God Elects Israel

In this section of the Bible the subject shifts from the revealing of the “special son” to the establishment of the covenant line. There is a brief description of Isaac’s encounter with God and then a rapid refocus on Jacob. God would develop the account of the covenant line through Jacob.

We have seen that God began laying down the prophetic picture of the “special son” through Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. The account includes prophecies of the unique conception of the “special son”, of his being offered as a special sacrifice on Mt. Moriah, and, if we can receive it, his resurrection. In Isaac’s case, he was spared from death and raised up at the last moment and a ram was substituted for him on the altar. Finally, we see the prophecy of the calling of a “special bride” for the “special son” which we maintain is a picture of the Holy Spirit calling the church to be joined to the resurrected Jesus.

God appeared to Isaac and established His covenant with him. The covenant was the same as God had cut with Abraham. The provisions included the promise of blessing, of a unique ministry to all of mankind and of stewardship of the land of Israel. Much later (almost 600 years) God would reveal Himself to Moses at Mt. Sinai as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. The covenant was being established in the “mouth of three witnesses”.

Another interesting fact concerning Isaac was that he never experienced a name change. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, Jacob’s name would be changed to Israel, but Isaac never had his name changed. This is most likely due to the prophetic significance of the relationship of Abraham to Isaac relative to the relationship of the Holy One and Messiah Jesus.

After 20 years of marriage, Isaac and Rebecca finally were blessed with children. Twins, Esau and Jacob, were born to them. Esau was born first so according to tradition, he would receive the special tribal blessing and authority. Esau and Jacob were diametrically opposite to one another. Esau was a hunter while Jacob was a shepherd. Jacob was chosen by God before their birth. Later Paul would quote Malachi saying,

“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Romans 9:13b).

So by God’s sovereign choice, Jacob was chosen to continue the line of promise which had previously been stated to Abraham and to Isaac. This was revealed to Rebekah before the twins were born. Jacob evidently dreamed of functioning in this capacity. Esau, on the other hand, did not embrace the vision of the Kingdom of God. He was only interested in temporal things. In a weak moment, Jacob purchased the birthright for a simple meal. Later, Jacob conspired with his mother to receive the blessing which Isaac would have given to Esau.

Jacob did not understand God’s election. He didn’t have to struggle for God’s calling. It had been given to him before his birth. However, he didn’t understand this principle. Much later David was anointed King of Israel while Saul still stood in that post. David “waited on the Lord” to establish his calling rather than attempting to establish it by his own devices. Jacob should have trusted God in this matter. Jacob was 97 years old before he simply trusted God to establish His purpose through him. His name was then changed to Israel.

We should ask ourselves the question, “How would this story be different if Jacob had simply trusted the Lord to establish his election from the beginning”? Even though Isaac was intent on giving the blessing to Esau, would God not have intervened to insure that Jacob received the anointing?

Are you struggling with God’s calling? We all must learn to “wait on the Lord”. At just the right time He will establish His purpose in you and in me.

Abraham Sends for a Wife for Isaac

In the previous study, I developed the revelation of the “special son” drawing the parallel between what Abraham did with Isaac and with what God did with Jesus some 2,000 years later. That revelation continues in Genesis 23-25. We get a clue as to the age of Isaac when he was brought to Mt. Moriah to become an “olah” (special consecrated offering) to God. Secondly, the story of how the father obtains a bride for his son is told.

We ask the question, how old was Isaac when he was brought to Mt. Moriah by Abraham? Genesis 22:5 describes Isaac as a “na-ar” (נַעַר).  This term is translated as lad (NAS) which means, simply, “a young man”. Most often, this expression is understood to mean “a teenager” or perhaps an even younger boy. The Biblical use of this term includes young men in their twenties or thirties.  I will cite two references: firstly, Benjamin was referred to as a “naar” at age 32 (Genesis 43:8); secondly, Joshua was referred to as a naar at age 40 at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 33:11). Given these examples, I return to the question of how old was Isaac when he was almost sacrificed at Mt. Moriah. The Bible does not specifically tell us; however, the next event included in the Biblical account was Sarah’s death. She died at the age of 127 which means that Isaac was 37. I believe that the events described in Genesis 22 and 23 are not displaced very much in time. Therefore, I will speculate that Isaac was near 37 when Abraham brought him to Mt. Moriah. How does this correspond to the record concerning Jesus’ crucifixion 2,000 years later? Most scholars believe that His death occurred in 31 AD/CE. Luke stated that He was “about 30” at the beginning of His ministry. According to modern reckoning, Herod the Great died in 4 BC/BCE. Herod attempted to murder Jesus by killing the children in Bethlehem that were two years old or younger. Therefore, we conclude that Jesus was born between 6 and 4 BC/BCE. So Jesus would have been about 37 as the time of His crucifixion, which would correspond to the age of Isaac when He was brought to Mt. Moriah.

