatians 6:15

“A person is not a Jew
who is one only outwardly,
nor is circumcision merely
outward and physical.
No, a person is a Jew
who is one inwardly;
and circumcision is
circumcision of the heart,
by the Spirit,
not by the written code.”
-Romans 2:28–29

“Is this blessedness
only for the circumcised,
or also for the uncircumcised?
We have been saying that Abraham’s faith
was credited to him as righteousness.
Under what circumstances was it credited?
Was it after he was
circumcised, or before?
It was not after, but before!”
Romans 4:9–10

“And if some of the branches were broken off,
and you, being a wild olive tree,
were grafted in among them…
do not boast against the branches.”
— Romans 11:17–18

“For not all who are descended
from Israel belong to Israel…
it is not the children of the flesh
who are the children of God,
but the children of the promise…”
— Romans 9:6–8

“Therefore, remember that formerly
you who are Gentiles by birth…
were separate from Messiah,
excluded from citizenship in Israel…
But now in Messiah Yeshua you who
once were far away have been
brought near by the blood of Christ.”
— Ephesians 2:11–13

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile…
for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua.
If you belong to Messiah,
then you are Abraham’s seed,
and heirs according to the promise.”
— Galatians 3:28–29