A Bride for the Special Son

Three years after Sarah’s death, Abraham sent his most trusted servant back to the homeland of his countrymen to seek a bride for Isaac. The servant looked for three primary qualities in the bride. She should be a virgin (this is understood), she must be a servant and she must be willing to leave everything familiar in her life and embark upon an unknown journey to respond to the call of her groom-to-be. Rebekah demonstrated that she was a servant as she offered water to Abraham’s trusted envoy and, in addition, to water his camels. Due to the nature of camels following a long journey, I assume that this would have been a formidable task. The remaining requirement was fulfilled when Rebecca willingly agreed to travel to the land of Canaan to become the bride of Isaac. When Rebekah arrived in Canaan, Isaac took her into his mother’s tent and the marriage was consummated. Evidently, the wedding was entirely private. We would expect a great wedding feast to have been sponsored by Abraham. He sponsored such a celebration earlier when Isaac was weaned (Genesis 21:8). Yet, the wedding was private without outward ceremony.

The Church and the Marriage Supper

I maintain that God followed the same course in obtaining a bride for His son Jesus. He sent the Holy Spirit into the world to obtain a bride for His Son. Through the blood of His Son, He provided for the purity of those who would be called. Only servants were given invitations. Such servants had to be willing to step out in faith in response to the call and go in an undefined direction that was only known by the Lord. Each was required to forsake everything familiar in their lives.

Ultimately, the wedding will be private. John, in the book of Revelation, speaks of the “marriage supper of the Lamb”, which occurs in heaven (Revelation 19:7- 9).  This will be an event to which attendees will be included “by invitation only”. looking at the events related in Genesis 23-25, I conclude that these prophetic events – the calling of the church “which is the bride of Messiah” and the “marriage supper of the Lamb” – are the very things that God began pointing to through the revelation of the “Special Son” in the first book of the Bible.

God’s Revelation Through Abraham

In this section of the Bible, the Lord began to lay down revelation of His plan of redemption. In what we will call the pre-historic period, we see God moving to limit the manifestation of evil through (a) the flood, (b) the shortening of lifespan and (c) the confusion of languages at Babel. With these things accomplished, God initiated a plan that would require millennia to complete. It began with the call of Abram. Abram was on the leading edge of this revelation and, today, we find ourselves on the trailing edge. We believe that the completion of the redemption process is near.

Abram lived in Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamian valley was an early civilized area. To the west was Egypt, which was also a civilized area from very early times. God called Abram to leave his home and go to the place that He would show him. God led Abram to the land of Canaan, an area between these two main civilized areas of the ancient world. We must ask the question, “Why did God choose to bring Abram to the land of Canaan”? We will attempt to answer this question later.

When God called Abram, He promised him three things: (a) blessing, (b) ministry and (c) land. Later, this was made official by cutting a covenant (Genesis 15:18) which God confirmed to be an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:7). God promised to bless Abram and to favor him in the human community.

“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” (Genesis 12:3a)

Furthermore, God promises to give to Abram a unique ministry to all of mankind.

“And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3b)

Of course, the people of Israel are descended from Abram. From this people would come the revelation knowledge we have in the Bible. This includes the Hebrew prophets whose message brings hope to all Bible believing people. From this people also would come the Messiah who has also become the savior of the world and who will ultimately reign over the whole human community bringing peace and righteousness.

Finally, God gave to Abram and his descendents the land between the “river of the Egyptians and the Great River, the Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18a) When God spoke of the “Egyptian River” He was obviously speaking of the Nile. We conclude that God meant that He would give the land lying between these two great civilizations of that day to Abram’s descendents.

Originally I considered this promise as a special land grant like that made by a father to his favorite son. Later, after much study, I realized that Abram and his descendents were made special custodians of this land while God Himself maintained ownership of it. It remained His land. With this in mind we must once again visit the question of “Why this land”? As we do we realize that almost all of the revelation of the Bible came through Abram’s descendents in this land. Perhaps, more significant, there are many Biblical accounts of translations of people and angels from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven. This has led me to believe that the land of Israel constitutes the primary crossover point between heaven and earth. For Christians, the most familiar event is recorded in the book of Acts.

“And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

This event occurred on the Mt. of Olives which lies just east of Jerusalem. This is in the center of the territory given to Abram. Many other examples of this type of phenomena could be cited. (Please see my new work, “Israel, God’s Interdimensional Portal” available on Amazon.) So we conclude that God chose the land before He chose Abram and, in turn, the Hebrew people to be special servants for His purpose of redemption. The land is unique in its own right. Indeed, it is the “Holy Land”.

When Abram first moved through this area, we read that he met God and constructed altars. He built altars at Elon Moreh (Shechem), Bethel, Hevron and, finally, in Jerusalem. These sites are all along the mountain ridge running north to south from Shechem to Beersheva. Abram met God in an extra-ordinary way at these sites. I have come to think of this area as God’s front porch. Abram was very near to heaven as he traversed this area.

The land that God made Abraham’s descendants special custodians of is the most highly contested real estate in the world. This has become a burning issue today because God’s people have returned and are living in the land. The areas which are the most significant relative to redemption are the most highly contested. Judea and Samaria are the two regions which the vast majority of Biblical revelation occurred. All the world powers are acting in concert to wrestle these areas away from the Israelis. Real Biblical believers should arise with one voice to announce their identity with and support for the brave settlers who have exercised the faith to conquer and occupy these territories.

The Son of Promise is Born

From the very beginning as God initiated His plan of redemption, He began to lay down a pattern of revelation about a “special son”. The wisdom of God is such that He often reveals His plan by developing a series of patterns instead of directly stating His intentions. I assume that this is due to the fact that He well knows the human capacity to wrongly interpret something that is being said. He lays down a pattern, repeats it in different ways so that a discerning heart and soul can understand what is being communicated. This is true concerning Abraham and the promise of a “special son”.

“for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.” (Genesis 13:15-16)

Still, Abram and Sarai remained childless for another 25 years.

Eventually Abram and Sarai became desperate for children and utilized the practice common in their society. The handmaiden of Sarai, Hagar, was given to Abram in order to raise descendants and therefore fulfill the promise. Obviously, Abram and Sarai had no clue as to what God was doing through them. This step of “helping God” led to the requirement for Abram and his descendants to confess surrender of the reproductive system to the purpose of God which was manifested through the sign of circumcision. Nevertheless, the existence of Ishmael clouded the picture that God was beginning to reveal.

Now when Sarai was too old to bear children (menopause), God was ready to act. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (father of a multitude) and Sarai to Sarah (princess). He was 99 years old and she was 89. Now God revealed Himself to Abraham and announced that Sarah would bear his son within the coming year. This seemed so absurd to them that they both laughed as they heard this word. But,

“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.” (Genesis 21:2)

Many years later, God commanded Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to Mt. Moriah and made a burnt offering (an offering wholly consecrated to God) of him there. Please note the unusual language used by God.

“And He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”” (Genesis 22:2)

We know from previous passages that Abraham had another son, Ishmael. For the purpose of God’s revelation, God ignored Ishmael. Also, the language used by God, “your son, your only son, whom you love” reminds us of the language used by John in his gospel concerning Jesus. I maintain that this entire episode was the beginning revelation of the unique, virgin conception of Messiah Jesus which would occur some 2000 years later.

An additional point must be considered in this line of revelation. On two occasions, Abraham misrepresented his relationship to Sarah when exposed to foreign forces which he feared. This happened with the Pharaoh in Egypt and with King Abimelech in the Negev. In both cases God intervened to protect the purity of Sarah. The obvious reason was to counter any question as to who the father of the “special son” was. Again, God left no room for speculation here. The obvious reason for this is the charge that would be lodged against Mary when she conceived and bore Jesus. The Holy One of Israel wanted no confusion as to who the Father was in this case and also of the faithfulness of the mother.

We do not know precisely how old Isaac was at the time Abraham brought him to the mountain of Moriah (Jerusalem) to make an “olah”. However, the next event recorded in the Bible is the death of Sarah. She was 127 at the time of her death. Isaac was 37 years old. If God intended for Isaac to be a prophetic type of Jesus, then Jesus would be near this age at the time of His death. Most scholars believe that the crucifixion occurred in the year 31 CE/AD. Modern dating places King Herod’s death at 4 BCE/BC. Herod had the children of Bethlehem who were two years old and younger killed. So this would place Jesus’ birth between 4-6BCE/BC. Hence, Jesus would have been 37 at the time of His death. This we believe corresponds to the age of Isaac when Abraham intended to make him an “olah” on mountain of Moriah.

This revelation concerning the “special son” should be sufficient to cause any discerning person to rejoice with the love of God for the human community. He has painstakingly laid down a picture of a loving Father who is intimately involved in our lives in spite of our frequent indifference to His love. May God continue to show mercy to us!